Soba.America.E-Newsletter.2017

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AS CONVENTION CZAR, I HAD A UNIQUE VIEW OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS AND WANTED TO SHARE THE LESSONS I LEARNED, TO BENEFIT FUTURE CONVENTIONS. BELOW ARE THE TOP 5 LESSONS LEARNED: 1. VIP TABLES: One of the main issues at the convention was the VIP seating and table arrangements. Because VIP tables were being sold right up till the Gala night, there was no comprehensive list of VIP tables, which led to some confusion about seating arrangements. This situation was eventually addressed but not before several of our guests either did not get the right combination of drinks or seating arrangements. We hope that notwithstanding, our guests had a great time, and the goal is to better plan for VIP tables in the upcoming Conventions 9
h a hotel helped us to run smoothly for the most part. However, the details on controlling the access into the Gala ballroom could have been better. Because we were applying wristbands selectively for non-Sobans, once the party was in full-swing, it was difficult to tell who had already been inside and who was a new guest, even under the watchful eyes of our excellent security guards. In the future hosts need to be better prepared to control access to all events at the Convention. 3. IMPROVED TRAINING: Planning is great for predictable outcomes, but when managing an occasion, the size of a SOBA National Convention, there are bound to be several unpredictable circumstances. Better training on seating arrangements, VIP tables, and door security procedures would have avoided a lot of stress, and smoothed out some of the issues which our guests experienced during the Convention. Training for all the host chapter’s members is imperative for a smooth convention. 4. BETTER OUTREACH While the Convention had record attendance at many events, one of the goals of the Convention was to expand the SOBA brand to reach out to more non-Cameroonians. Every Cameroonian knows the “Sasse” brand, but we wanted to expand this to reach other Houstonians. We were only moderately successful as we engaged in local community service, and received several donations from non-Cameroonians. However, the goal is to continue to grow the SOBA brand awareness past the regular cultural ceiling into a national brand in future Conventions. 5. INVITE VIPS EARLIER: This year, we invited Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner to our Convention in February, and he declined due to conflicts. I recognize that I could have invited him earlier, and also invited other public officials to our Convention. Our Canadian brothers did a great job getting public officials to their event, and this goes a long way to build up SOBA brand awareness. Landing a public official at our Conventions gives it an “official” stamp of approval, and enables our organization to have a much greater impact on our local communities. Thank you all for visiting with us in Houston. We hope you had a great time like we did, and we look forward to seeing you in Atlanta in 2017! By Mbei Enoh, Soba America National Secretary and 2016 Houston Convention Czar, Houston, Texas 10
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Page 6 and 7: The presentation of the gifts took
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Page 14 and 15: 2016 HOUSTON CONVENTION LESSONS LEA
Page 16 and 17: GOING FORWARD: I recommend the foll
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Page 20 and 21: inspired him to seek to become a do
Page 22 and 23: The day was far from over for Presi
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Page 26 and 27: On Sunday, SOBANS and their familie
Page 28 and 29: THE VALUES PRACTICED BY SOBANS As S
Page 30 and 31: SOBAN IN THE NEWS: HRH MICHAEL AJIA
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Page 38 and 39: Thank you SOBA Dallas for your gene
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Soba.America.E-Newsletter.2017

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