Special Networking Event Write-up

Christine Walter, ANZCAL

When we ask what members would like us to offer Professional Development and opportunities to meet other like-minded people are at the top of the list.

Over the past 12 months there has been a small gathering over dinner in Wellington and Christchurch on a more impromptu basis, so we decided to try something different as Auckland hadn’t had any opportunities to this point.  We decided to “think bigger”.

On 31 July we held two events at the Rose Park Hotel in Parnell.  The first was a short professional development opportunity on Sensory Acuity.  In my opinion this is a crucial part of coaching and it addressed 3.5 hours of another important part of coaching – professional development.  Twenty-two people enjoyed this short sharp workshop and had fun incorporating some of the information into the afternoon.  There was also the opportunity to enhance their learning even more as they mingled during the evening event as well.

The evening event was a mixture of formal presentations and informal mixing with like minded people.  We were fortunate to secure two marvelous guest speakers.  The first was Mike Edgar, from The Design Cellar.  Mike has been in the design industry for over 20 years and has created some of prominent marketing campaigns like Red Nose Appeal and Blue September.  He gave a wonderful talk on points to consider when choosing a business name and designing a logo.  His information along with his wit and humour had us learning and laughing at the same time.

Inspiration was gathered, and I know of a few people attending who have had clarity from Mike’s contribution to our evening.

Mike was followed by an inspirational presentation from Catherine (Kat) Yearbury who talked about her journey with her daughter Ella.  Born at 25 weeks, Ella suffered a severe brain bleed at 3 days old.

Now living with cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus and epilepsy, Ella has defied all expectations and beaten many odds. Kat heard about an operation that could possibly help Ella to walk.  She set about raising $250,000 to make this possible for Ella.   At the same time as sharing her journey, she also reminded us to get out and talk about what is important to us as well in a very novel way.

Both presentations are now on the  Members only resources web page for you to listen to.  We did have a slight technical hitch with recording the first presentation, so it starts a little bit into it.  The power point presentation is included so you can see what is not recorded.

The talks were preceded with drinks and nibbles and lots of connecting.  For some it was meeting up with people they hadn’t seen for a while.  For most it was making new connections and support networks.  There was much sharing of contact details and coffee follow ups being arranged.  I do know also that a small group are in discussions around creating a connection network to share their combined knowledge and I really look forward to hearing more about that.

During the evening we were excited to announce that we now have a Wellington representative, Jordan Shearer.  Jordan has agreed to be a face for ANZCAL in the Wellington area to ensure three key cities in New Zealand are represented.

All in all, it was a most successful night.  I would like to acknowledge Paul Walmsley for making the trip to Auckland to attend and be a part of this; the amazing staff at the Rose Park Hotel – their service was faultless.  Thank you to all who attended to make this event such a success and a huge thank you to Rhys and Meridee, our two volunteers that manned the meet and greet of guests and the drinks bar.  Without all of you this event would not have been the success it was.

Because this evening was such a success, and it is the attendees that make it so, we are committed to holding similar things in Christchurch and Wellington.  We will be starting with Christchurch so please watch out for more details soon.