Bergen Flesland Airport was buzzing. The plane had landed, people were moving around, picking up their luggage, and I was writing on what would eventually become this article while I waited for my bag to arrive so that I could go home in the middle of the night after being away for six days. I was nearly home, after participating in the annual International Board of Directors (IBD) meeting for Mensa International. This year the meeting took place in Bucharest, Romania – the same city that hosted the 2024 European Mensas Annual Gathering (EMAG). In total, around six hundred people signed up this year, making it into an enormous event. The organisers had scheduled several fun and interesting social activities which the participants could take part in.
Business
The IBD consists of five International Elected Officers, and close to fifty representatives from more than forty countries – in addition to MIL office staff. Some volunteers were also invited to take part in the meeting. Nine of us are members of the Executive Committee (ExComm), and we started by having a full-day meeting on Thursday, while most of the other guests were arriving in time for the “ice breaker” event that evening. The IBD meetings ran from Friday to Sunday, which meant that the IBD (which ExComm is also a part of) couldn’t join the rest for the social activities during those days – we were there to work. Our staff (Ashley and Fiona) were crucial to ensure the meeting went smoothly, including voting, taking the minutes etc. This would not have been possible without their help!
As for the meeting itself: there were several items on the agenda. Presentations were held. Motions were made, discussed, amended and voted on. Some of the motions passed, others failed. Some were quick and easy, while others took a lot more time and effort. By the time this article is printed, you’ll probably be able to read the various motions and decisions that were made, as the minutes of the IBD meetings (and of the ExComm meetings) are published on the members-only part of the Mensa International website.
The annual physical IBD meeting is the largest expense for Mensa International, so why do it this way instead of doing it all online? The physical meeting gives the participants an opportunity to discuss the topics at hand in a very different way than it would have been if it was done completely online. Numerous discussions took place during coffee breaks – discussions that wouldn’t have happened in the same way if the coffee break was done virtually, and where the participants just muted their microphone and went to their own coffee machine.
We usually invite one or two representatives from Emerging Mensas (EM) or Provisional National Mensas (PNM), and this year the invitees were Seikei Cámara (chair of Mensa Perú) and Sofya Fedkina (member of the Mensa Cyprus committee). They were participating actively in the IBD meeting, asking questions and giving good comments on matters that were discussed. Being there in person allowed them to connect with people from a large number of countries. I’m really thrilled by how active they were!
Pleasure
The majority which did were not stuck in three (or four) days of meetings could choose from a large number of activities during the day. When the evening came, the groups could join up and be social together. Some would find a place where they could sing karaoke, others would look for a nearby bar, and some would just look for a place where they could sit down and talk with friends, some of whom they hadn’t seen in a while, and some which they met for the first time. If I were to guess, I’d say the common theme is to kindle and nurture that human connection, bringing us all closer together.
Business AND pleasure!
The opportunity to meet with so many brilliant people is precious! The downside is of course that the day only has 24 hours, and some of those need to be spent on sleeping, to increase the chance of making it through the entire event without being completely exhausted in the end. Now that we’re all back home, it’s time to work on the results from the meeting, as well as the other backlog that has been piling up.
Until next time! Floreat Mensa!
Převzato z Mensa World Journal, 11/26, č. 166.