One of my favorite things in JCI is to go and see how other National Organisations (NOMs) do things. Though we're all the same organisation with the same vision, mission and values, we have different sizes, different membership and different traditions that all in all makes us do things quite differently.

National Conventions all around the world all have some similarities; they allow the members to come together, they offer training sessions, meetings, workshops and parties. So going abroad to visit another national convention you quite soon can feel at home and comfortable. Also people are much the same - the same proactive, positive and engaged people we are used to here in the UK.

Of course, I'm particularly interested in how other NOMs run their things as I'll soon be running JCI UK (well, luckily not all by myself...). And its great to think outside the box, get some inspiration from other places and learn.

JCI Denmark is quite a bit bigger than JCI UK. They have around 48 local chambers and around 800 members. This means they run things a bit more formally than we do. They have to. Their General Assembly also took quite a bit longer, but overall it was pretty similar.

One of the National Convention traditions JCI Denmark shares with JCI UK is to have a costume party. I'm not sure where the blue men came from, but that night they came from outer space. In Denmark a chamber all dresses up the same, within a chosen topic. So all the blue men came from the same chamber.

JCI Denmark has been loosing members the last couple of years so this national convention was centred around membership growth. I got to present in front of the participants of a workshop about how we do things in the UK and in particular how we do things in London. In Denmark they don't have any big chambers so the workshop moderator wanted the members to see that its possible to have a big chamber and a bit about how things can be done then.

We also heard from Danish chambers that have grown recently and we heard from the National President of JCI Turkey, Gulboy, about what is working in Turkey. I was there to speak, but I think I was the one learning the most. Lots of new ideas for 2012 in the UK.

Someone made JCI ear rings and gave me! They are fun! I didn't know who made them before I got home and saw this picture on facebook.

These cute animals were there to promote the Danish Spring Conference in Mors in March. On the left is the JCI Denmark National President 2011 Jon Kjaer and on the right is the JCI Denmark Deputy National President 2011 and President Elect 2012 Soren Greve Olesen.

One of the highlights of the convention was the elections. Two people were standing for the role as Deputy National President 2012 and it was interesting to see their campaigns and what they were thinking. I think its great to have contested elections, though I must admit I would be really nervous myself. In addition the National President for 2012 was elected, Soren Greve Olesen from JCI Ribe. In this picture I'm with Soren and his parents just after he was elected.