Category: Innovation Awards
Presented to a Consul who consistently presents highly innovative ideas, providing unique themes and/or locations to the members.
2017 Winner: Chris Elby in Tehran, Iran
2017 Honorable Mention: Peter Nagy in Perth, Australia
Why They Won
When making their selection, the Global Awards Jury considered Consuls who think “outside the box” when designing and implementing their activities. The strongest nominees for this award focused on unique locations around the city or themed activities that continually surprised their members. One of our jury members says it best:
“Organizing monthly activities that are attractive to members is a tough thing to ask, especially in Tehran, Iran. Every month, Chris chooses a topic for the activity, related to the city, a special celebration, or the changing of the seasons. Not only that, but she comes up with catchy titles every month to entice the members of Tehran. For example, Chris took her group members on an Easter egg hunt through the city with her activity “Eggs Will Roll”. Chris is always looking for different activities that relate to the group to ensure no activity is the same for the members. No matter what challenges Chris faces in the planning of her activities, she never fails to bring innovation to her role as Consul.”
What is an example of one of your most innovative ideas or successful activities?
Every month for a year, that I have been a Consul, I have organized an activity for the InterNations Albatross Members, namely:
"’Tis The Season"(Christmas shopping)
"Thor" (a challenge at an arcade)
"Spring Has Sprung" (strolling through a flower market)
"Eggs Will Roll" (Easter egg hunt)
"Chill Chasing" (Cafe hopping in winter), just to name a few.
How do you overcome the challenges in coming up with fresh ideas for your group members? What motivates you in general to stay active?
I'm a firm believer in overcoming obstacles, like in the metro getting smacked in the eye by a lady with a “bigger than life” elbow, right before you are to meet members for your activity, or arriving at your activity just to find the equipment is "temporarily out of order", or scheduling local talent who has financial difficulties and must sell her pottery wheel just hours before your activity, or turkeys that are meant to be "heard and not seen" for a Thanksgiving event, or members canceling one by one , or rain, or snow, or "dangerous smog warnings"! These are life's little quirks that cause me to bring to mind a couple of famous sayings: "Where there's a will, there's a way", and "I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference"!
Staying motivated and “keeping my word” is in my very nature. I applied to be a Consul with InterNations and to organize an activity "at least once a month", therefore, I will do this. Integrity is very important to me and is a driving force which motivates me. I also like planning, coming up with new ideas, and creating. I'm at my very best when my creative juices are bubbling.
Do you have any tips for Consuls on how to entice members to sign up?
Some tips I could offer to other Consuls, to get their members to sign up, is send a greeting to members when they join the group (meaning, "roll out the welcome mat, keeping your finger on the pulse of your group"), ask members what kind of activities they are interested in, what activity schedules work for most members, and to take into consideration the environment in which the Consul lives. When they are not in their own culture it’s important to be flexible and adaptable.
For instance, making note of upcoming holidays, keeping informed about activities that local people may be involved in, checking out local craftsmen/craftswomen who may be exhibiting their work at museums or special locations, etc., will give Consuls tons of ideas for their activities. "Going off the grid" (while observing local laws, of course), and "thinking outside the box" will open the mind to all kinds of possibilities for an activity.
Keeping a theme in mind, when planning an activity, is a good way to make organizing easier. By having a theme in mind, any activity can be organized, even the one I titled “It's Your Birthday, Leo", which called upon all members having had or having a birthday, to post pictures of their birthday in the event photo section, if they wished to do so.
That August, many InterNations members, friends, and relatives had their own schedules, were out of town, in other countries, ill or just out of touch. So, not to be daunted, I went to shopping areas, took pictures (to be posted on the activity page), circled around, popped into my favorite cafe, ordered a delicious piece of cake, stuck a candle in it, had a frothy blue drink, and enjoyed every bite and sip, as if the room was buzzing full of InterNations members, with conversation and laughter!
In addition, thinking up snappy titles to the event can also help in attracting members to an activity.
Well, there you have it! I can say that we are really only limited by our own imagination!
Congratulations to Chris Elby in Tehran, 2017’s winners of the Innovation Award, as well as our honorable mention, Peter Nagy in Perth, for impressing all of us with your incredibly unique activities and themes!
About the winner:
Chris Elby has been a Consul of the Tehran Expats Group since October 2016. Born in Ireland, Chris studied and lived in America and now resides in Tehran. Chris takes time out from her handcraft business to crochet little gifts for the attendees of the events she organizes.
