When we travel, PDG Ed and I frequently plan to visit a Rotary Club in the destination. Here are some of my observations on the meeting styles we encountered.
LOCATION OF CLUBS IN THIS STORY
June 2015 – RC of Ilhabela, Brazil
This was a non-meal meeting at the Ilha Flat Hotel, with members seated on chairs placed in rows facing the head table. After the presentations of a special welcome certificate and club banner to the visiting Rotarians, the business meeting proceeded with discussions of various club matters. After the meeting, some Rotarians chose to go out together and walked to a nearby restaurant to have dinner.
June 2015 – RC of Sao Sebastiao, Brazil
A traditional club that meets for dinner at the Porto Grande Hotel on Mondays at 8 PM. Head table with executive present and two rows of rectangular tables with seating on both sides of each row of tables. Treasurer of the club celebrated his 74th birthday when we were there.
May 2016: RC of Taichung Southeast, Taiwan
The entrance to the meeting room (located on the 8th floor of Chaoyang University of Science and Technology Promotion Education Center) was approximately in the centre of the large room. After making the appropriate payment to the greeter, a member, all of whom appeared to be male, would make his way to one of two areas. Some went to the restaurant part on the right, while others went directly to the meeting area on the left. Those who went left sat at long tables set up to form a deep U like in Sao Sebastiao, Brazil. There they awaited the start of the meeting, while the typically, earlier arrivals completed their meal at the restaurant part of the room and then joined the others in the meeting area. The meeting area was set up with a head table for members of the executive. Members of the same profession were nick-named after their speciality. For example, the medical doctor was called “Health” while the neurologist was nicknamed “Brain”.
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April 2017 RC of Holsworthy, England:
Rotarians and guests met at a golf club and sat around a long double row of rectangular tables pushed together. This long row of tables came up to the head table (where the President, Secretary and Treasurer sat). Lunch was served from the restaurant kitchen located right next to the meeting room. The club had a speaker and the meeting ended with the singing of God Save the Queen.
January 2018: RC of Scottsdale North
A unique, non-traditional, evening club, the Rotary Club of Scottsdale North meets at a room in Hacienda’s Mexican Grill where meals and drinks are optional. The president conducted business from her table near the entrance of the room (view of part of the room as seen from the club president’s table). With no formalities whatsoever, the meeting consisted entirely of reports from every committee chair.
November 2018: RC of The Historic Triangle, Williamsburg, VA, USA:
At this meeting held at the Colonial Heritage Clubhouse, members were seated at separate rectangular tables of 4, 6 or 8 people and there was no head table. The president Tom Bozek and all others came up to the podium to speak. The podium was set up off to the side a bit, and as can be seen in the above image in front of the club banner and a large banner with all the club’s honours and awards such as Presidential Citation, Club Service, Governor Circle, District Rotary Foundation, Best Attendance, Public Relations, Best Club Website and Vocational Service Awards.
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