Page 42 - Lion Oct Nov 2016

MD CONVENTION
NEEDS YOU
42
Have you ever been to a Multiple District 105 Convention?
There was a time when we said we need more members to grow our wonderful organisation...Now we are fast approaching the time when we need more members just to survive. Not just new members
but new YOUNGER members. We have thousands of Lions who have been members for 30 or 40 years. We
have some who have been Lions
for more than 50 years. Many of these loyal Lions come to MD Convention year after year but we need to make Conventions
attractive to our younger
members too. We want Lions with young families, who can attract
their friends to join our
membership, to come to
Conventions & give us their ideas.
At Eastbourne we gave a questionnaire to those who came, many have replied saying they will always attend to meet old friends & to support their District Governors.
Now, we want to hear from those of you who
have never been. Convention can be your
opportunity to say what you want from your
organisation. Please tell us why you have never been and what would make you come. The questionnaire, given out at the Convention in Eastbourne, is reproduced on the next page, but please feel free to write a free format reply if not enough questions are asked. In 2017, we shall be meeting in Blackpool another seaside resort where we hope many of you will come for a long weekend or even longer. After all it is the centennial year of the International Association of Lions Clubs and we hope to have some special guests & some fun surprises. We are even thinking of arranging a crèche to encourage more Lions with young families to come. At the business session we shall be voting on re- districting.
2018 is a blank canvas. We could, for example, encourage younger Lions to make a holiday of it with their families. We have the opportunity to have exclusive use of an entire Holiday Camp if we get enough supporters. We would be charged the equivalent of 1 day at the recent Manchester or the Birmingham MD Conventions for a 3 day package or even 4 days when you include food and accommodation which is even better value when you count the costs of the drink charges at those 2 venues. Forget the 1950s style of
Holiday Camp! I know our younger members will not have experienced them but you may have seen the “Carry On” film, or the TV series Hi de Hi. Holiday Camps these days can be far more exclusive with excellent food and comfortable rooms. Whether you always come to Conventions or have never been, please either complete the questionnaire and return it to MDHQ or myself at lionpaulwithers@msn.com or print it out and send the completed form to:
Paul Withers, 1 Cranleigh Chase, The Common, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8SN.
Many thanks,
Lion Paul Withers
MD Conventions Officer
October/November 2016
www.lionsclubs.co