Ten days after our flight GA2013, both of us are still summarizing our impressions from Valladolid. Together we’ve been to around 80 internal events, visited 60 LBGs, wrote thousands of emails, but the experience of being your speakers was something unprecedented - nothing less than “cherry on top” of our five years in BEST. It was magnificent to feel the energy of a GA plenary, to hear people talking passionately about their ideas, to witness the closure of another BEST year.
And, you know, we’re working men, but we are having a hard time focusing at work ever since, because we were constantly checking social media and recalling the great memories from the event :)
In the opening session we showed you that a significant part of BEST history was made during GMs through the decisions of GM delegates. You are now among those people who shaped BEST as we will know it in few years time and you should be proud of it! This GA might be talked about as the one where they decided to Belgianize BEST, the one where all proposals got accepted, or the one where McDonalds’s chicken supply chain was brought to its limits or something else - only time will tell!
Delegates, you were the voice of the whole organisation! Thank you for bearing us for 6 days, for being silent when we called for your attention, for laughing when we were attempting to make jokes (or failing at making them), and for asking the right questions.
Band, you put a lot of effort in the great final gig of your BEST year. And you rocked it! It was a pleasure to conduct this event together with you and thank you for trusting us with the speakers’ role.
Organisers, you pulled off an event that will be remembered for a long time! You were there for us printing as if we had all of the paper in the world, setting up the plenary until the early morning right after the company day, running a half-marathon in the plenary with microphones, fixing stuff within a matter of minutes (thank you whatsapp, uh? ;) ) - for all that we owe you a huge thank you and sangria next time we’re back in Valladolid (wait for it...).
If you feel like giving a look at what was going on during those long plenary days (and nights) at GA2013, reliving your favorite GA moments, now or in some years, we are currently uploading all presentations and videos for you to download: you can find them
here.
It was a pleasure for us to be your speakers and if you ever want to reach us for anything related to GA (e.g. feedback would be more than appreciated) or any other topic, we’re one email away -
matija...@best.eu.org and
michele...@best.eu.org
Oh, and if you happen to need a pair of Speakers for the Local GA in your LBG, remember that you can always contact us. We come in a package, you can’t get only one of us. We offer our services in 10-15 languages (but we can learn new ones fast), out of which we actually speak only 5 or 6.
Enjoy your BEST life, live it to the fullest!
Yours,
Mik and Matija
XXXI General Assembly Speakers