Election looms
By Current Club President, Peter Fekete
In June we elect a new committee and a new President. The new committee will take over in July. The Club constitution requires Immediate Past President, Hans Peterson, to chair the nominating committee and conduct the election.
We are therefore calling on all members who are interested in holding office in the forthcoming period to contact Hans (see the contact form below).
Undertaking
I am the longest current member of the Club, and the history of my service to it has been extensive. So I think this is a good opportunity for me to share with you some of my thoughts regarding the election. Our AGM, the date of which is yet to be announced, could be an opportunity for further fruitful discussion.
Joining the committee is not a light undertaking, and no position on the committee, least of all that of President, can be described as "ceremonial". We encourage everyone to step forward to help drive the Club forward, but invite those interested to seriously consider the nature of the undertaking.
The position of President
The position of President is crucial. The President should ideally be someone with lots of experience running the Club as a previous member of the committee. The role requires dedication and time.
It is not sufficient merely to conduct and chair meetings, the President must have a vision for the Club and the strong support of committee members to that vision.
It is my view that the position of the President is constitutionally weak and that we need to do something to strengthen the role.
The President has no official functional role - that is, the mechanics of the Club are conducted by other committee members and not by the President. This creates difficulties for the President who as a consequence has no hands on contact with the day to day machinery of the Club. To redress this problem some clarification of the constitution of the Club could be desirable. I would also strongly recommend that the forthcoming President takes on at least one of the routine roles of the committee.
The existing Constitution requires that I step down as President of the Club this July. No member is allowed to stand in consecutive years.
Conduct of elections
Regarding the conduct of the election, I would expect every person putting themselves forward to make a brief statement in advance of the vote. I believe that it is normal in democratic institutions for candidates to state their credentials and their intentions, to be elected on manifesto and to be accountable for their actions. So I would expect candidates to state clearly what they intend to do in office. Anyone wishing to publish a manifesto in advance of the election is invited to do so on this website.
| Party in Vienna
On Saturday April 21st, the Area conference was held in Vienna under the auspices of the Vienna Clubs and the leadership of Klaus Hammer, our Area Governor.
It was great fun with some innovative ideas, including an extensive session of improvisation and drama. Professional workshops by Nicko Formanek and Charles LaFond added to the quality and fun of the event.
Conference buzz
The Budapest Club was well represented at the Conference. Mary Murphy won the evaluation contest.
Mary talks to Olga
Atis Szabo gave a great presentation of the motivational speech that won him our Club trophy. The competition in Vienna was strong, and he came third, losing to the highly experienced Kathie Kultanova from Bratislava. In second place was Silvio Michal, also from Bratislava.
Atis at the Conference
End of an era, and a new Area Governor
With three Clubs in Budapest, we now form our own Area. This is an occasion for both mirth and sadness - sad because we are saying goodbye to our excellent companions in Vienna and Bratislava.
We need an Area Governor
The new Area requires a new Area Governor. Traditionally, area governors tend to be appointed by the hierarchy of the European District. However, provision for democratic election does exist, and this is therefore also an opportunity to invite anyone interested in taking on the role to step forward, and to debate our own nomination at our AGM.
The responsibilities of the Area Governor are primarily to (1) Organise the Area Conference, (2) Conduct officer training for all clubs in the area.
Thanks to Klaus Hammer
We also take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to our existing Area Governor, Klaus Hammer from Bratislava, who is stepping down this term. Klaus has been an outstanding leader and we are all amazed at his dynamism. Many thanks!
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We had a great night out last Thursday, 12th April. Someone took a polaroid with them.
 Anna Laszlo in happy mood. Lots of delicious lemonade. Balazs and Judit tickled to death by the humorous annecdotes of the person sitting to the left and out of view in this photo.  Roxy and Barbara had a "girl talk". Here they have been momentary shocked out of their private dialogue by the mystery person who took these photos. |  Hey - did someone turn out the lights? Never mind, that did not prevent Peter and Bea from serious discussion. Balazs was determined to get into as many photos as possible.  Atis and Gregory practice synchronised head waving. This is a very difficult task from one of the ultimately super advanced manuals in the "Your Body Talks!" series. |  The dictator of Budapest Toastmasters gently encourages a novice. Martin Zdarek became the first gate-crasher of a Budapest Toastmasters party. Whoopee!  Hey! What on Earth is this frigging photo doing here? It looks like the party was such a success that even the wallpaper wants to gatecrash it. | The next party!
The next party is in Vienna - Saturday 21st April. To find out more, contact Bea Bincze. Also, see below!
Party Animals
After the meeting at the CEU this coming Thursday 12th April we have decided to go the Holdudvar in Margit Island for drinks. Some of those who have already decided that this will be a great evening to socialise and party are Atis Szabo, Martin Zdarek, Anna Laslo, Gregory Koncz, and, of course, the great Crusader for the "let's go for a drink" concept, Peter Fekete. "Do join us!" says Peter, "This is a great opportunity to be a party animal!" |  Holdudvar |
Mystery question of the Year!
What is at Rennweg 79, 1030 Vienna? Your first clue is on this page: http://areaconference2012.toastmasters.at/web/?page_id=2Did that help? It will cost you between 10 and 15 euros to find out. One possible answer is: a lot of birds. But what kind of birds? Birds from Vienna, Birds from Bratislava? Male birds? Female birds? | Vienna Conference looms
The Area D1 Spring Conference is on Saturday 21 April 2012 at Rennweg 79, 1030 Vienna. This promises to be a great event with lots of participants from Vienna and Bratislava already signed up as official "early birds". There will be a party from Budapest, though whether they will all sign-up in time to be good "early birds", or whether they will be foolish enough to become "late birds" or even "ultimately late, spontaneous birds" is not really known at this time. The difference is not that much - 5 euros to the birds - and a smaller headache to the conference organisers. If you want to know what it's all about, then visit the sign-up page: http://areaconference.toastmasters.at/web/ |
The Conference season got under way to a magnificent start with our highly successful Club event at the Kempinski Hotel at the beginning of March. There followed an equally delightful Club competition at the Morgan Stanley bank last Thursday 22nd March. Now we head deep into the conference season. Action Stations!
We are keen to support our local contestants at the Area conference, to be held in Vienna this coming month on Saturday 21st April. In the International Speech Competition we expect to be represented by Atis Szabó and Hans Peterson. In the Evaluation contest our representatives are Mary Murphy and Hans Peterson. | CONFERENCES AT A GLANCE
Saturday 21st April. Area Conference in Vienna, Austria.
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May. Division Contest in Valtice, Czech Republic.
Friday 25th to Sunday 28th May. Division Contest in Poznan, Poland. |
If you are interested in joining a party to go to the Vienna conference then please contact Peter Fekete on 06 20 206 5307, or fill in this form.
,The Budapest Toastmasters annual Club Conference, held this year at the Kempinksi Hotel, was a great success. Attended by ninety people, the evening sparkled with professionalism and entertainment. The Conference was opened by Club President, Peter Fekete; it then swiftly got under way under the excellent guidance of Competition Master, Daniel Szentimrey-Harrach, who is the former President of the Morgan Stanley Club. The competition rules were firmly introduced by Chief Judge, Barnabás Szilágyi, which led the eager audience into the Evaluation Contest. |  The eager audience |
 Akos Barath examines the question: stay or move? | The target speech, given by Akos Barath, was a well-constructed mathematical explanation of how and why people segregate. It was going to be curious to see and hear how the contestants would tackle the evaluation. The quality was very high. The contestants were Daniel Faragó, Mary Murphy, Viktor Morandini, Hans Peterson and Gergely Balazs. Results, announced at the end of the Conference, showed that the competition was won by Mary Murphy, Hans Peterson was second, and Daniel Faragó third. |
There followed a series of keynote speeches presented by former members of the Club, Jacques de Jager, Geoffrey Thomas and Kriszta Medgyesi, who were all introduced by Peter Fekete. The theme of the speeches was how Toastmasters can contribute to the business infrastructure of Budapest. The challenging ideas presented will no doubt form the basis of further news and discussion in the weeks to come. |  Geoffrey Thomas |  Kriszta Medgyesi |
 Anna Laszlo | It was a delight for the Club to make two special awards at the Conference. These went to Anna Laszló, our VP of Education, for her excellent service to the Club over more than a year. She was presented with flowers, a book and a book token. The second special award went to Bea Bincze for her outstanding work as conference organiser.
Special thanks also go to Attila Sukosd who acted as Sergeant at Arms for the evening, and who managed the special gifts.
It was an additional pleasure to see Club Founder, Willy Benko, visit the Club in order to make the awards and presentations. Willy spoke movingly about his experiences in Toastmasters and the value of communication skills. |  Willy Benko |
There followed the interval, where the Conference delegates were able to taste the delights of the Kempinski catering, which was praised by everyone.
After the interval came the International Speech Competition. Once again, Daniel Szentimrey-Harrach got us all off to a fine start, and the competitors lined up one after the other to give their witty, informative and moving speeches. The competitors were David Saddington, Anna Laszlo, Hans Peterson, Daniel Faragó, Mary Murphy and Atis Szabó. Victory went to Atis Szabó for a very moving motivational speech describing the progress of a man, James, whose personal life and career takes a disastrous turn. But James does not give up and never abandons his dream. |  Atis Szabo wins. |
Second place went to Daniel Faragó, and third place to Hans Peterson. The trophies were presented by Club Founder, Willy Benko.
The Conference was formally brought to a close by Peter Fekete. About forty people remained behind to socialise and gossip about the Club and the victors. It was truly a remarkable occasion in every respect, and all praise to everyone present, all of whom contributed to the lively and friendly atmosphere. It was a joy for all to participate in on such a marvelous occasion. Conference Credits
The Conference was sponsored by the Kempinski Hotel and Peter Fekete
Conference organisation: Bea Bincze
Conference strategy and publicity: Peter Fekete
Master of Ceremonies: Peter Fekete
Trophies arranged by: Hans Peterson
Contest Master: Daniel Szentimrey-Harrach
Chief Judge: Barnabás Szilágyi
Judges: Barbara Endrey, István Belle, Zoltán Géczi, Tamas Mihalyi
Sergeant at Arms: Attila Sukosd
Registration: Judit Nagy, Viktoria Kiss
Timers: Erika Havelka, Andrea Sandor
Vote-counter: Gergely Koncz
Photographs: Viktoria Kiss
Special thanks
Special thanks to Emile Bootsma, General Manager of the Kempinksi Hotel, and to Andrea Rideg, Sales Manager of the Kempinksi Hotel.
Arrive between 6.00 and 6.15 p.m.
The Conference will start sharply at 6.30 p.m. It is not too late to join the Conference. We will accept cash on the night. See charges below.
LIGHT FOOD IS PROVIDED. WINE IS INCLUDED. FOR THE POST-CONFERENCE DINNER - SEE BELOW. Evaluation contest
In the evaluation contest there is first of all a target speech, which will be given by Ákos Baráth. Evaluation contestants in alphabetical order are: Gergely Balázs, Daniel Faragó, Mary Murphy, Viktor Morandini.
International Speech contest
This is the first stage of the competition for the International Speech Competition that culminates in the grand convention to be held this year in Orlando, Florida from August 15th to 18th. Contestants are: Anna Laszlo, Daniel Faragó, Mary Murphy, Hans Peterson, David Saddington, Atis Szabó, Martin Zdarek.
Keynote speeches: Business infrastructure and Toastmasters as an educational experience.
The keynote speeches will be given by Jacques de Jager (Managing Director, Spengler Fox), Geoffrey Thomas (Professional concert pianist and teacher), Kriszta Medgyesi (HR Competence Senior Specialist, Magyar Telekom Plc). All three are experienced past members of Budapest Toastmasters.
Networking event
Club President, Peter Fekete, will coordinate the keynote speeches with a networking event aimed at building up awareness of the Club's potential.
Special awards
Special Awards will be presented by Willy Benko, Founder of the Club.
| LOCATION AND TIME
Budapest Toastmasters Club Conference, Kempinski Hotel, Erzsébet tér.
Registration: 6.00 to 6.15 p.m.
Conference starts: 6.30 p.m.  Club President, Peter Fekete, comments: "I do not think people fully appreciate the enormous value of our Club. There is no institution in Budapest quite like it. A business club dedicated to the improvement of member's skills in communication and managment has incredible potential in a community where these skills are in great demand. I also particularly recommend the Club in the forthcoming period to focus on fostering leaders and promoting high ethical standards."
CONFERENCE CHARGES (Cash)
● Member who is renewing membership: HUF 2,000
● Member who is not renewing membership: HUF 3,000
● Member of ExxonMobil or Morgan Stanley Clubs: HUF 3,000
● Guest of member: HUF 4,000
● Non-member: HUF 5,000 |
 Gerloczy cafe | AFTER THE CONFERENCE
We aim to finish the Conference at 9.15 p.m.
For those of you wishing to continue afterwards, we have provisinally booked a table at the Gerlóczy restaurant.
At the Gerlóczy each person shall be responsible for their own consumption. (Not included in the Conference ticket.)
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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR EVALUATIONS
At our evaluation seminar in September 2011 experienced members of the Club, Peter Temesvary, Mary Murphy and Peter Fekete, spoke on the topic of how to improve evaluations. These can be seen at: http://vimeo.com/user3320270/videos/page:1/sort:newest"I am very grateful to Bea Bincze," comments Club President, Peter Fekete, "for uploading these to the website." Peter has been inspired as a result to develop his thoughts about what makes a good evaluation. "In addition to my original speech, which was a first draft, I have now written out a brief summary of those ideas. The speech has many faults, and I think the written version is a better account of what I am trying to say." Policy statement
A key feature of the Conference shall be a policy statement from newly elected Club President, Peter Fekete. The time has come for radical changes in the direction of the Club, which now seeks to become a key player in the business infrastructure of Budapest and Hungary. Peter will outline ways in which he expects to achieve this in a statement of policy. PETER FEKETE, CLUB PRESIDENT
● An artist, sculptor and philosopher.
● A retired headmaster of his own private school (Black’s Academy) that formally operated in Jersey, Channel Islands. His specialist subjects are English Literature, Philosophy, Mathematics and Economics. | | ● Author of the Internet textbook for the Welsh Exam Board A level syllabuses in Mathematics and Further Mathematics.
● Graduate of Cambridge University in Philosophy. |
.● Holds a Masters degree in Mathematics from the Open University. ● Has been researching on the philosophy of artificial intelligence. ● President of both the Budapest Toastmasters Club and the Budapest Toastmasters Egyesület Website: peterfekete.com | CLUB CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE
Budapest Toastmasters Club Conference: Monday 5th March, 6.30 p.m. at the Kempinski Hotel, Erzsébet tér.
Breaking news: in addition to speeches from prominent past members Kriszta Medgyesi and Jacques de Jager, previous competition winner, Geoffrey Thomas, will also speak.  Kempinski Hotel CONFERENCE CHARGE
● Member who is renewing membership: HUF 1,500
● Member who is not renewing membership: HUF 2,500
● Member of ExxonMobil or Morgan Stanley Clubs: HUF 2,500
● Guest of member: HUF 3,500
● Non-member: HUF 4,500
Membership charges
(Membership renewal is due in March. You get a discount on the conference if you pay early.)
Membership renewal: HUF 12,000
Join the Club (from 1st April, 2012): HUF 16,000 When you register no cash is transferred. You are given instructions for a bank transfer.
WHY BY BANK TRANSFER?
Our policy is to always prefer bank transfer over cash transactions. This is because
● This is the correct way of establishing complete transparency of accounting.
● When cash is handled errors can occur. |
Budapest Toastmasters Club Conference: Monday 5th March, 6.30 p.m. at the Kempinski Hotel, Erzsébet tér. The Club Conference: a great event
The Club Conference this year will have several distinct features: -
Past and present
One theme is that of Past and Present. Our guest speakers, Jacques de Jager and Kriszta Medgyesi are both past members of the Club. They will talk about the benefits of the Toastmasters program. Other prominent ex-members of the Club will also join us at the splendid location of the Kempinski Hotel.
Fun and networking
The competitions themselves are the highlight of the evening. They are always enormous fun. In addition, a key feature of the evening shall be the opportunity to socialise with your friends from the Club.
Going forward
The time has come for radical changes in the direction of the Club, which now seeks to become a key player in the business infrastructure of Budapest and Hungary. Peter Fekete, Club President, will outline ways in which he expects to achieve this in a significant statement of policy. REGISTRATION FOR THE CONFERENCE● New Members or Members who renew may attend on registration for a fee of HUF 1500. ● Guests of members are welcome at a charge of HUF 3500 per person. ● Non-members are welcome at a charge of HUF 4500 per person. Membership renewal is from April 2012 and is now due.To register follow this link or telephone Peter Fekete on 06 20 206 5307. CONFERENCE PROGRAM
PART 1
● Welcome
● Key Note Speaker: Jacques de Jager, Managing Director, Fox Spengler
● Guest Speaker: Kriszta Medgyesi
● Special Awards presented by Willy Benko, Founder of the Club
● Club President, Peter Fekete, outlines his vision for the Club
COFFEE BREAK, LIGHT REFRESHMENTS AND SNACKS
PART 2
● Evaluation Contest
● International Speech Contest
● Announcement of results and conclusion
FURTHER NETWORKING
Dress code: business informal – lounge suit / cocktail dress or equivalent BEA BINCZE
The Conference is being organised by Club Committee Member, Bea Bincze.
Bea currently works for BP European Business Center, where she is responsible for the development and standardization of the Internal Control processes. Before joining BP she worked for General Electric (GE) for more than 20 years and in 2002 she joined GE EOS (Genpact) as CFO and played a major role in the set up of the new European Service Center, and from 2005 as Process Re-engineering expert. Bea is reknown for her charitable works and for indomintable energy. Not only is she organising our Club Conference on March 5th, but she is also a key organiser of the Lions Club Gala Concert also featured in this article. | March is a busy month
Please add these events to your social calendar:
Monday 5th March. Budapest Toastmasters Club Conference, Kempinski Hotel, Erzsébet tér. 6.30 p.m.
Wednesday 7th March. All Nations Lions Club Gala concert. Duna Palota, 7.00 p.m.
Thursday 8th March. Pygmalion Party. Radnoti Theatre and apartment of Peter Fekete. 6.30 p.m.
Wednesday 14th March. Final of Gift of the Gab. Orfeum Music Club.
PYGMALION PARTY
Club President, Peter Fekete will be going with nine friends to see Pygmalion at the Radnoti Theatre. Afterwards, there will be a buffet party in his flat. Lead actor, Tibor Szervét will join the buffet party.  Tibor Szervét Peter cordially invites members of the Club to join him at the theatre and the buffet afterwards. People wishing to join the party should obtain their own tickets from the Radnoti Theatre and contact Peter for details of the buffet party. The buffet is free.
LIONS CLUB GALA CONCERT
Wednesday 7th March, 2012
The All Nations Lions Club is organising its tenth Gala Concert to raise funds in support of the Foundation of the Bethersda Children’s Hospital in Budapest.
There will be performances by Gergely Bogányi, the Sárik Péter Trió, the Cardinal Mindszenty Choir, the Egressy Octet and the Varidance Ensemble.
The concert will take place at the beautiful art noveau building of Duna Palota in the heart of the city (1051 Budapest, Zrínyi u. 5.) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday 7th March 2012. The price of the tickets is HUF 5,000 which includes free refreshments during the intermission and a standing buffet after the concert.
For tickets and sponsorship information contact Adrienne Makkay-Chambers on +36 30 445 3438.” GIFT OF THE GAB
Gift of the Gab is the outstanding evening of comedy entertainment organised by Club Member, Mary Murphy. http://www.speechslam.com/index.htmlThe latest contest was won by Club Member, Martin Zadeck, who gave a hilarious account of what the Czech mean by being 'happy as a turtle'. In the second round of the evening "Martin's spontaneous account of how not to propose on ice floating on the Danube," says Peter Fekete, "was truly very witty. As a comedty act Martin is going places!" http://www.speechslam.com/reservations.html |
Budapest Toastmasters announce that the Club Conference shall be held on Monday 5th March, 6.30 p.m. at the Kempinski Hotel, Erzsébet tér.  The Kempinski Hotel in Erzsébet tér. Features: -
● First stage of the International Speech Contest.
● First stage of the Evaluation Contest
● Notable past members of the Club shall speak about their Toastmasters experience.
● Recently elected President of the Club, Peter Fekete, shall present his vision for the future of the Club.
● Networking and fun.
● Entertainment.
● Refreshments and snacks.
The conference organiser is Bea Bincze, who is the Club VP Mentoring and Leadership Track. “I am delighted with Bea’s choice of the Kempinski Hotel,” states Peter Fekete. “The Club Conference is the focal point of our year. We look forward to a landmark event, full of fun, entertainment and quality.”
The event is being subsidized by the Budapest Club and is sponsored by the Kempinski Hotel.
Expect further announcments!
| Registration
● New Members or Members who renew may attend on registration for a fee of HUF 1500.
● Guests of members are welcome at a charge of HUF 3500 per person.
● Non-members are welcome at a charge of HUF 4500 per person. Membership renewal is from April 2012 and is now due. |
On Monday 23rd January the Club elected Peter Fekete to the position of Club President, following the resignation of Andras Barath. Peter has already held the position of President once – from November 2009 to June 2010. It was under Peter’s first administration that the Club was established as a charitable association and obtained legal status. Peter was very ably assisted in this matter by our Club Treasurer, Istvan Grafjódi, who is the longest continuing serving member of the Club Executive Committee. Peter is also well-known for his organisation of three major events – two Area Conferences and one Club Conference – all held at the beautiful Beke Hotel and resounding successes. | |
| | In his acceptance speech Peter thanked Andras Barath and the existing committee for their sterling work. He went on to outline aspects that he wished to focus on in the coming period. His primary concern is the need to do more to retain long-standing members. He also feels that this is an opportunity to make a survey of current members’ perceptions of the Club. He highlighted the need for a long-term strategy so that new committees were not always starting afresh, and to provide greater continuity for all members. He also hopes to see the Club do more to promote the general interests of Club members. |
Peter has already met with several of the members of the Committee and other long-standing members not currently on the committee. He plans to contact all past members in the coming period in tandem with the development of the long-term strategy, to which all members are invited to contribute views. Other news is that the Club competition will be on Monday 5th March. This is the first stage of the competition for the International Speech Competition that culminates in the grand convention to be held this year in Orlando, Florida from August 15th to 18th. There is also the evaluation contest. Further details will be announced shortly. | |
If you are interested in competing please contact Bea Bincze, Vice President Mentoring, who is the organising the event.: - mentoring@budapesttoastmasters.org, A booking form will also appear shortly. If you wish to participate in the survey please send Peter your comments using the form below.
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