District Conference 2023
May 2023 in Aarhus, Denmark
Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Future
Fellow Toastmasters,
You are cordially invited to attend the 2023 District 95 Conference which is taking place in Aarhus, Denmark on May 12th – 14th, 2023.
2023 is a symbolic year for our district: 5 years since the last reformation and 5 years of Pathways implementation, 50 years membership open to women, as well as 10 years Aarhus Toastmasters club chartering. There are many reasons to meet and celebrate. And not less reasons to embrace the future of our organization!
The conference will be conducted in a hybrid format, which gives our members an equal possibility to attend the conference in person, as well as online.
We invite all members from D95 to actively participate in the organization of the event! This is an exceptional opportunity for your growth path in effective communication and leadership skills.
The spring conference team is highly motivated to work with all interested members willing to actively participate to the conference.
We look forward to meeting you in Aarhus!
On behalf of the Conference Team
Svetlana Breum
Conference Chair
Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speaker 1
Dan Rex
Daniel Rex, CEO of Toastmasters International will be with us in person in Aarhus!
Dan is known for his fun First Timers Session, his inspiring keynotes, and his willingness to listen and connect to members.
Daniel Rex, as Chief Executive Officer, leads the Toastmasters World Headquarters team he works closely with the International President and the Board of Directors to develop the future of Toastmasters and create and execute plans and strategies to reach those goals. Rex has worked for Toastmasters since 1990, in 2008 he assumed the role of Executive Director, a title that was changed to Chief Executive Officer in 2013.
Rex holds a BA degree in Modern Languages from Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, and an MBA in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. He holds certificates from the Leadership for Senior Executives course through Harvard Business School, and the Executive Leadership Program through the University of California, Berkeley. He completed the Strategic Leadership Programme through the University of Oxford.
In addition to his Toastmasters duties, Rex serves as a member of the Key Global Associations Committee (KGAC) of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
Little known fact: Daniel spent several years in Mexico and as a result is fluent in Spanish.
Keynote Speaker 2
Cyril Junior Dim
Toastmasters International’s 2022 World Champion of Public Speaking
We are especially happy to have Cyril Junior Dim, 2022 World Champion of Public Speaking for the keynote speech and a workshop.
Cyril Junior Dim is Zimbabwean by descent and was educated as a Software Engineer in Wrocław, Poland. He has spent the past 13 years mastering the art of Public Speaking. Cyril’s exploits have taken him across all avenues of the spoken word, including theatre, Stand-Up Comedy, TEDx, Sports Commentary, and Events Hosting. He is most recognized as an achieved Competitive Public Speaker, having won 2 National Championships in 2 countries in 2 languages. Cyril also holds all 4 District Titles, is a 2 time Continental Champion, and Toastmasters International’s 2022 World Champion of Public Speaking. Cyril views Public Speaking as a force for inspiration, growth and self-discovery and helps people to elevate their careers by becoming better communicators.
2022 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking:
Cyril Junior Dim
Keynote Speaker 3
Kevin Snyder
Kevin Snyder is Distinguished Toastmaster designation
We are especially happy to have Kevin Snyder, member of the National Speakers Association for the keynote speech and a workshop.
Kevin Snyder is a professional speaker, coach, and author from Raleigh, North Carolina. His subject area expertise includes:
- Fostering dynamic workforce cultures
- Recognition initiatives that attract, engage, and retain top talent
- Peak performance principles
- Goal attainment
Snyder has presented interactive keynotes, workshops, and retreats for over 1 million people and 1,500 plus organizations around the world. He tailers his material to each audience and has presented to everyone from high school students up to executive level professionals.
An Accredited Speaker since 2022, Snyder earned his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida. Additionally, he is a member of the National Speakers Association and serves on the board of the Carolinas chapter. Snyder has also attained the Distinguished Toastmaster designation, the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters. Snyder is a multi-TEDx speaker, a speaker coach for dozens of TEDx speakers, and has organized a major TEDx event. As a two-time best-selling author and certified speaker coach, he guides and mentors other aspiring speakers and authors. He is the co-founder of Write Way Publishing Company.
Agenda District Conference
Friday, May 12, 2023 (12.00-18.00)
From 10.00 – Meet&greet conference participants (Multisal, 1st floor)
11.00-12.00 Registration (Multisal, 1st floor)
12.00-12.45 First-timers District Conference meeting, Dan Rex, CEO of Toastmasters (Plenum, 3rd floor)
13.00-13.30 Opening Ceremony (Plenum, 3rd floor)
13.30-14.15 Keynote Speech, “Mind Over Matter: Building Mental Toughness”, Cyril Junior Dim (Plenum, 3rd floor)
14.30-15.45 German Speech Contest (Plenum, 3rd floor)
Workshop S1 “From Reader to Orator”, Olga Kutsche (Multisal, 1st floor)
Workshop S2 “The Pyramid Principle”, Mithun Sridharan (M5, 2nd floor)
16.00-17.15 Table Topics Contest (English) (Plenum, 3rd floor)
Workshop S3 “The Hero’s Journey”, Jan Behling (M5, 2nd floor)
17.30-18.15 Panel discussion: “Back to the future” – How Toastmasters can be an integral part of your social and business future!”, Dan Rex, CEO of Toastmasters, Elizabeth Smith, DTM, PDD, 2020-2021 and Stefan Zahov, DTM, DD 2022-2023. Facilitator: Ranjith Venkatesh (Plenum, 3rd floor)
18.20 Round up day 1. (Plenum, 3rd floor)
19.30 Social and Networking activities
Saturday, May 13, 2023 (09.00-17.00)
08.00-09.00 Registration
09.00-09.45 Keynote Speech 2, “Becoming a ShiftThinker: Stronger than Adversity”, Kevin Snyder
10.00-11.00 Table Topics Contest (German) (Plenum, 3rd floor)
Workshop S4 “Learn from the best – build membership post COVID”, Jan Behling (M5, 2nd floor)
11.10-12.50 International Speech Contest (Plenum, 3rd floor)
Workshop S5 “Unleash your authentic self”, Giancarlo Guerra (M5, 2nd floor)
14.10-15.30 Evaluation Contest (English) (Plenum, 3rd floor)
Workshop S6 “Communicating Passion”, Norman Lista (M3, 3rd floor)
Workshop S7 “Dare to be 5 TIMES funnier!”, Mylgia van Uytrecht (M5, 2nd floor)
15.40-16.45 Evaluation Contest (German) (Plenum, 3rd floor)
Workshop S8 “How to host an engaging and influencing panel”, Amandeep Midha (M3, 3rd floor)
Workshop S9 “Add Meaning with Metaphors”, Evelyn Chalmakoff (M5, 2nd floor)
17.00-17.45 Educational Session, “How To Play The Speech Contest Chess Game”,
Cyril Junior Dim (Plenum, 3rd floor)
17.45 Round up day 2. (Plenum, 3rd floor)
19.30-23.00 Closing Ceremony, Hall of Fame & Gala Dinner (Multisal, 1st floor)
22.30-01.30 Conference Celebration (Multisal, 1st floor)
Sunday, May 14, 2023 (09.00-16.00) *
Sunday, May 14, 2023 (09.00-16.00) *
09.00-12.00 Social & Networking activities
12.00-16.00 District Officers Training
16.00 – Free time in Aarhus
*- meeting venue only for Sunday, May 14 activities: Folkehuset Trøjborg, Kirkegårdsvej 53 8000 Aarhus.
Travelling to Aarhus, Denmark
Arrival by Plane
To reach Aarhus you can fly into one of three airports: Copenhagen, Billund, or Aarhus Airport.
It may be cheaper and more convenient to book a plane to Copenhagen and go by train to Aarhus
Arrival by Train
It is possible to reach Aarhus or any town in Denmark by train, either by taking the train from Sweden (sj.se) or by taking the train from Germany (bahn.de). There are direct trains from Hamburg (4 hours 40 minutes) and from Stockholm (5 hours 30 minutes, with overnight sleeper options). For more information on international train routes, visit www.seat61.com.
European citizens can buy a single country InterRail Denmark Pass offering unlimited train journeys up to 8 days a month; Denmark is also included in the InterRail Global Pass that allows access to train routes in 33 European countries, making a multi-stop Scandinavian trip easy. The Eurail Denmark Pass offers similar options for non-European citizens.
Arrival by Ferry
Several major tour operators run ferry and cruise services to Denmark from other major European destinations, including Scandlines, Color Line, Fjord Line and Stena Line. DFDS operates a two-night cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo with overnight travel to Oslo, a day (6.5 hours) in the city and overnight travel back, among other routes.
Arrival by Coach
Multiple coach operators have routes into Copenhagen, including Eurolines Germany, FlixBus and Swebus. Direct routes include Berlin to Copenhagen (approximately 9 hours) and Amsterdam to Copenhagen (approximately 13 hours).
Arrival by Bike
There are a handful of long distance cycle routes that can take you from Germany to Denmark. Take a look at our cycling pages if you’re a huge cycling fan and want to know more!
Car Rental
GoMore is a car-sharing service where you rent a car from private individuals. Private car hire is the cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to rent a car.
Venue & Accommodation
The Venue
The Conference is taking place at the DGI House in Aarhus (DGI Huset Aarhus).
Link to the conference venue: https://www.dgi.dk/om/english/about-dgi
The Conference venue is within 5-7 minutes walking distance from Aarhus’s main railway station (Address: DGI Huset Aarhus, Værkmestergade 17, 8000 Aarhus).