3/08/2015. This years LEF (LEO European Forum) took place in Gelsenkirchen (Germany) between 1st and 8th of August 2015. As I mentioned in another post I got the opportunity to hold two workshops there. The first was called „Branding – how to gain superpower by branding your LEO club“ and it took place on Monday morning.
When I arrived the hotel on Sunday 2nd of August I was very surprised about the amount of attendees which subscribed to my workshop – honestly, because I wasn’t sure if anyone is interested in that topic at all. So pretty good start for me and the topic.
As you can imagine, i was very nervous on the day the workshop took place, especially I did not know what people are going to expect from this workshop as well as it has to be held in english, which ist – obviously – not my mother tongue. But I guess it went pretty well, because people seemed to be very happy about what they have heard 🙂
I split my talk into following parts:
- Introduction of myself and my LEO story
- A presentation of The LEO Book and my adventures from the first year of traveling
- Thoughts on the LEO Brand
- USP – what is it and why is it good to have one
- Tools – which tools can be used for branding
- Presentation of c u there – the superpower network
- QAs
For me, the most inspiring parts were the discussions in between the topics and the chance to share sights from different LEO Clubs in Europe. The discussions were very lively and intense, which means, branding and „marketing-strategies“ from LEO clubs are a big topic for them as well.
I really hope that I could inspire the attendees with my vision of branding and on LEOnism and would love to redo such workshops in future more often. It was a great opportunity to meet LEOs from different countries and with different ideas and views.
If you have any questions regarding the workshop or the topic, feel free to ask me everything! I’ve also included my deck of slides in this post.
My Slideshare Deck
About the LEF
The Leo Europa Forum in general
The Leo Europa Forum (LEF) was established 39 years ago with the idea to bring together Leos from all over Europe and the Mediterranean in one place once a year.
At LEF we aim to develop ideas on the LEO movement beyond borders, exchange experiences and ideas that strengthen the Leo movement and expand it to other European countries. We discuss LCI topics, the joint development of our organization and of course, the implementation of international activities beyond borders.
LEF Constitution title III Chapter A Articel 1 – FORUM Goals: The FORUM gives an opportunity to meet Leo’s from other countries, to find foreign friends and to get to know other European countries. It shall be an occasion to exchange experiences and ideas for the LEO program.
LEF 2015 Germany
The Leo MD-111 Germany organized four Leo Europa Forums (LEFs) so far, namely in Leipzig in 2007, in Berlin in 2000, in Weiden in 1991, and in München in 1984.
At our fifth LEF we want to welcome national and international guests again to our beautiful and diverse country – in Gelsenkirchen, in the Ruhrgebiet. This time, we would like to present Germany from a different, probably unknown side. We will show that it is not only Dirndl, Lederhosen and Schnitzel!
We chose the motto „Look Twice“. This motto does not only show the variety of German culture perfectly it also fits like no other the Ruhrgebiet area, where out LEF is taking place. Here is why: Many people have the notion that the Ruhrgebiet only consists of ugly, gray industries, run down cities and deserted mining dumps. But during LEF 2015, the myriad beautiful, picturesque corners will be shown in order to refute these prejudices. We will show our guests that, on the second look, the Ruhrgebiet is a surprising, livable, and vibrant area with its very own charme.
In addition, „Look Twice“ stands for the change of perspective. Often, an opinion about something, a situation or a person is formed and maintained without considering that this particular something could be perceived just as well from a different angle, with a different outcome. The change of perspectives allows for new opportunities to arise, whether at work, college or school, or in the everyday interaction with Leos. Many activities arise precisely because Leos have different perspectives on things and people.We think that „Look Twice“ is an excellent theme for LEF 2015 which will re-appear during many moments at the Forum.