Blog

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx

And the best place for discussing books is the JCI London Book Club! We are currently reading The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan and our next meeting is on 22nd August. If you are a JCI member and would like to join the book club please contact Marlies

Read more

Bah Bah Bah Baaah. Bah Bah Bah Baaah. The unmistakeable opening notes from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Apparently this represents fate knocking on the door.

We were treated to a stunning performance of the Symphony by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) on Thursday evening. Music can truly can move and transport you and with the passionate and lively conducting of Gianandrea Noseda, it was inevitable with this iconic piece. The whole audience obviously felt it as the round of applause at the end of the concert went on consistently for well over five minutes.

Sofie Sandell, JCI London's 2008 President commented "I loved it and got goose bumps".

And that was just the second half of the concert. The first half set a totally different mood, with the emotive sounds of Angela Denoke's soprano soaring beautifully with the 100 or so musicians on stage for stirring performances of opera pieces: Wagner's Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde and Berg's Three Fragments from Wozzeck.

Thanks to the fantastic people at the LSO, JCI London members were able to buy tickets to the best seats in the house for just £10, less than one third of the normal price.

Look out for more exclusive offers coming during the LSO's autumn season.

Read more

Hello all, we hope this post finds you well. 

How would you like the opportunity to get together and discuss your favourite books with other young professionals over a coffee or a drink?

One of the ideas that the social team is hoping to develop is a JCI London book club. Members could get together once a month ready to discuss the book their members have chosen. The options are quite varied - you could find one with hints about business to mull over, or recipes for cupcakes as well as popular fiction novels. The choice would be up to the members and we would do our best to accommodate all tastes. Part of the joy would be you may well get to read books that you would never have thought of reading.   

So if you like the sound of that then please do get in touch (alexandra.illsley@jcilondon.org.uk) letting us know which evenings would be best for you. We are also open to suggestions for book titles and venues. 

Many thanks, the Social Team

Read more

On the 3rd of February everyone came together to celebrate the achievements of JCI London throughout 2011 under the leadership of local president Sarah Beckwith.

The masquerade themed evening began with a welcome drink and then the boat set of on its cruise down the river Thames, taking in such sights as the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge. 

As guests sat down to enjoy their dinner MC Ian Johnson oversaw proceedings. We had words from our international guests who had travelled to London to be here for this event, demonstrating the strong links between JCI London and its twin chambers. Sarah introduced her awards to JCI London members, recognising their achievements in 2011. Nadene Jones, President of JCI Ignite, was presented with a gift of the chain of office. Nadene and other members have worked tirelessly to establish a new JCI chamber in London. As Sarah and JCI UK 2012 National President, Solveig Malvik, presented Nadene with the gift Sarah received a surprise award of her own. As she read the inscription on the back of Nadene's chain she read her own senatorship number! A lovely moment as Solveig presented Sarah with her JCI senatorship.

After dinner entertainment was provided by after dinner speaker Ola Aralepo who was very amusing. As 2012 JCI London President Simon Bucknall pointed out no one minded the February Freeze as they enjoyed the celebration. Of course, the dinner culminated in Simon being presented with his chain of office and being inaugarated as JCI London President 2012. Simon was particularly taken with the feeling of optimism evident on the night as JCI London heads into 2012.      

Read more

You have just a few days left to sign up to the highlight of the JCI London social calendar - our annual dinner on 3 February.

A night of fabulous food, company and entertainment aboard the Golden Jubilee Boat.  As well as the usual evening's festivities of the Presidential Inauguration, JCI London Awards and speeches by three JCI Presidents, we now have a brilliant after dinner speaker confirmed - see Ola Aralepo's biography below.  All this followed by dancing the night away in a nearby club!

Tickets are selling fast at just £65 for a welcome drink, three course meal, half a bottle of wine and the evening's entertainment aboard the Golden Jubilee.  Don't miss out - sign up now at www.jcilondonannualdinnner.eventbrite.com

Speaker's Bio

A shy and self-conscious sort just five short years ago, Ola Aralepo has emerged as one of the most exciting young entertaining speakers in the UK.

In Glasgow last autumn, he 'out-humoured' hundreds of fellow speakers to be crowned UK & Ireland Champion of Humorous Speaking by Toastmasters International.

A public speaking coach and trainer by day - stand-up comedian by night - Ola tries to make sense of the human condition in a spirit of love and irreverence. As we go to press, he is a Quarter-Finalist for the Laughing Horse 'New Act Of The Year', a prestigious competition which has yielded the likes of Rod Gilbert and Jack Whitehall.

Meanwhile, at weekends, Ola is a transport worker - where he simply tells people where to go.

Read more

This is the third year I have been to the Southampton Annual Ball (this year also the JCI UK South Regional Dinner) and once again it did not disappoint. Those guys on the South Coast really know how to party!

Hosted in POSH Restaurant, we were treated to a three course feast of finest Indian cuisine (or English food for the less adventurous). Speeches were delivered by JCI Southampton President Drew Charman, a JCI Senator from nominated charity Wessex Heartbeat and JCI UK Deputy National President Solveig Malvik, who congratulated JCI Southampton on another outstanding year.

Six London members made the trip down and had a fantastic time, once again hitting the dance floor early for the live band and staying to the very end thanks to the cheesiest of tunes played by the DJ.

Well done to Drew and his team for organising a great event. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Read more

The National Convention is the highlight of the JCI UK calendar.  The convention is being held in Sheffield between 25 and 27 November and just some of the activities include:

• Pecha Kucha - developed in Japan in 2003 PK events are held around the world and it has grown into quite a phenomenon.  The concept works on a 20x20 basis - 20 slides/images and 20 seconds for each one.  You will get to hear 5 great speakers over the course of an hour.
• Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony - Being held at the Kelham Island Museum, this night of celebration promises to be fun and memorable for all.
• Key Note Speakers - Inspiration at every turn.  You won't believe what these leaders have achieved until you've heard it.
  
• Competitions - Whether you are taking part or watching, the public speaking and debating competitions are a great experience and always provide a lot of laughs!
  
• Networking - JCI is all about its members and national events are a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.  If this is your first national event, worry not - there are networking training sessions which will ensure you will quickly meet lots of people in the same situation.

Early bird registration is just £99 until 30 September.  You can also get a great deal on a hotel, with a double or twin room only £99 for two nights!  You can find more information and sign up here.

JCI London is offering £75 bursaries to members attending their first national event.  To apply, download and fill in this form.  If you have any questions, please contact JCI London President, Sarah Beckwith.

JCI London at the 2010 National Convention
More pictures can be found here

Read more

The LSO have teamed up once again with JCI London to give you a chance to meet up with other JCI members and enjoy some of the finest live music in the City at the same time, by one of the world's best orchestras.

Sunday's concert with the LSO is part of a series they've dubbed 'Classic Tales' featuring story-telling through music. Fire, ritual and magic link the three pieces in this concert. Manuel de Falla's El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) is set among the gypsy population of Granada. The story concerns the efforts of a gypsy girl to exorcise the troublesome ghost of her former lover so that she can get on with her life, and the centrepiece of this colourful score is the celebrated 'Ritual Fire Dance' performed in a cave at midnight. Magic and fire also infuse the last work of the night - Stravinsky's luscious piece The Firebird, based on a Russian folktale about a mythical bird who helps a prince to release some captive princesses from a spell woven by an evil magician. Fire and Blood for violin and orchestra by the American composer Michael Daugherty was inspired by the exotic life stories of the painters Diego Rivero and Frida Kahlo.

The music
Falla El amor brujo
Michael Daugherty Fire and Blood
Stravinsky The Firebird - Suite

The artists
Kristjan Järvi conductor
Vadim Gluzman violin
London Symphony Orchestra

Tickets just £5 for JCI members and their friends in any available seat and you can pick your own seat online too.

JCI London members can contact Sarah Beckwith, JCI London President 2011 to find out how to take advantage of this very special offer.

Read more

JCI London members last night enjoyed a yummy chocolate tasting workshop.  Everyone was impressed with Chocolate and Love Founder Richard O'Connor's knowledge and passion for his subject despite only having been in the industry for two years.  We learned about single origin chocolate, top secret new receipes and the correct way to eat chocolate (no chewing allowed!).  Oh and we got to taste a lot of chocolate too!  

Read more

Keeping with this week's International theme of America and the talk held by Roy Sandler on Importing and Exporting to North America, we thought we would try a famous American Style dish and go for a Steak Dinner Evening.

There has been much hype over the last few years with the popular American TV series "Hell's Kitchen" being taken over by a well known British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. So we booked a table at Marco Pierre White's Steak & Alehouse in Liverpool Street, in the hope that we would get to see this famous icon, which unfortunately we didn't. Marco Pierre White was youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars and his success is known all over the world.

There was a great response to the event from our members and we had a nice mixture of potential members, new members and the wise members from the past. A few large TV screens surrounded the restaurant providing the lighting with country open fires displayed. The food was good, with a 3 course meal from a set menu which included a good size steak which is what most members opted for and a lovely selection of deserts and optional coffee's to top off the evening.

By Nadene Jones, JCI London Social Director

Read more