District 68 Toastmasters 2024 Annual Conference

JOIN DISTRICT 68

for our annual Toastmasters leadership conference and learn through inspiring keynote speakers and thought-provoking educational sessions.

Help us celebrate Toastmasters achievements at the awards luncheon and watch the best of the best compete in three exciting district speech competitions while enjoying networking with individuals from all over Louisiana, Beaumont, Texas and Southwest Mississippi.

This two-day event is open to both Toastmaster members and non-members.

Toastmasters founder, Ralph Smedley, once said "We learn best during times of enjoyment." If you are looking to grow as an individual while growing your network, join us May 3rd & 4th for a a weekend of food, friends, fun and forever learning!

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Keynote Speaker: Tina Guillot, DTM, Past District Director

Motivational Segment: Katie Rigsby, Past District Director, ACG, ALB

Keynote Speaker: Rebecca Arnett, DTM, Past Region 5 Adivisor, Past District Director

Educational Segment: Katherine Klimtas, District International Speech 3rd Place Winner in 2022-2023

ABOUT THE SESSIONS:

The theme for this year's conference is Better Together! We will have a keynote speech and a few educational segments. Friday night will be a keynote speech and the Humorous Speech contest. Saturday's sessions will consist of a morning keynote speech, Table Topics contest, a motivational segment, an educational segment and the International Speech Contest.

ABOUT THE CONTESTS:

Speech contests are a Toastmasters tradition and each year, thousands of Toastmasters compete in the Humorous, Evaluation, Tall Tales, Table Topics and International speech contests. This year, contestants competed in the International, Humorous, and Table Topics contests.

International Speech Contest

The purpose of the International Speech Contest is to provide an opportunity for speakers to improve their speaking abilities and to recognize the best as encouragement to all, while providing an opportunity to learn by observing the more proficient speakers who have benefited from their toastmasters training. The International Speech Contest begins at the club level, and proceeds through the area, division, district, region quarterfinal, semifinal, and International levels. The top 8 contestants in our district will present a five- to seven- minute speech on any subject they choose. The district International Speech Champion will advance to the regional quarterfinals, where they will compete in the semifinals for a chance to take part in the World Championship of Public Speaking®.

Humorous Speech Contest

Toastmasters recognizes the value of humor in speaking. The purpose of the Humorous Speech Contest is to provide an opportunity for speakers to improve their speaking abilities and to recognize the best as encouragement to all, while providing an opportunity to learn by observing the more proficient speakers who have benefited from their toastmasters training. The Humorous Speech Contest begins at the club level, and proceeds through the area and division and ends with a district champion. The top 8 contestants in our district present a humorous speech that must be thematic in nature (opening, body, and close), not a monologue (series of one-liners).

Table Topics Speech Contest

The purpose of the Table Topics Contest is to strengthen impromptu speaking skills. All contestants are assigned the same topic, told to them when they are introduced by the contest chair. The Table Topics Contest begins at the club level, and proceeds through the area and division and ends with a district champion.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE:

Conference attire for Friday and Saturday is business to business-casual with optional cocktail attire for the evening banquet.

Friday, May 3rd, 6:00pm-9:00pm with a 2 hour after party from 9pm-11pm

Registration and doors opens at 5pm, conference begins at 6pm with light refreshments and networking, conference ends at 9pm and after party begins

Saturday, May 4th, 8:00am-5:00pm with a 4 hour after party from 5pm-10pm

Registration and doors opens at 8am, conference begins at 9am with welcome remarks and keynote speech, conference ends at 5pm with dinner and after party

ABOUT THE VENUE:

Q Hotels Corporate Office is currently located at the junction of I-10/I-55/US Hwy 51 in LaPlace, LA. It is a Lousiana based company with Meetig Rooms, Office Spaces, and Banquet facilities. They have a high tech/multi-functional space with SMART Integrated technology with multiple set up options for our confernce needs. Their facility hosts Training, Business Retreats, Orientations, Association Meetings and more. There will be secured access and parking on the property.