LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2017

 

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE SNAME STUDENT SECTION 

REPORT- SNAME LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2017 

Introduction: 

SNAME Leadership Summit (SLS) 2017 was held in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. More specifically, Old Town Crowne Plaza Hotel (901 N. Fairfax street) was responsible for accommodating the attendees and the various activities. The duration of the summit was 4 days, commencing on June 8th (Thursday) and finishing on June 11th (Sunday). 

The main purpose of this annual conference is to gather all the current SNAME leaders worldwide and equip them with the appropriate leadership and management skills required for the peaceful and successful operation of the organisation. Furthermore, the presence of the newly elected leaders and especially the student chairs is extremely important for their acquaintance with the internal structure and the operations performed in SNAME.  

Thursday, June 8th 

During the first day of the summit, the registration of the attendees and their acquaintance with other members, students and professionals all over the world took place. Additionally, a welcoming reception was held in the evening. The live BINGO tournament and the distribution of SNAME presents to the lucky winners were the highlights of the day.

Friday, June 9th 

The summit was officially initiated by the executive officers and the president of SNAME.Throughout the day, various presentations and sessions were held. During the strategic vision session, numerous topics such as the future of SNAME and the SLS expectations and goals were discussed. At a later stage, small working groups were created, each one sharing its ideas and reasons on WHY SNAME exists and HOW it can become an even more successful organisation. In the evening, a cocktail reception was held at the Tide Lock Park, where everyone enjoyed their drink while socialising with their colleagues. 

 

Saturday, June 10th 

Saturday was spent on discussing WHAT procedures to be followed in order to reach our goals as an International Organisation, considering the WHY and HOW that were discussed during Friday. Moreover, presentations were prepared by the SNAME staff covering different topics. More specifically, the detailed topics are as follows: 

“Membership Session”: focusing on how to entice new members and how to retain the existing ones. 

“Communications Session”: getting familiar with the platforms and software used within SNAME for communication. 

“Events Session”: introducing the different types of events i.e. webinars, student presentations etc. providing details on hosting, marketing and executing these events. 

“SSC meeting”: a presentation was given by the Student Steering Committee (SSC) to the Student Chairs, informing them about their responsibilities and advising them on their operational duties. 

The last event of the day was the cocktail reception/dinner at SNAME HQ, where everyone was dressed in their Hawaiian shirts, participating in the ‘Luau’ competition. 

 

Sunday, June 11th 

The final day was spent on recapitulating everything (goals and actions) being discussed during the previous days and addressing any questions. For the closing, SNAME President, Mr Martin “Marty” Toyen, and the Executive Director, Mr Erik W. 

Seither thanked everyone for participating in this fruitful and successful summit. 

Overview - Summary

To sum up, SLS was a tremendous opportunity for all global SNAME leaders to meet, present the difficulties that they encounter within the society, express their concerns and recommend any improvements to be implemented. What is more, section leaders were updated about the new advancements within the society and they were given hints about the operational procedures they should follow. Furthermore, student leaders came across with SNAME’s internal structure and met with SNAME’s officers and staff. SNAME invests in students, who are significantly benefited from being members of this non-profit organisation, while at the same time share their own knowledge and expertise for the promising future of SNAME. Last but not least, our student section’s representation contributed notably to the promotion of the University of Strathclyde and the department of NAOME.