Fall / Automne 2017 43 INSPIRED BY A WEEKEND of engaging workshops, panels and presentations, the IEEE Canada contingent remained in Sydney for another full day to chart a course ahead for our region. The strategic planning session yielded the following top priorities: • Formalize mentoring programs for more ef- fective volunteer re- cruitment and recogni- tion, as well as estab- lishing quality con- trol. Mount mentoring events to supplement one-on-one efforts • Increase conference bidding by greater co- ordination with section chairs and IEEE soci- eties. Promote greater collabor- ation with local tourism offices. • Create more industry-fo- cussed content in the IEEE Canadian Review. • Greater public visibility through media expos- ure and engagements in schools. In total, roughly 30 strat- egies were identified. These were developed by focusing on four areas: • recruitment and training of volunteers, value and relevance to members, internal and external com- munication • mentoring, divers- ity, YPs • greater relevance to industry • conference planning and delivery For each focus area, subtop- ics were discussed in eight groups, facilitated by the fol- lowing experienced volun- teers: Raed Abdullah, Amir Aghdam, Dan Coode, Mi- chael Lamoureux, Murray MacDonald, Scott Melvin, Elena Uchiteleva and Chris- toper Whitt. Guiding the day’s activities was Fabrice Labeau, who led a wrap-up session to pri- oritize identified strategies. President Witold Kinsner and President-Elect Maike Luiken led planning of the event. The Sydney session built on a shorter session that fol- lowed IEEE Canada’s Spring Board meeting in Windsor and a subsequent survey of experienced volunteers with- in the region to determine Strengths, Weaknesses, Op- portunites and Threats. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS MY third time attending Sections Congress, my objectives for this Sydney edition were a bit differ- ent from a few years back in Am- sterdam and San Francisco. This time, apart from a presentation that I delivered regarding the distinguished lecturers program developed within my home tech- nical society, I spent most of my time on the exhibit floor, sharing time between the booth of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Soci- ety (VTS, for which I am the VP for Membership Development) and that of the IEEE Sensors Council. This was an incredible opportunity to meet and discuss with many section representa- tives from all over the world. At the VTS booth in particular, the objectives we had were first to pursue new chapter develop- ment opportunities and second to increase VTS membership in sections. Before coming to Syd- ney, our team had developed specific flyers about the benefits of creating a chapter and benefits of membership; we also made sure to bring eye-catching good- ies for the booth. These served as ice breakers and conversation starters (together with the remote controlled car we were driving around the exhibit floor), open- ing up conversations with section leaders from all over the world. We were in this way able to make contact with dozens of sections in two days, many of them hav- ing the potential to create a lo- cal VTS chapter. Compared to our usual way of trying to create chapters, which involves physic- ally traveling to a section, the concentration of sections leaders in the same place which happens only every three years at Sections Congress created an incredibly efficient way to connect and de- velop interactions. The presence of the IEEE Sensors Council had different objectives. Contrary to an IEEE Technic- al Society, an IEEE Technical Council does not have individual members: its members are IEEE Technical Societies who decide to put their efforts together in an area that cuts across their mandate. In this case, the field of sensors is so vast that 26 so- cieties of IEEE are members of the Sensors Council. So, with- out individual members, the ob- jectives at Sections Congress are not to attract more members, but to grow the community, by encouraging section leaders to create chapters, or host summer schools. Again,Sections Con- gress was a unique opportunity to do so! At the end of the day, look- ing back at my experience at Sections Congress 2017, I can say it was efficient and effective in terms of my objectives, but also, as always, a very rewarding experience meeting old friends and meeting new IEEE volun- teers from around the globe! Rewriting the book on Chapter Development BY FABRICE LABEAU Charting IEEE Canada’s Course Ahead Fabrice Labeau explaining the ABCs of VTS Chapter formation at that Society’s booth. He spoke to “dozens” of Section Executives using this approach. The result of one of the approximately 30 small-group discussions that took place during the strategic planning session at SC ‘17.