Amidst the mayhem of a smoky Sydney, over 100 dedicated Arc Club Executives descended on the Roundhouse for the first ever Clubs Leadership Summit. 

The first day of the two-day program was jam packed with workshops, expert panels and networking opportunities to equip Club leaders with the tools they need to thrive in 2020. 

From answering the tough question ‘why does your club exist?’, to crash courses with expert trainers in marketing, public speaking and goal-setting, the Leadership Summit’s engaging structure enabled Club Executives to choose their own adventure based on the needs of their Club.

Bethany (Vice-President) and Nelson (Treasurer) from the UNSW Social Basketball Society said that the Summit had introduced them to ideas that would help them make a difference in their Club.  

“Leadership is definitely a skill that we want to develop leading into the new year,” Bethany said.

“We hope that today will give us some insights into how we can learn from other people and get the message about our Club out to more people,” added Nelson.

Highlights from the Tuesday included a light-hearted Q&A with UNSW alumni where students were encouraged to embrace the good and the bad which come with managing clubs, and break-out tutorials which allowed students to identify and their strengths and weaknesses.

Jessica from the UNSW Karate Club believed that she would use tips from the Summit’s workshop to develop both personally and in her club.

“I found out from the Conflict Management class that my listening skills are pretty poor, so that was a good kick that I needed,” said Jessica. “I am definitely going to try and have more empathy towards people if they have grievances with the Karate Club”.

Arc’s Clubs Officer and event organiser Stephen Guo added that he believed the event would be vital in developing Club leaders’ social and organisational skills.

“The event offers an entire suite of skills and practical, applicable knowledge that will make them a more successful club executive,” said Stephen. “In particular, the networking aspect of the Leadership Summit is a great opportunity for Club Execs to mingle and share lots of new ideas”.

Clubs Leadership Summit will be back in 2020 so keep an eye on your Club Executive inbox for more info