We all remember our first AIJA conference. With exclusive venues and exciting destinations, each conference takes months of planning and creates memories that last for years. But what’s the first time like for the AIJA staff members who help to organise the events? After attending our November conference in Girona, two new AIJA staff members, Fanny Senez and Viktoria Keri, described their first impressions of the ‘AIJA spirit’ in action.
“I had a great though intense week!” said Fanny. “Girona is a lovely city, the venues for the dinners were awesome with amazing food and I had a great time getting to know more AIJA members and people I will soon be working closely with on upcoming events. Everything is possible with such an exceptional AIJA team where cooperation, enthusiasm and professionalism are naturally combined! This is definitely a recipe I want to keep for the next upcoming events.”
As another first timer, Viktoria added, “I really appreciated the warm welcome and genuine interest of participants which made my integration unexpectedly easy and fast. It became clear to me that members are ready to climb mountains to bring AIJA to the next level and I will be glad to support them in their efforts… I have never before experienced a more relaxed and fun atmosphere at a conference.”
Fanny and Viktoria are event organisers, not lawyers, so as well as ensuring the smooth running of the event, they were also in a unique position to assess the general mood of the conference. Did attendees appear to be leaving the seminar sessions enthused, or confused? “The feedback we received was that the level of the speakers and seminars presentations was outstanding”, said Fanny. “AIJA has this unique family spirit where members are happy to learn and share knowledge but also network and meet one another again during events.”
According to Viktoria, the attendance numbers were high: “the scientific programme – especially the film industry session – received outstanding feedback … The high quality of both sessions and social agenda was emphasised by most participants and overall AIJA received very positive feedback. Many shared the view that Girona was one of the greatest conferences organised in recent years, and all agreed that AIJA is continuously raising its standards.”
So what was the biggest highlight? For both Fanny and Viktoria, the answer was the same: dinner at Mas Marroch, courtesy of El Cellar de Can Roca’s, the 3 Michelin star restaurant and twice winner of World Best Restaurant. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.