The bustling city of Birmingham is getting ready to welcome 20,000 members of Rotary for the 100th RI Convention kicking off this weekend.
The NEC will play host to the international Convention from Saturday 20th June to Wednesday 24th June, with other events taking place across the city and the Midlands.
Members of Rotary will get the chance to meet with others from clubs across the world and learn about how Rotary is helping to support communities near and far – as well as enjoy motivational presentations and speeches.
Keynote speakers include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow, Rotarian and founder of disaster relief charity Shelterbox Tom Hendersen, and advocate for Dafuri war refugees, Jane Goodall, a renowned primatologist and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute.
A host of entertainment has been arranged for Rotarians throughout the fuve day event, including not-to-be-missed concerts by Katherine Jenkins and the Treorchy Male Voice Choir, a spectacular performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet and an East meets West variety show, featuring music and dance from Korea and local Birmingham bands.
Birmingham last hosted the RI Convention in 1984 when registrations reached the dizzying heights of 23,466 Rotarians from 105 different countries.
For more information about the RI Convention, visit www.rotaryconvention2009.com
To read the recent BBC article about the event, click here.
16/06/09
