My name is Sharie Clarke and I am from the Montreal Chapter of the AEBC. I attended the AEBC 2016 AGM in Montreal. It was my first time at an AGM and over all, despite a few hick-ups; I found it a wonderful experience. There is something to be said for the sense of community I found there that is usually more difficult to grasp. I especially enjoyed feeling, for the first time, like I was part of a larger organization. So often, I find myself so hyper-focused on the causes of my chapter that I tend to lose site of the broader picture of the entire organization. I was very pleased to attend all three days and to take part in all they had to offer.

My only regret is my late arrival on Friday, because I heard the Friday morning workshops were quite good. I did however, enjoy the AMI lunch and learn presentation, as well as the opportunity to speak to the presenters as well as other AMI representatives that followed. I was also quite intrigued by some of the technology on display in the exhibition hall.

As for Saturday, not only did I get to see how resolutions are put on the floor, as well as the structure around voting for them, but the dinner afterwards gave me an opportunity to meet members from other chapters.

In terms of the final day of the conference, I was amazed how quickly the elections ran during this AGM, as well as how quickly the remaining resolutions were gone through, without sacrificing the time required to clarify what they each meant.