IH Agents Workshop, Cairo
This year’s International House World Organisation (IHWO) Directors' Conference took place in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, from 01.05.-04.05.2010. Every year, the event is held by one of the 140 International House schools. IH Cairo is one of the oldest IH schools and has been a member of the organisation since 1975.
Cairo overwhelms its visitors with its size and long history. With approximately 20 million inhabitants, Cairo is one of the largest cities in the world; the population density at 37,000 people/km² is ten times that of Berlin. The traffic is hellish, the streets are bursting with activity and the alleys between the houses are crammed with junk and trash. In contrast, there are some exotic and idyllic quarters, such as the Chan el-Chalili Bazar, the biggest market in Africa, with hundreds of small streets where it’s easy to get lost or Zemalek Island in the Nile, where the conference hotel is located next to many embassies and sport grounds. The 4500-year-old examples of ancient Egyptian culture: the pyramids, increasingly threatened by the dynamically growing city, continue to tower over the entire city.
Various topics, such as new IT possibilities in the classroom, branding strategies, membership services and new charity efforts, were discussed at the conference with school directors from 40 countries. The conference concluded with the Annual General Meeting, the selection of committee members and the charity auction, where a considerable amount was raised for •“Operation Smile.” See Uwe's charity presentation •here.
After a free day, the agency workshop began. IHWO invited representatives from 40 agencies across 18 countries, along with colleagues from 37 International House schools across 17 countries from 05.05.-09.05.2010. In addition to the direct business exchanges at the workshops, everybody had the chance to get to know each other and network at the numerous activities in the accompanying programme. As the temperature slowly dropped to below 40°C, our exciting workweek and all its variety came to an end in the largest city in Africa. •More pictures on our Facebook page!