The Saudi Arabian Toastmasters Annual Conference (SATAC-2013) was held at the Dammam Sheraton from Wednesday through yesterday. More than 500 Toastmasters from across the Kingdom attended the conference.

The event also saw a competition held to pick a winner from Toastmasters International’s District 79 to represent it at the World Championship of Public Speaking Contest in Cincinnati, United States, on Aug. 24.

In his inaugural address, Conference Chairman Syed Waheed Lateef thanked Toastmasters International President John Lau for attending the event. He appreciated Uma Radhakrishnan, regional adviser, for presenting a workshop on teamwork. Both dignitaries praised the organization for setting up the mega event in Dammam. They were happy to note the enormous growth of the organization in Saudi Arabia.

District Gov. Nazeer Gazaq Al-Qasem said that District 79 was now on the top in the world and was growing so quickly it would soon have to be divided into two districts. He said the Toastmasters’ movement has bonded Saudis and various expatriate communities in the Kingdom.

Contestants from 11 divisions of the district participated in the contest in four categories and enthralled the audience with their oratorical talents. 

The categories included an international, prepared and humorous speech — all of five to seven minutes. Contestants were also required to deliver an impromptu speech of one to two minutes on an unknown topic. There was also an evaluation contest, which involved a speech of two to three minutes.

The event also highlighted six workshops held by prominent scholars and presenters.

In addition, elections were held for next year’s district council.

For the first time, the entire conference was streamed live on the web. The proceedings were viewed by more than three times the number of attendees.

This was the second district conference of Saudi Arabia since District 79 was formed. The first conference was held in Jeddah last year. The Eastern Province has the majority of Toastmaster clubs.

Numerous high-ranking executives and professionals and representatives from leading companies including Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation and Saudi Electricity Company, attended the event.

Toastmasters International is a renowned organization that has helped over four million people to learn and enhance communication and leadership skills. There are over 160 clubs in Saudi Arabia spread over 11 divisions. 

Currently, over 280,000 members are improving their speaking and leadership skills by attending one or more of the 13,500 clubs in 116 countries worldwide.