European Regional Event 2024: Unveiling the Essence Behind the Glitz and Glamour

Hello! I’m Florian Allix, a 5th-year student at IFEC Paris in France and a proud WCCS member. This year I had the privilege of organising the European Regional Event (RE) 2024 alongside other members of my chapter. The purpose of this article is to take you behind the scenes and to offer a candid look at our journey leading to the event. 

From “Sure, Why Not?” to “Oh No, What Did We Sign Up For?”

Our journey began during the 2023 AGM in Trois-Rivières, Canada, where Alice (our current president) and I (then secretary) accepted the nomination to host the next European RE. Neither of us had any experience organising an event of such magnitude, but we were excited for the opportunity to do so. As we flew back to France, our vision of how it would work was still somewhat hazy and elusive, and we weren’t quite ready to dive headfirst into the planning process. Looking back, our first mistake was procrastination. We definitely should have started planning immediately.

How to Be a Convenor Without Losing Your Mind

As the summer passed and the new school year approached, we started to get more aware of the importance of moving forward with the planning. Alongside Alice and I, other IFEC Paris chapter members, as well as the WCCS Board of Directors (BoD), we all started to work on what needed to be done. I assumed the role of “Regional Event Convenor”, and really had only a minor idea what that entailed. I found out that the convenor’s main responsibility is to organise and administer the event, overseeing both the initial preparations and the follow-up tasks to ensure a seamless process. The Convenor also serves as a communication bridge between the BoD, the convening team, and the chiropractic institution where the event is hosted. This entails forwarding information and event guidelines from the BoD to the chapter members, creating a comprehensive information package to present to our institution, overseeing and helping creating a budget-plan, finding sponsors, securing speakers, finding accommodations and much more.  I must emphasise that although planning such an event is time-consuming and often a significant source of stress, it is undeniably worthwhile. It’s not just about the end result, but also about the invaluable learning experience it provides: setting priorities, organising timelines, improving communication and teamwork skills, learning to delegate and how to react when things don’t go as planned, making sure to always have a plan B, and essentially stepping into a leadership role. The BoD has checklists, guidelines, and documents for these events to assist, and everyone was eager to lend a hand where needed, so I was never alone in my task.

From Chiropractic to Croissants: The Big Event in Paris

Now, turning our attention to the event itself, at this year’s European Regional Event we were delighted to welcome students from six different European institutions: University of Zurich (Switzerland), Southern Denmark University (Denmark), McTimoney and AECC (UK), IFEC Paris, and IFEC Toulouse (France).

We offered them a comprehensive tour of our institution, highlighting its state-of-the-art facilities. The tour was conducted by members of our chapter, alongside a few clinicians who were on duty. This provided the participants with the opportunity to engage with them and ask detailed questions about how chiropractic is taught and practised in France. Furthermore, the participants were able to enjoy and learn from our invited guest speakers:

•   Anais Badon (DC) shared insights into paediatric chiropractic from her practice in Spain.
•   Audrey Yargui (DC), a member of the FICS commission, along with Quentin Courthéoux (DC), conducted a workshop, sharing their experiences in caring for athletes during international competitions.
•   Sylvain Pigeon (DC-MsC) led a workshop focusing on the latest research on chiropractic adjustments, including directional preference and adjustment specificity.
•   Florian Barbier (DC-PhD), a doctoral student, presented the initial results of his thesis on the psycho-organisational risk factors of neck pain and its associated disorders in workers. His dynamic presentation and faultless French accent captivated the audience.

Regional Events are enriching experiences, aiming to provide a platform for chiropractic students to connect, learn, and engage in international exchange on topics like research, education, techniques and more. It’s needless to say that the conversations, friendships and connections between students don’t just happen during the conferences. They continue during breaks, meals, and often even after getting back home. A look into the past shows that WCCS friendships often last a lifetime, bringing with them social and professional opportunities for collaborations and personal growth. It’s evident that these events offer an undeniable social aspect alongside their educational value. Therefore, we made sure to organise various outings and activities after congress hours. This included a guided tour of Paris, a 100% authentic Parisian apéritif at the Seine with a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and a great night full of socialising, fun and dancing!

Mission Accomplished (With Only Minor Panic Attacks)

As a converator team, dealing with the unexpected, setbacks, and technical glitches can be incredibly frustrating. Despite planning every detail, we encountered numerous challenges. However, such is the nature of live events. And nevertheless, we managed to navigate through these challenges and provide our fellow chiropractic students with a memorable and enriching weekend. Witnessing the appreciation from the attending students, whether for a taste of our culture or for the interchange on chiropractic topics offered, made all the hard work worthwhile. It’s an experience I can recommend to any chiropractic student out there, and I urge all WCCS members to continue bringing to life this spirit through your hard work within the organisation  as well as in organisation and attendance at such events.

Paris Convening Team (from left to right): Victorine, Florian, Alice and Laurine

I would like to express my gratitude to the WCCS as an organisation for making events like these possible, to the attending students for exceeding our expectations, and, above all, to the members of the WCCS IFEC Paris chapter for all the hard work you’ve put in to create such an incredible event!

PS: Make sure to watch the Recap Video from our European Regional Event 2024 in Paris here for an additional insight about this weekend. It has been created by our Marketing Committee.