POST CONGRESS REPORT
BRUSSELS AIRLINES – BRONZE SPONSOR
Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 3 About the Cameroon Professional Society (CPS) ..................................................................................................... 3 CPS Programs ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 The Scholars Program ..................................................................................................................................... 3 CPS Volunteer Corps ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Journal of Cameroonian Affairs ....................................................................................................................... 4 CPS Symposia................................................................................................................................................. 4 CPS Awards .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Profile of CPS Members ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Distinguished Annual Congress (DAC)...................................................................................................................... 4 About the DAC .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Marketing Activities During the DAC ......................................................................................................................... 5 Email Marketing .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Social Media Marketing .................................................................................................................................. 5 TV Marketing .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Online Streaming ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Partnership With Brussels Airlines ............................................................................................................................ 6 Description of Offer .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Rules and Regulations of Raffle ................................................................................................................................ 6 Participation Rate ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Raffle Winners ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Future Partnership .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................... 8
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Sponsors ................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Introduction The Cameroon Professional Society recently concluded its 2012 Distinguished Annual Congress in Baltimore Maryland. This congress brought together close to 100 panelists and participants to share information and discussing strategies to contribute to Cameroon’s development. About the CPS The Cameroon Professional Society (CPS) in a 501(c) (3) registered charity established in 2009 with headquarters in Baltimore, MD. The CPS seeks to fundamentally transform our communities by leveraging the expertise, leadership and extensive networks of Cameroonian and African professionals both in the United States and abroad. With a focus on nurturing a robust network of patriotic leaders and entrepreneurs, the CPS believes in the strength of our collective union, to critically analyze our problems and propose concrete solutions to foster our development. Without regard to political ideology, linguistic preference or ethnic origins, the CPS projects a united front to empower us to seek novel ways of transforming our communities and our country. Through various symposia, seminars, leadership initiatives, philanthropic projects and business forums, the CPS directly engages the citizenry to spur development. CPS Programs
The Scholars Program Each year the CPS offers up to five scholarships to students who are enrolled in high school. These awards are determined on a competitive basis and require the submission of a personal statement and essay from the applicant. All eligible students are encouraged to participate in this process. The CPS Scholars Program is funded through private and public donations and operated by the Cameroon Professional Society, Inc. as a public charity. This program was established to provide academic scholarship, leadership training and service opportunities to promising young Cameroonians. On acceptance into the program, each scholar is awarded $500 to be used at any college or university of their choice. Scholars are also provided with the mentorship and nurturing that is required to excel in college and beyond. The program seeks to produce outstanding young men and women who will go on to pursue careers in the arts, sciences, public service or professional degrees in business, law and medicine, among others. For more information about this program visit http://cpsociety.org/cps-scholars-program/ This year’s winners are Tohlei Dumizo of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and Cynthia Tientcheu Kamga of Mount Juliet, TN. CPS Volunteer Corps – The CPS Volunteer Corps was initiated to provide Cameroonian and non-Cameroonian experts, professionals and philanthropists the opportunity to give back to Cameroon with emphasis on service. The Volunteer Corps offers individuals with variable skill sets, the opportunity to visit and provide volunteer services at hospitals, medical clinics, the private sector, primary and secondary schools as well as universities in Cameroon. Individuals with expertise in business and management will partner with young ventures in Cameroon. The CPS, through the Volunteer Corps, will also expand to promote volunteer
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In order to accomplish its mission, the CPS has established and run several programs within the USA and Cameroon. These programs include:
services in communities where CPS members reside. Such services may include but are not limited to Health fares; Blood drive participation, soup kitchen volunteers and assistance during declared emergencies /disasters. The CPS will also coordinate various volunteer trips to Cameroon as well as other areas in need. For example the CPS made its presence in the disaster stricken nation of Haiti in April of 2011 with Kevin Ousman. Kevin spent 8 days working in one of the relief Hospitals in Port au Prince, Haiti. The CPS, through its Volunteer Corp hopes to encourage young Cameroonians on the value of service and giving back. For more information about the Volunteer Corps please visit http://cpsociety.org/cps-volunteer-corps/ Journal of Cameroonian Affairs The CPS Journal of Cameroon Affairs (JOCA) will be the official publication of CPS and will be published quarterly. It will be used as an avenue to promote a renaissance of scholarly activities and research on Cameroon by Cameroonians and non-Cameroonians. This objective platform seeks to open the doors for candid discussions and policy initiatives on issues facing Cameroonians in the Diaspora and in Cameroon. We invite article submissions from the general public including original articles, book reviews, invited commentaries, opinion articles and reports directly dealing with the Cameroonian Diaspora and Cameroon. Articles may be essays on observations during travel to Cameroon, recipes, poetry, etc. However, this forum may not be used for political discussions. For more information about JOCA please visit http://cpsociety.org/cps-journal-of-cameroon-affairs/ CPS Symposia – The CPS organizes up to three annual symposia in different states nationwide. These symposia offer an opportunity for professionals from diverse industries within the local community to interact and share their knowledge on various topics important to the local Cameroon community. As of now, these symposiums are currently free to attend to the public. Recent CPS Symposia have been organized at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, The University of Texas at Arlington, Emory University in Atlanta, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and Rice University. For information on past symposiums please visit http://cpsociety.org/posts/category/symposium/ CPS Awards Every year, the Cameroon Professional Society (CPS) gives out awards to individuals, groups or organizations — regardless of national background or origin as recognition for their outstanding contributions made with significant impacts on humanity in general and in the lives of Cameroonians in particular. The various award categories with this year’s winners are: o o o o o
Award for Service – Mrs. Giselle Yitamben, ASAFE, Cameroon Award for Leadership – Mr. Yves Bollanga, Afrotainment Channels, USA Award for Excellence in the Arts – Mr. Jaques-Greg Belobo, Semper Opera, Germany Award for Excellence in the Sciences – Prof. Rose Leke, University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon Cameroon of the Year Award – The Cameroonian Farmer
Profile of CPS Members
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The CPS has 50 internal membersi and a network of over 1,000 Cameroonian professional followers on social media. Internal members pay a yearly due and take an active role in the management of the organization. Most of the CPS members are experienced professionals with more than 50% possessing a college degree.
Below is a summary of the CPS membership network: Membership Category Board/Associates Members (Internal) LinkedIn Network®1 FaceBook® Listserv TTL
# 50 316 862 3,600 4,828
Distinguished Annual Congress The CPS Distinguished Annual Congress is the seminal event that brings together leading Cameroonians from all walks of life and throughout the world to discuss concrete issues facing Cameroonian communities and especially issues facing Cameroon. Through its various working sessions, roundtable discussions, debates and speaker forums, congress attendees interact closely with other professionals from across the globe in formulating strategies for socio-economic development and personal empowerment. The Congress emphasizes leadership development with the goal of empowering and nurturing the next generation of Cameroonian leaders. It is indeed the “Cameroonian Davos.” This year’s congress took place from July 27th to 28th at the BWI Marriott Hotel in Baltimore Maryland under the theme – Towards an Emerging Economy, the Roadmap for Cameroon. Prior to this year’s Congress, the CPS organized the 2010 Congress still in Baltimore, MD from July 30 – August 1, 2010 at the Hilton BWI in Maryland, and the 2011 Congress from July 29 – July 31, 2011 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Marketing Activities during the Distinguished Annual Congress The CPS uses several channels to market the Distinguished Annual Congress. These include Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, TV Marketing, Online Streaming and others. This marketing mix enabled the CPS’ message, as well as that of our sponsor-Brussels Airlines, to reach a potential audience of over 200 million people:
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LinkedIn® membership – USA 58%, Cameroon 28%, UK 12%, France 3%
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Email Marketing-The CPS maintains a listserv on about 3,600 Cameroonian professionals. From March 2012, we regularly sent-out monthly email campaigns to this network advertizing the congress and its sponsors, including Brussels Airlines. We equally marketed to over 30 different Cameroon electronic groups within the USA. Social Media Marketing-The CPS primarily uses FaceBook® for social media marketing. We currently have 862 likes on our network. In July, we made about 9 posts about Brussels Airlines and CPS programs which were directly accessed by about 3,005 people and potentially by about 349,684 people. TV Marketing – Africa24 TV (www.africa24tv.com) from Paris was the media partner for the congress and covered the event live. All through the event and since then, Africa 24 has created and broadcast several reports on the CPS Congress. Since 2010, Africa24 has become the most viewed news network focused on Francophone Africa. Francophone Africa is composed of 31 nations that straddle the African continent with countries in North, West, East, and Southern Africa. As of 2007, the population of this area was about 115 million people. In addition to francophone Africa, Africa 24 is also viewed in Europe and in the USA
Map of Francophone Africa
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francophone_Africa.png
Online Streaming – In addition to live TV coverage, the CPS streamed the entire congress on-line though the website – congress.cpsociety.org. Between the July 27 and 28, the website was visited by 850 people from about 23 difference countries. 83.4% of all visitors were from North America.ii Others – Direct mail campaigns, phone calls, and face-to-face marketing meetings with many local Cameroonian communities in the USA were other marketing options used in marketing the congress.
Partnership with Brussels Airlines Description of Offer
The CPS was honored to have Brussels Airlines as a Bronze Sponsor for the 2012 CPS Distinguished Annual Congress. Brussels Airlines is the leading Belgian airline, flying out of the capital of Europe. With flights to some 49 European destinations as well as 21 African destinations, the airline has an excellent network for travel to/from Cameroon and via Brussels. Brussels Airlines operates some 57 conveniently scheduled flights to Africa weekly, connecting 21 business and leisure destinations to and via Brussels, as well as offering a further 6 destinations via Frankfurt with partner Lufthansa. With the launch in June 2012 of daily flights between New York City and Douala/Yaoundé via Brussels, Brussels Airlines confirms its status of key player connecting Africa to the world. As part of the Bronze Sponsorship, Brussels Airlines offered 2 roundtrip tickets, from New York City to Yaoundé or Douala in Cameroon, to be used as raffle prizes to the CPS.
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The tickets offered were auctioned through a public raffle and a silent auction by the CPS. The rules and regulationsiii to participate in the raffle authorized the CPS to communicate the names and contact information of all the
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Rules and Regulations
participants. Anyone in the US could participate in the public raffle while only congress participants could participate in the silent auction. Participation Rate and Raffle Winners Forty participantsiv took part in the raffle contest with Mr. Victor Ngu of Parkville, Maryland and Ms. Comfort Fombu of Bedford, Massachusetts the winners of both tickets. Mr. Dave Sharma, Regional Director of North America Sales for Brussels Airlines took part at the CPS Congress as the official representative for Brussels Airlines.
Pictures of Brussels Airline Ticket Winners
Ms. Comfort Fombu
Mr. Victor Ngu
Future Participation
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We will like to thank Brussels Airlines for agreeing to sponsor the 2013 CPS Distinguished Annual Congress with free tickets to the CPS. The CPS is the premier organization that represents the Cameroonian Diaspora in her quest for increased and improved partnership with Cameroon. With the launch of the New York-YaoundÊ/Douala via Brussels route, we hope Brussels Airlines’ becomes the leading airline for the Cameroonian Diaspora as they travel to/from Cameroon. We believe the CPS is best placed to help Brussels Airlines to achieve this goal and this can be accomplished using a continued and more versatile partnership.
Conclusion The 2012 CPS Distinguished Annual Congress was a resounding success. During two days, over 100 panelists and participants met in Baltimore, Maryland to discuss and develop strategies on making Cameroon an emerging country. In addition to the participants who physical attended the congress, CPS’ and Brussels Airlines’ message was also viewed by 850 from our online audience, and beamed to over 200 million people in Francophone Africa and the world through our media partnership with Africa 24. We salute Brussels Airlines expansion into North America and we believe the growth of both of our organizations is intertwined. Affordable and high-quality travel provided by Brussels Airlines goes a long way in improving exchanges (business and professional) between the Cameroonian Diaspora and Cameroon, which the CPS advocates for. It also plays a role in making Cameroon an Emerging country. We thank Brussels Airlines once more for this year’s sponsorship and we will like to discuss the possibility of Brussels Airlines being the “Official Airlines of the CPS”. Sponsors:
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CPS Internal Member List Google Analytics Report for July 27 - 28 iii Rules and Regulations for Brussels Airlines Raffle iv List of Brussels Airlines Raffle Participants
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ii