<aside> 👋 Welcome to the Local Bridge Forum (LBF) Playbook! This is a comprehensive guide on how to set up, plan, and execute a bridge forum (forum shuffle) event in a local chapter or across multiple chapters.
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LBF is inspired by the Europe Bridge Chapter (EBC), with the aim to bring all members of a chapter together through the organization's main program: the Forum. Over the course of two days, all members will be divided into different forums, where everyone will present and receive life coaching. This provides an opportunity to connect with members they have not had the chance to meet before, giving and receiving value, in a unique format!
<aside> <img src="/icons/briefcase_blue.svg" alt="/icons/briefcase_blue.svg" width="40px" /> If you are looking for the LBF Preparation Toolbox, you can find it here: LBF Preparation Toolbox
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LBF is a forum comprised of EO members from different forums and/or chapters. The goal is to meet in scenic locations, where all members present (usually 6-8 members per forum) can live unique experiences!
As with the Bridge forums of EO, in LBF a forum shuffle takes place. At each event, members shuffle into different forums, which consist of members that are not together in their monthly forum or members of other chapters. This gives them the opportunity to meet and connect with more members from the chapter, share experiences, and gain unique value!
The LBF lasts 2.5 days, with three 4-hour forum sessions per day, usually held on Friday morning, Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning. The structure is very similar to monthly forums: an experienced moderator starts the forum with a short life line to get to know each other better, it continues with 5% updates, and then all members present one after the other with deep dive or brainstorming with life coaching.
The LBF format is perfect for focusing on long-term goals, reserving short-term goals for their monthly forums.
LBF is ideally held in a location out of town, approximately 2 to 2.5 hours drive, or a quick flight away. This allows people to step back and disconnect from their daily routines.
A comfortable hotel is usually recommended to facilitate interaction among all participants, regardless of whether they will be in the same forum during the event. The forums should be held in private spaces at the location. If there are no such spaces, or not enough, a good practice is to book one suite per forum - usually with the moderator staying in the suite - and hold the forums there. This arrangement provides some space and comfort during the forum sessions.
A very effective schedule is to leave on, for example, a Thursday morning, and travel together in a bus or van so that people can start engaging from the very first moment. Forums will take place on Friday morning, Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning, after which people can then return home. If the destination is relevant, people can also invite their spouses to join on Saturday noon and spend the rest of the weekend there.
Thursday
9:00 - 9:30 Departure