Association Collaboration Meeting discusses optimisation for members

The first in a series of Association Collaboration Meetings took place on 31 July at London’s Barbican, where representatives from the key event industry associations met to discuss better collaboration.
 
The event also included discussions on how event associations could collaborate so as to better represent the industry and optimise member benefits across the sector.
 
The initiative was first discussed at a Business Visits and Event Partnership (BVEP) meeting in June.
 
The first Association Collaboration Meeting was chaired by the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers’ (ABPCO) Michael Foreman. Some 20 trade associations were invited to the first meeting and nine attended, including BVEP Vice chairs, Richard Foulkes, who sits on the International Board of Governors for the International Special Events Society (ISES); Samme Allen representing MPI; Simon Hughes representing Eventia, and Chris Skeith representing ESSA, AEV and the AEO.
 
Additional participants included Andy Grove, Chair of the Local Authorities Events Organisers’ Group (LAEOG); Juliet Price of the Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA); Caroline Jackson of the Center for Association Leadership (AEME); Heather Lishman of ABPCO; and Gary Paine of the Meetings Industry Association (mia).
 
“There are many associations in the industry and, while there are crossovers, each sits in its own niche,” says Foulkes. “We are not trying to create a new association or re-create the BVEP. The BVEP’s job is to act as a unifying umbrella body and to encourage initiatives such as this.
 
“The forums objective was to discuss potential collaborations that could enable each association to deliver additional and better benefits for their members.”
 
The forum identified three potential channels of initial collaboration:
 
To establish a dialogue with the International Festival for Business (IFB) 2014 to enable some aligned activity to be developed. This could see association AGM’s, joint meetings and events taking place in Liverpool next year during the IFB.
 
The exploration of internships and training programmes as a common programme to engage better with student bodies and young professionals across the industry.
 
The raising of the profile of the events industry as a whole by ensuring better communication of individual and joint activity across the sector.
 
“It was a positive first meeting with much common ground identified,” says Foreman. “I see a great number of benefits developing from this and I am very pleased with the output.”
 
The next meeting is scheduled for October.
 
The first of Conference News’ Conference Question Time series of events brought together six of the UK meeting industry’s association chiefs for the first time at the Olympia Conference Centre in November 2012 to discuss whether or not there are too many industry associations.
 
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