Organisers of the IMEX Association Day 2010 in Frankfurt have announced a diverse and topical programme intended to provide association executives with unrivalled educational insight in a day of intensive learning and networking.
Association Day 2010 will take place on Monday 24 May in Frankfurt and is organised by IMEX in partnership with ICCA.
Martin Sirk, ICCA CEO, will lead the line-up of the day’s speakers with an examination of the critical factors involved in deciding where to hold international congresses. The presentation will cover how to make the selection process more efficient, transparent and aligned with strategic objectives.
Chief Knowledge and Strategy Officer of ASAE (American Society of Association Executives), Greta Kotler, CAE, will moderate a panel which includes Chip Deale, Head of Global Society Relations, CFA Institute and Helga Severeyns, Senior Director of UITP (International Association of Public Transport). Together they will review the variety of global planning strategies available to associations and also discuss success practices for boosting membership numbers and revenues. The panel session will also look at how associations can increase their influence and develop and market their services in line with corporate mission and goals.
In addition, Pol Van De Perre, Association Director of MCI Brussels, will offer tips and guidance on how to leverage conference content by using online tools and facilities. His session will explore ways in which data, ideas and even full meeting sessions can be captured, shared, co-created and archived for the maximum long-term benefit of association members.
Tailor-made German workshops
Global business and communications company, MCI Germany, will also be running a concurrent German presentation and the German Convention Bureau (GCB), IMEX’s strategic partner, will run two German language seminars tailored to meet the specific needs of German association delegates on the following day, Tuesday 25 May.
Carina Bauer, IMEX marketing and operations director, explains: “We welcome over 3,500 international suppliers from over 150 different countries to IMEX every year, creating a great opportunity for delegates to discover new destinations, products and services and, of course, do business. Through Association Day we provide a forum for thought leadership specifically for association executives, where the latest industry news and ideas are communicated via a comprehensive programme of presentations and seminars. Delegates also appreciate the opportunity to learn from and network with each other.”
The Association Day evening reception, now a recognised highlight of the international meetings industry calendar, will take place at the Westin Hotel in Frankfurt. It offers the chance for association members to network among a 700-plus guest list of exhibitors, industry suppliers and hosted buyers.
Carina Bauer continued: “We have worked hard to ensure that the delegate experience at Association Day is as productive and enjoyable as possible. Tools such as the IMEX online diary system and messaging service also make meeting up and setting business appointments easy to dovetail with educational sessions.”
Research supports positive sentiment
Recent research into the association market by IMEX and ICCA shows the enduring strength of the sector. Said Martin Sirk, ICCA CEO, “Our latest quantitative results match up to the numerous anecdotal stories we are hearing from our members and from other international association executives. The economic downturn has had an impact, of course, but it has been far less serious than for other market sectors of the meetings industry. The fact that so many associations are experiencing rising delegate numbers and revenue during this period would be remarkable were it not for the case that international associations have been consistently demonstrating this resilience for many, many years.”
Entry to the Association Day and Evening programme is by registration only. Registration is free of charge and available from December 2009 – contact Carina Bauer (carina.bauer@imex-frankfurt.com) for more information. The 2010 programme can be viewed online at www.imex-frankfurt.com.
