Connecting and the Power of Associations

Working for the common good is the one thing we are all sharing right now whether in Italy, Illinois or Indonesia. “We” replaces you or I.

With this collective conscience in most people’s minds, I am reminded of the value of industry associations and the sense of community they offer. The very definition of association according to the dictionary is “a group of people organized for a joint purpose” or “a connection or cooperative link between people or organizations.” During my career, I’ve automatically joined related industry associations with the attitude that you get out of something that you put into it. Through these, involvement grew in committees and service in various board positions.

In the MICE industry, meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions, there is a governing body called the Event Industry Council www.eic.org The EIC is the umbrella organization for over 30 associations, all who serve the professionals who make meetings happen from hotels, DMCS, event producers, venues, caterers, planners, and all related services for those who plan, produce and organize professional gatherings. Some of these are ILEA (International Live Events Association), MPI (Meeting Professionals International), IACC (International Association of Conference Centers), PCMA (Professional Conference Management Association), NACE (National Association of Catering Executives), ASAE (American Association of Association Executives), FICP (Financial Insurance Conference Planners), ADME (Association of Destination Management Executives). They work on behalf of the industry and are related to the bigger picture of tourism and travel www.USTA.org

The collective power of these organizations is in the numbers. Membership relies on the association to represent them, and in the current environment in the meetings, events, tourism, travel industry, government has been and will continue to be made aware of the industry through its executive management in the associations.

In every industry sector, there is a specialized association or entity that brings together its members and experts to share information – for any special interest. In real estate, RealComm www.realcomm.com is one of the leading event companies focusing on the real estate and technology marketing. In retail, the National Retail Federation www.nrf.com, and fashion, Fashion Group International www.fgi.org.

I encourage you today to research the associations and companies that focus on bringing people together because when this pandemic is over, WE will all need to come together and move forward. Because I know that #ForwardMatters tm.