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Christopher Schwartz, Press Department, Union of International Associations, UIA
Social legacy. The UIA held its Annual Roundtable with the theme "Associations in action: social legacy and community engagement" on 17 October 2011 in the Brussels Marriott Hotel, but with a special twist from previous years. This time around, the focus was not upon the needs of associations; instead, we took an extroverted turn, as participants were asked to think hard about their engagement with the communities surrounding their conventions and events and the social legacy they leave behind.
Leading the charge was Rob Davidson, Senior Lecturer on Events Management with the University of Greenwich's Business School and, according to Conference & Incentive Travel, one of the world's top 20 gurus on events organizing (and we at UIA would like to add: arguably the most convivial person in the industry). Rob, a former journalist with a trained eye for injustice and the socioeconomic health of local communities, has emerged over the years as a leading advocate for social consciousness within the events world. So, believe us when we say it was truly a joy and honor to have him MC'ing our roundtable!
It is always impossible to say who among the presenters was the “best” or “most interesting” (especially when you're the folks who organized them!) Nevertheless, we think the inspiring sparks that flew between Rob and Peter Baierl, Executive Director of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) during the breakfast meeting for UIA Associate Members, shall be unforgettable. Rob and Peter sparred over a whole host of issues at the core of our industry's future, from the complicated ethics of social legacy to whether the in-person convention should be replaced by the virtual meeting.
Questions from the audience were truly spot-on and provocative (Peter, remember: if you thought about the costs of marrying the same way you think about the cost of conventions, well...). All in all, it was the kind of debate that reminds everyone why we got involved in events organizing to begin with: a convention really matters to all involved in it, and it is a complex, and yes, surprisingly philosophical animal.
And then came the roundtable itself. Peter returned to give a detailed look at ESR's remarkable journey from an “analog” to a “digital” organization and all the Internet-based services it has been providing for its members at a miraculously cheap price. We found two lessons here: the first, that associations should not underestimate the capacities of their members for radical change (after all, few outside of medicine would have expected radiologists to be so cutting edge, but in fact their professional conditions meant they were perfectly suited for taking big leaps); and second, we should never forget that one of the key communities associations serve are their own memberships, industries or professions.
The question of the online and offline worlds was visited again by Anja Magry, Head of Events for the European Wind Energy Association, who caught everyone's attention with her very detailed and academic analysis on publicizing one's social legacy impact. Magry's presentation prompted quite a discussion among participants about the potentials and problems of new media/social media. We were also very pleased to have Marcel Vissers, Editor in Chief of HeadQuarters Magazine, remind us not to overlook the tried-and-true “old media” in our digital era: there is still a very real and valuable place for professional print publications.
Danièle Vranken, Secretary-General of the Federation of European and International Associations Established in Belgium (FAIB), drove home the hard data about the sheer economic force associations and their events can bring to a community, in this case Belgium generally and Brussels in particular. Check out this mindboggling statistic: there are 2197 active international associations in Brussels alone, not to mention 1000 international press correspondents and 15,000 lobbyists piggy-backing on them. What does that mean socioeconomically? By Vranken's calculations, associations bring approximately one billion euros in income and 11,000 jobs to the city!
This was followed up by a leading Brusselaar, Hervé Bosquet, Director of VisitBrussels, who explored the vast capacities, present and future, of Europe's capital for conventions and tourism – in other words, if there was ever a place where the social legacy of events can be felt on a daily basis, it is the metropole of chocolate, beer and waffles. And speaking of which, the denouement of the roundtable took place in the Halles St. Géry, courtesy of VisitBrussels, where participants were able to taste some of our city's gourmet and local traditions.
The workshops played a key role, as these explored a host of issues and revealed the remarkable plurality of people attending the roundtable – colleagues ran the gamut from the pharmaceutical industry and wholesalers to news agencies in the developing world and cutting-edge social entrepreneurs (we were particularly thrilled by our enthused colleagues from Africa, who seemed to have an instinctive grasp of the issues at stake!). Perhaps the most striking feature from the workshops was that most basic of issues, consciousness, as it turns out many participants' associations were already engaged in social legacy projects without realizing it! It is remarkable what a little bit of re-conceptualization can do for an association.
To wrap up, we would be remiss if we did not also make special mention of Angus Pitkethley, Market Director of Sales and Marketing for the Marriott International Hotel Group, who took a moment to review what his company has to offer for conventions across Europe and beyond, with some helpful tidbits about their own green and social legacy policies. We at UIA are grateful to the Marriott for hosting the roundtable and so ably dealing with all the logistical and community aspects that came with it. And, of course, a special thank you to everyone who participated: it is our heartfelt hope that you walked away from the roundtable enlightened and empowered.
See you next year!