By Bob Parker
Last month, BEICC presented a workshop entitled The Future of the Events Industry as part of the Global Speakers Summit 2013 held in Vancouver, B.C. and hosted by the Global Speakers Federation and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.
This summit brought together the speaking industry from around the globe including representatives from over 20 countries. Past Global Speakers Summits have been held in Singapore, Dubai, South Africa and The Netherlands. Its purpose was to provide a forum for discussions that impact the speaking profession and its audiences from a global perspective. The theme for this convention was “Revolutions, Upheavals, Choices.” The world is in a constant state of change and that includes the meetings and events industry. We must be prepared to adapt and positively impact on these changes.
This unique program featured international speakers from the Global Speakers Federation (GSF) and industry partners providing presentations and workshops during both general and concurrent sessions. Additional workshops from industry partners presented from the IASB (International Association of Speakers’ Bureaus), IAC (International Association of Coaches), and MPI (Meeting Professionals International). This summit will be of interest to anyone who hosts global audiences or meetings.
For more information check out: www.gss2013.com.
Canadian Economic Impact Study 3.0
In early April, the latest version of the Canadian Economic Impact Study (version 3.0) was launched. Money was raised by a variety of industry sponsors to begin the research portion of this groundbreaking study, and is projected to be completed in the spring of 2014. The research will be expanded to include additional aspects of the meetings and events industry not captured in previous studies.
By the spring of 2014, you can anticipate the marketing efforts to begin to push this important data and research into the community at large and to those who can use the information as part of their ongoing strategies.
BEICC develops new strategic plan
Earlier this spring, the Board of Directors of BEICC met to discuss the priorities for the coalition for the next three to five years. Here is an overview of what you can expect from BEICC in the next few years.
Our purpose in the Canadian business events industry is to be an organization that is a clear, concise and accurate information platform; promotes and communicates; is the external and internal voice of and for the industry; engages in advocacy; and identifies trends in the business events industry, on behalf of our association members and their constituents.
Strategic priorities
- Canadian Economic Impact Study 3.0: Develop marketing plan and assist in distribution and dissemination of key findings.
- Advocacy: Develop a partnership relationship with an aligned organization that has a strong lobby framework.
- Industry response team: Create a system for the team to respond immediately to issues that impact the meetings and events industry to develop strategy and recommendations.
- Membership recruitment: Grow the number of members of BEICC to have a wider reach and broader constituency base.
- Industry endorsements: Develop a mechanism and criteria for offering endorsements of industry initiatives; provide endorsements that fit criteria as requested and support the industry.
- National event initiative: Introduce a “National Event” that aligns with the purpose of BEICC and furthers the reach of the coalition.
- Research: Develop a research repository. Become the source for current information and data relating to the business events industry in Canada.
About the author
Bob Parker is chairperson for BEICC, and representative member of CAPS (The Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) where he is the National President-Elect. He has worked in this industry for over 20 years as a thought leader on building high performing cultures and teams. You can contact him at [email protected], or [email protected].
