IACC Prez Pushes Global Vision

The International Association of Conference Centers has set forth a plan for growth both geographically, with the establishment of a continental European chapter, and strategically, with the addition of five advisory committees, according to the new president of the association's global board.

Members of the five committees—covering benefits and global resources, branding and promotions, technology, finance and strategy—will be appointed at the IACC annual conference, scheduled to be held March 23-26 in Colorado Springs, Colo., said Peter Stewart, who took the helm of IACC's global board in November following the retirement of former president Bob Johns. Johns also served as general manager of Babson Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, Mass., an Aramark Harrison Lodging property.

Stewart is chairman of the Australian chapter of IACC and is director of operations of Macquarie Graduate School of Management, which has conference center facilities in North Ryde and Sydney, Australia. Stewart said he has been involved in the meetings industry for 25 years, first with hotel properties and then at MGSM for 11 years.

"I've already asked a couple of global board members to chair the technology committee and the finance committee, which are important to get up and running straight away," Stewart said, adding that global board members would chair each committee and have the option of drafting IACC members into the groups.

The finance committee would determine the best use of membership dues paid into the organization and the technology committee would be in charge of the IACC Web site among other issues.

Stewart said he also pushed for the creation of a continental European chapter this year. "It's important for these individual members that are in places like Spain, Prague or France where there's only one or perhaps two members," he said. "A chapter makes so much more sense because they get the support mechanism, they get the network opportunities and they get the added benefits of being part of a group that can meet regularly and talk about the sort of issues that are facing the industry."

European chapters in Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom also belong to conference center associations within their countries, providing opportunities to expand IACC membership, Stewart said.

"What we're looking for globally is growth where it makes sense. We have a number of opportunities for growth within some of our existing chapters," he said. Other areas where conference centers are gaining ground, but where IACC has yet to develop a strong presence, are South Africa and Asia, Stewart said. IACC has approximately 400 members in North America, Australia, Europe and East Asia.

IACC, as have many other players in the hospitality industry, also has begun to examine the generational shift in the market. Members have expressed concerns about how to retain younger employees and attract younger buyers to properties, Stewart said.

"They don't see the same value of face-to-face meetings as their parents, or their parents' parents," he said, adding that younger generations expect immediate availability of information. "I don't know how that is going to have an impact on how a company does business with us, but as an organization we need to understand that more fully. Is technology going to play a greater role? Are the sorts of facilities we provide adequate to accommodate that type of group of people? And how do we manage the transition phase?"

Stewart said he would work to bring younger members of IACC into positions of leadership within the organization.

The association also could play a larger role as industry advocate, Stewart said. "As an association, IACC has done some marvelous things," he said. "They've set the trends for our part of the industry. I'm sometimes concerned that our part of the industry is not recognized globally as a segment. In Australia and in some other countries, it seems to get lumped in with big conventions."

Though many governments recognize the revenue generated by conventions, the multitude of events with fewer than 75 attendees—the segment targeted by conference centers—plays a larger economic role than it is credited for, he said.

"As an industry, we need to be trying to influence governments and others who can actually recognize the industry for what it is as a major contributor to the economy," he said. "In the hospitality industry, there are so many associations. There is an association with an acronym that matches any letter of the alphabet. They're all representative of some particular segment and many of us are members of two, three or four of these associations to get what we need in terms of representation—but when you try to deal with the government, the industry looks fragmented."

In the long term, IACC may look to other industry associations for cooperation, and bolster its ranks of allied membership. "I'm very reluctant to suggest that we would look at any mergers or open partnerships, but there's got to be ways that we can unite as a voice," he said. "Industry councils are an example of that."