AIPC Future Shapers Pitch Legacy Solutions to the MICE Industry

AIPC’s inaugural Future Shapers pitched their solutions to the challenges faced by the convention centre management industry at the AIPC Annual Conference in Budapest yesterday.

In the grand finale of their nine month accelerated leadership programme, two teams competed to convince the industry’s CEOs and leaders to invest in and choose their solutions to challenges currently faced by the industry.

AIPC Chairman Greg O’Dell said the association had set out to provide its members with a leadership programme for senior managers, adding another layer in between the Academy and the Conference, to support the future of the industry.

“Not only have we created a hugely beneficial resource to our members, the outstanding ideas presented at the conference will also leave a meaningful legacy for our industry at large.”

“The ideas, business papers and project plans that were presented to our members through the conference have delivered us a pathway to a more automated, collaborative, meaningful way to plan events and communicate with our clients,” Mr O’Dell said.

Team EventShaper and Team Optimum were judged by a panel and the audience at the conference and the result was a tie. Both ideas have received interest from venue and technology suppliers to the industry to invest in their ideas.

The Ideas

• EventShaper: A collaboration and event management portal built by venue experts for event management professionals. EventShaper provides integrated, end to end services including booking, communication, event design and account management planning tools using real time data, so you and your clients stay informed, organised, and connected — all in one place.
• Optimum: A venue business optimization solution which assists sales teams within Convention Centres to streamline approval processes and reduce resources needed for RFPs. It’s designed to enable increased productivity by managing yield more efficiently, maximising revenue and reaching the market quickly.

AIPC CEO, Sven Bossu said the AIPC Future Shapers provides the bright stars of the convention centre management industry a step up in their leadership journeys while providing an in depth training service to AIPC member venues and legacy making solutions to the industry at large.

“Nine months ago, 14 future stars of the industry with at least seven years experience were hand selected to participate in the AIPC Future Shapers program following a rigorous application process that included a video pitch, a short essay and a commitment to an intensive leadership program designed to fast track the career progression of senior leaders.”

“We now have a team of alumni that will network globally to continue to challenge our industry and engage in a better future for us all,” Mr Bossu said.

The program was delivered in three overlapping phases:

1) Lecture series

A lecture series and in depth self evaluation and development workshops with leaders from within and aligned to our industry.

2) Mentoring

The participants were matched with mentors who are CEOs of the AIPC membership. Led by the Future Shapers, the guidance and advice provided by the mentors was invaluable to their growth and provided a panel to test their ideas against.

3) The Industry Challenge

Future Shapers split into two teams to workshop business solution ideation, business case development and project implementation planning.

Every step of the program was designed to accelerate the leadership skills of the participants.

About Future Shapers

The Future Shapers programme supports the development of high performers within the AIPC community to think and act like leaders. Participants will be senior managers with proven leadership skills who are looking for a learning opportunity with practical outcomes. They are our high performers on a career growth path. Through education, a community of peers and mentors, and a platform to perform, the program will support these future leaders to become future shapers of our industry.

The Future Shapers programem supports the venue management industry to identify future venue leaders and prepare them for success by offering professional education and inspiration, an opportunity to demonstrate excellence and a framework that will result in value creation for the entire AIPC community. The Future Shapers platform allows high performers to connect, share and learn.