IAPCO and IFES Deepen Partnership on Sustainability and Talent

IAPCO and IFES are extending their strategic partnership, placing greater emphasis on sustainability, professional development and the exchange of knowledge across different parts of the events supply chain.

The events industry rarely operates as a single ecosystem. Organisers, suppliers, venues and service providers may ultimately work towards the same event, yet often approach its challenges from very different positions.

It is precisely that distance that the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) are seeking to narrow as they renew their strategic partnership.

Following a review of their initial Memorandum of Understanding, the two associations have agreed to strengthen their collaboration, with the next phase centred on content and knowledge exchange, sustainability, education, professional development and the next generation of industry talent.

The renewed partnership will also create more opportunities for the organisations to contribute to each other’s annual programmes, extending the reach of their respective expertise while creating additional value for members.

Connecting the sustainability chain

Sustainability will be one of the clearest areas for collaboration.

IFES brings experience from the exhibition and event services side of the industry, including work around exhibition production and initiatives such as Better Stands. IAPCO, meanwhile, contributes the perspective of professional congress organisers and their clients.

Bringing those viewpoints together could help address one of the sector’s persistent challenges: sustainability decisions made at one stage of an event’s delivery can have consequences elsewhere in the chain.

Gregor Bischkopf, Executive Director of IFES, said: “Our partnership with IAPCO has already clearly demonstrated the value of connecting different parts of our industry and learning from one another. This next phase will give us the opportunity to make that exchange even more practical. Sustainability and talent development are challenges and opportunities that affect our entire industry. By sharing the experience, knowledge and perspectives within our respective communities, we can avoid working in silos and create greater value for both our members and the wider events sector.”

Investing in the next generation

Talent development will form the second major pillar of the renewed relationship.

IAPCO and IFES plan to exchange experience from their respective next-generation and emerging-leader initiatives, identifying good practice as well as opportunities to share speakers, expertise and potentially develop joint initiatives.

The emphasis reflects a broader challenge facing the international events industry: developing professionals who understand not only their own discipline, but also the wider ecosystem in which events are conceived and delivered.

Martin Boyle, CEO of IAPCO, said: “Partnerships are most valuable when they continue to evolve. Our relationship with IFES gives our communities an opportunity to understand more clearly the priorities, expertise and challenges that exist across different stages of event delivery. By strengthening our exchange around education, sustainability, research and future talent, we can bring together complementary knowledge and create useful opportunities for professionals across both associations to learn from each other.”

Knowledge without the silos

The partnership will also facilitate the exchange of market intelligence, industry trends and research, giving members of both associations access to perspectives originating elsewhere in the events ecosystem.

That may ultimately prove to be the most significant aspect of the renewed agreement. Many of the industry's major challenges, from sustainability to skills development, cut across professional boundaries. Treating them as separate issues risks leaving gaps between the different organisations responsible for delivering an event.

For IAPCO and IFES, the next stage of their relationship is consequently less about creating another industry partnership than about making an existing connection more useful: opening channels between complementary areas of expertise and turning that knowledge into practical value for professionals on both sides.

In an industry where collaboration is frequently discussed, the test will now be whether those exchanges can produce something tangible for the people and organisations delivering events.
 

Powered by Meeting Media Company, publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.