In an industry where there sometimes seem to be as many organizations as there are different sectors it’s not unreasonable to ask why we need another one.
Setting aside the fact that JMIC – the Joint Meetings Industry Council – has been around for over 50 years, it’s a question we welcome, because it goes to the heart of the challenges facing the Meetings Industry today and how we may best be able to deal with these.
Essentially, the fact that there are so many different industry organizations demonstrates the challenges we have created for anyone trying to make some sense of the whole thing. It leaves the outside observer wondering what to make of such a variety of perspectives and wondering where to go for an overall answer to the question of what this industry is all about.
None of this matters very much when everything is rolling along nicely. Under these conditions, we can do pretty much whatever we want because it’s not as important whether or not anyone knows what we do. But when we are facing the kind of challenges we are today – when we need to demonstrate our value in order to compete successfully against other government and community priorities – it becomes an absolute necessity. The irony is that the last time we felt this urgency was just following the events of 9/11 and the economic contraction that followed, but almost ten years later, we were no better prepared in this latest round than we were for that last one. Why can JMIC make a difference? First, because it is positioned to do things that no individual industry organization has the scope to do on its own. And, secondly, because it is, in fact, made up of all those individual organizations, and therefore represents the kind of forum required to be able to move forward together.
JMIC was initially created as a vehicle various industry organizations to exchange information, and for much of its existence, that’s just what it did. Meetings were held twice a year and those attending basically outlined what they were doing in the interests of general awareness. In the process, an industry leadership award was developed to recognize industry leadership and the Unity Award, as it was known, exists to this day.
But in 2003 concerns were being raised as to the need for the industry to have a stronger presence as a way of developing some influence on decisions that were affecting our future. An assessment was commissioned, and a program developed – the Profile and Power program – that created a common theme and key messages which could be used by member organizations to carry out advocacy initiatives. A new award was also created – the Profile and Power award – that recognized and drew attention to initiatives that were having an impact on industry profile in various parts of the world.
But around this time, the industry was doing well, and few felt any real sense of urgency around increasing industry awareness. Then the financial crisis hit, and with it, the questioning of the value of meetings as an economically useful investment. Once again, we were under threat, and the same questions were being raised again about how we should be responding and how organizations like JMIC could play a more useful part. The fact is that the role of a council will always be limited by the fact that it has no independent authority but rather relies on the agreement of its members for whatever actions it takes, as well as for the resources required to take these. For this reason there are five roles that a council like JMIC can realistically address, and these have become our program priorities;
First, it can act as a collective voice for the industry when and if this is required. As obvious as this may sound, given the nature of the industry, outside audiences can find it very confusing to be confronted by an array of choices as to who speaks for what, and whether or not they are simply getting one perspective on the questions they are asking. The ability to provide a consensus opinion when this is what’s needed strengthens everyone in the industry as it makes us a more coherent and consistent force relative to other industries.
Secondly, we can encourage a greater degree of awareness and interaction amongst the various organizations that make up the industry. We can create vehicles and forums that encourage the exchange not only of information and expertise but also of things like educational experiences and research activities. Knowing, and being able to access, what everyone else is doing makes us all better informed – but it can also make us more efficient in our actions.
Third, we can produce and make available the kinds of materials that assist industry members to carry out their own advocacy activities. We all know that whatever we may do at a national or international level, the real impacts are those felt in the local community, where things like the economic advancement, jobs and new revenues that our industry creates have the greatest meaning. However, few are in a position to develop the arguments, let alone the materials, required to communicate in an effective and convincing manner. By developing such materials, and by sharing those that have proven successful in various parts of the world, we can make it much more likely that individuals will take the initiative to promote the value of the industry in their own communities.
Fourth, we can pursue those areas that are required in order to demonstrate our value proposition and in doing so, help arm us all with better and more defined arguments. In this regard, we have identified the critical but elusive area of measuring the value that arises from meetings themselves via the incremental benefits created when professional, economic, business, educational research or cultural objectives are advanced.
These are the real reasons that meetings are held, yet we hardly ever speak of them simply because they don’t lend themselves to direct and easy measurement. But in a time when governments everywhere are weighing their investment priorities, it is these kinds of arguments that carry the most weight because they go to the heart of what drives the development of both the economy and the community. That makes it a priority for the industry and a role for an industry voice like JMIC.
Finally, we can act to convene gatherings that demonstrate the integrity of the industry and its ability to work together on a key issue in a way that can get the attention of the outside world. In doing so, we can make a statement about what the industry stands for, how it addresses its responsibilities and the value it brings to the global economy, while showing some solidarity amongst all the various elements that comprise our sector.
This is a big job, and it’s not going to happen overnight. The key is to harness the collective energies of our many industry organizations in a way that allows us to demonstrate that we are, in fact, an industry, and to document and showcase our achievements in ways that no individual organization can do by themselves.
At the same time, we’ll also need to ensure we integrate with their existing activities, and broaden their applicability, rather than initiating major new programs that would only challenge those existing organizations in areas where they are already well established. The ultimate test of an industry is whether or not it can set aside its individual perspectives long enough to demonstrate unity when that is what is required. As the Meetings Industry, we are facing the same test now, and our success or failure will determine how we are seen by the rest of the world for a long time to come.
By Leigh Harry – JMIC President
