ABPCO strengthens
01 July 2016
The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) recently held a strategy day in Belfast to plot future improvements following its annual member engagement survey.
The member engagement survey asks a number of questions to ABPCO members including what they’d like to see implemented in future and what improvements could be made across the association. The feedback obtained was then discussed and acted upon at the strategy day which took place at Titanic Belfast on Thursday 23rd June.
Key feedback was reviewed by the ABPCO board with the majority of suggestions now being addressed:
– A professional year of celebration for ABPCO’s 30th anniversary in 2017 which will end with an event alongside the annual Excellence Awards and Chairmen’s Lunch
– A mentoring scheme to be developed
– The introduction of multi-member discounts
– Education to be focussed on the ‘nuts and bolts’ specific to the roles of PCO’s, including an Ask the Expert session at the AGM
– An increased focus on promoting ABPCO at events and exhibitions nationwide
ABPCO’s strategy is based on five key pillars, which have been adjusted to reflect the ongoing needs of the association as follows: Membership & Accreditation, Education, University Connections, External Voice/Profile and Members’ Voice. The last pillar is new and will focus on the association’s internal voice and opportunities for its members and partners.
“The strategy day is an opportunity for the full board to come together and discuss our ambitions for ABPCO and its bright future,” commented Nicole Leida, joint-chair of ABPCO. “The members’ engagement survey is essential to not only plan for the next few years but also to gauge whether we are doing the best for our members, partners and sponsors. I’m delighted to report that we continue to strengthen across the board and, using the feedback we received, we have set a course for what we feel will be an exciting few years at ABPCO.”
Visit Belfast hosted ABPCO during a two day trip to Belfast which also included a tour of the newly opened Belfast Waterfront, which has recently been welcomed as a corporate member of the association.
Nicole continued: “We thank Visit Belfast for its hospitality during our time in such a beautiful city. Not only were we able to come together as a board for focused discussion away from our workplace but we were also able to experience an evening in the city whilst enjoying tours of both the Belfast Waterfront and Titanic Belfast. We were thrilled to have welcomed Waterfront as a new member recently and we look forward to working with the venue and Visit Belfast again in the near future.”
ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference and meetings industry. For more information about ABPCO visit www.abpco.org
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