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Back to Facility Manager
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 A
World Of DifferenceSometimes you just have to marvel when thinking of the global scope of the public assembly facility. In Japan, a venue manager welcomes guests into a convention center. In England, patrons are welcomed into a stadium. In Spain, spectators are greeted upon entering an arena. In Brazil, music lovers are acknowledged upon entering an amphitheater. The languages spoken at the venues are as different as the venues themselves, but the one constant of providing a safe environment for guests to enjoy themselves holds true for every facility and in any spoken language. IAAM stands for the International Association of Assembly Managers. Now think for a minute about what “international” means. I’m sure that when this Association was started by six facility managers in Cleveland in 1924 that the size of the world seemed a lot bigger than it does now. “International” had a whole different meaning. However, with jets and the Internet and instant communications, the whole wide world is a bit smaller today. I was reminded of just how small the world has become during a recent visit to Glasgow, Scotland and the European Arenas Association meeting. The purpose of the visit involving myself, Dexter King, IAAM executive director, and Bob Mayer, past IAAM president, was to begin exploring the establishment of the governance for the new District VIII in Europe. That may at first glance seem like a simple task. However, in our typical North American thinking, we see things differently and in an almost simplistic way. For example, in the United States we have 50 states where we all speak the same language. We have a common government and a common currency. Even our culture is similar in most every part of the country as are laws and codes. Almost every city (seemingly) in the United States has a Wal-Mart or a shopping mall. Not much thought is given as to how this way of thinking might shade the global view of the world. While in Europe, I had the opportunity and honor of meeting with people representing the 17 EAA countries (Estonia, Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, Czech Republic, Finland, Austria and Italy). One interesting thing I noticed was that we were dealing with people from sovereign countries! Each person represented at the meeting comes from a country with its own government, culture, language, laws, and in some cases, currency. Although these people are from different parts of Europe, they were in Glasgow for one single purpose: to figure out ways to work together and to see and promote their commonality or their similarities in spite of all the differences and barriers. Each of the European venue managers wanted to find ways to increase their bookings and their revenues. Most wanted to know how the others dealt with the common issues that venue managers face today as well as the specifics of how a particular event went when in someone else’s building. What I quickly realized is that it was the sharing of information and ideas that was the focus of most of the discussions. That is no different than at any of the many IAAM meetings and seminars we have attended over the years. The more I listened and interacted with the Europeans, the more they wanted to know about the States and how we conducted our business. They seemed to be eager for more information about our ways of operating our venues. That's where IAAM comes in as the acknowledged international leader in public assembly facility management. The meeting cemented the importance of the existence of the EAA, and it also validated the decision to create a District VIII that will give those who operate European venues a voice to make heard their needs and concerns that otherwise might go unheeded, or not answered in the proper context. As a truly international association, IAAM’s role in the world marketplace is more visible than ever before. IAAM sets standards for industry professionalism and now more than ever is called upon to address safety and security issues throughout the world’s venues. In this sense we are almost as one voice. By the same token, much of the beauty of this world lies in the cultures and languages that are unique to a people. The formation of a District VIII as well as the work of an EAA helps to tie together many different needs while at the same time respecting and celebrating the individuality of a country and its people. It is no surprise, then, that we continue to learn from one another while at the same time continuing to build an industry that we all love. Out of Many, We Are One … World.!
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©
2002-2005
International Association of Assembly Managers |
