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IAAM has a new mission statement: “To educate, advocate for and inspire
public assembly venue professionals, worldwide.”
Short, succinct and to the point, this new mission statement is the result
of months of hard work by dozens of IAAM members. The process started last
summer with a survey e-mailed to every IAAM member. In August, a group of 24
members, representing a cross section of the IAAM membership, came together
in an intense two-day retreat. With the assistance of a facilitator from
Association Laboratories, a Chicago firm, those assembled at the retreat
began a process that came to be known as the Mission, Membership and
Governance Initiative (MMGI). The retreat produced 11 strategies that were
further refined by the IAAM Board of Directors at their meeting in December.
Two committees were appointed at that Board meeting to work on certain
specific strategies: the Mission/ Vision Committee, headed by Richard
Andersen, and the Transition Steering Committee, consisting of yours truly,
along with the district vice presidents.
On March 26, the Board of Directors, acting in part on the recommendations
of these two committees, approved 11 strategies, one of which was the new
mission statement. These strategies have been presented and discussed at all
of the district and specialty meetings that have occurred since December. To
read all 11 strategies, go to www.iaam.org/mmgi.
All 11 strategies draw from four basic IAAM functions identified at the
retreat and ratified by the Board. Those basic functions are as follows:
Research. If we are to live up to our often-stated goal of being “the
acknowledged leader in the public assembly industry,” it is absolutely vital
that we engage in research that will enable us to provide meaningful data,
educational programs and best practices for our members. To that end, the
IAAM is initiating new research efforts that will provide critical bench-
marking data to managers in each of our four recognized venue specialties:
convention/exhibition centers, theaters/performing arts centers, arenas and
stadiums. This is something you will hear much more about in the coming
year.
Education. Over the past two decades, the IAAM has excelled in developing
excellent educational offerings for the public assembly industry, including
the Public Assembly Facility Management School, Senior Executive Symposium,
The Academy for Venue Safety & Security, The European Academy for Venue
Management, The International Crowd Management Conference, and the Venue
Management Association Congress and Showcase. Our new challenge is to use
state-of- the-art technology to deliver these exceptional programs around
the world through online webinars and other distance learning techniques.
Advocacy. The IAAM has a seat on the board of the National Fire Safety
Protection Association. IAAM members literally wrote the procedures that
were adopted by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and the
American Red Cross for establishing and operating mass care shelters. The
IAAM filed what is known as an amicus brief in support of the NFL and the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers with regard to a court challenge of security measures
used at NFL games. (We won!) In a world of opportunity and danger, IAAM must
be an advocate for the safety, security and well-being of the millions of
people who patronize our facilities worldwide.
Commerce. Just a few years ago I listened as a leader in our industry warned
of the impact that $2 per gallon gasoline would have on the touring
attraction industry. (I paid $3.37 a gallon yesterday, and they say that
prices may reach $4 per gallon by the time you read this.) Will we see a
day, sooner rather than later, when facilities and event planners are forced
to trade carbon credits in order to hold a major event? The Green Revolution
is upon us, and it is incumbent on us as a trade association to provide our
members with meaningful guidance and support in an industry faced constantly
with new financial challenges. Today it is the worldwide greening of
facilities. Tomorrow there will be another new issue. IAAM must be prepared
to support its members and industry partners in the ongoing commerce of the
public assembly industry.
In the coming weeks and months, you may be invited to participate in IAAM’s
efforts in these four critical areas. When that opportunity comes, I hope
you will accept the challenge to serve.
To close on a personal note, I want to thank all of you who have made my
year as IAAM president a year that I will always treasure. It has been an
honor to serve as your president. I started my year quoting an African
saying: “If you would go fast, go alone. If you would go far, go together.”
I am gratified by how far we have come in one year of exploring and refining
our mission, membership and governance. And I am amazed at how fast the year
went by.
God bless you all.
Steven L. Peters, CFE IAAM President
Steven L. Peters, CFE
IAAM President
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