Close to 150 association planners from 32 countries gathered in Fukuoka, Japan, this past month for ICCA’s Association Meetings Program (AMP). On the agenda: dragon slaying.
Designed for international association executives and ICCA members, the program, which is capped at 150 attendees, explores common planner touchpoints such as meeting design and problem solving, while also offering professional development and networking opportunities in a custom-designed environment.
The overarching goals of ICCA is relationship-building, said CEO Martin Sirk, whether that means learning how to collaborate with and understand the business objectives of suppliers and clients in business models that are ever changing or avoiding the pitfalls of standardized services.
“AMP aims to bridge this gap: to build mutual understanding of objectives and business cultures; to identify practical new ways to work together; to generate ideas for improving the effectiveness and value of the meetings themselves.”
This year’s meeting included a “Slay Your Meetings Dragon” gamification component with workshops led by faculty “Masters.” Attendees were encouraged to identify their meetings dragon ahead of the meeting, the dragon being an individual industry challenge. The Masters, who ranged from “conference ninja” to “sorceress of event design” to “dragon trainer,” offered the best fighting techniques for slaying the beast while also increasing ROI.
Next year’s Association Meetings Program will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 9 through the 11th. ICCA’s AMP rotates between Europe and other destinations throughout the world.
