ABPCO Column
June 2019
5
We’re in this together
Collaboration is not a buzzword, it’s the key to moving the association sector
forward, says ABPCO association director Heather Lishman
ollaboration sits at the heart
of all effective business
relationships.
It is something that is certainly
true in events, where so many different
stakeholders are involved. Client, agency,
venue, destination, registration, catering,
security, transport…the list goes on. It is
vital to communicate effectively, and work
together in a way that ensures the best
possible outcome for all.
In many ways, association events are even
more reliant on collaboration: attendees
come from so many different organisations,
and there is usually a board making decisions
rather than one individual.
ABPCO is no different, which is why
collaboration sits so well alongside all
three of our pillars – belonging, learning
and excellence. All three are improved by
collaboration, and improve our ability to
collaborate – perhaps it is why we as an
association have been so successful over the
last few years, and grown our membership so
significantly.
Our major events, such as the AGM and
Excellence Awards, require collaboration
between a host of different individuals, but
so too do our smaller education events such
as our most recent visit to Leeds. Here, we
brought together 30 people for an in-depth
look at the memory economy, and what
event organisers need to consider if they are
going to ensure their event has a significant
legacy.
The event explored a number of different
ways we can expose delegates to content,
event themes and event design in compelling
and creative ways, to ensure key messages
stand the test of time. It was a fascinating
wake-up call for many, who gained a greater
appreciation of the way the memory works
“Association
events are even
more reliant on
collaboration
than others -
attendees come
from a variety
of different
organisations.”
and how events can be adjusted to maximise
return on investment.
Collective memory
The key to our ability to remember an event
and its content is shared experiences. When
we work positively together, we are more
likely to remember both the process and the
outcomes compared to working in isolation.
Led by Emma Wood, professor of events
experience and marketing at the Leeds
Beckett University School of Events,
Tourism & Hospitality Management,
the event investigated how we can ensure
memories have integrity through positive
reinforcement. In particular, when a group of
people come together, collaborate and share
something that is life or world-changing,
there is a significantly greater chance that
the details will be remembered in a positive
light.
The event also demonstrated ABPCO’s
own ability to collaborate. It brought
together a speaker and an audience within
partner venue Well Met, as well as our
University members, students such as
Serena Ferrari (who delivered one of the
sessions) and our members.
This collaboration is vital to ABPCO, as
the Universities are such powerful sources
of content and information. However, it is
information and knowledge that is often
untried and untested. Through partnerships
and discussion, our commercial members
can take those theoretical concepts and test
them in the real world. This provides yet
another successful working partnership, and
long term opportunity for collaboration.
Collaboration is considered by many
to be a buzzword, used too often and for
the wrong reasons. Here at ABPCO we
disagree, and go so far as to say it is not used
enough. The more we collaborate, the more
we can achieve in the long term.