AWC
December 2018
13
Associations
World Congress
he Association of Association
Executives (AAE), organisers
of the Associations World
Congress, says it is shaking
things up a bit by creating a fresh structure
and new formats to allow delegates to
attend whatever mix of content, level and
type of content that suits them – rather
than a streamed approach.
The congress theme of Knowledge
and Enlightenment includes a series of
plenaries as well as 10 segments progressing
over three days, which include between 7
and 15 individual sessions in parallel; such
as technology implementation, changing
demands of leadership, creativity as a skill,
events strategy, education development,
member engagement.
And, if keeping a record of your
education is important to you, AAE is
now issuing Certificates of Education in
Association Management and Leadership
for the hours of attendance at core sessions.
The next Associations World Congress
takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden 7–9
April 2019. More information: www.
associationsworldcongress.com
arlier this year, the Association
of Association Executives (AAE)
ran a one-day ‘Events Strategy
Forum’ in London, specifically for
senior event strategists.
Head of Events at the World Association
of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and of the
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining,
were among those present and Damian
Hutt, Executive Director of AAE, says the
forum has prompted him to adapt the concept
to create a new ‘Association Events Strategy
Forum’ for senior event strategists at his
Associations World Congress in Gothenburg
next April.
The Association Events Strategy Forum will
be ‘by invitation and application only’, says
Hutt, who explains the content is designed
“to be high-level, challenging, surprising and
innovative, with increased time for delegates
to discuss, deliberate and create together with
their peers – all highly specific to associations”.
Hutt will personally invite the delegates for
a Forum he says will be “a main feature of the
Association World Congress series.”
The Forum will run over the two-days of
the three-day congress.
nother event organised by the
Association of Association
Executives (AAE) saw more
than 140 delegates including
102 executives representing associations
from Pan-African, regional and national
African associations, as well as international
delegates from Europe and USA, attend the
Africa Associations Congress in Pretoria,
South Africa at the end of October.
Delegates heard from leading association
speakers in Africa, including Professor
Solomon Rataemane, Secretary General
of the World Association of Psychosocial
Rehabilitation.
There was a keynote from local
motivational speaker Charlotte Kemp –
Futures Alchemist - who talked about
Re-inventing the Association.
Association success story case studies
were also shared.
“I certainly learnt lessons that I will
be applying in my own association,” said
Rianné Potgieter, Chief Executive Officer
at the Compliance Institute Southern
Africa.
Damian Hutt added he was pleased
with the outcome of the inaugural Africa
Associations Congress. “This is the first of
a permanent Africa Associations Congress
series and other events. We are very excited
about the programme ahead.”