Conference & Meetings World Issue 101 — July / August | Page 41

AIPC media
Embracing the change
AIPC PRESIDENT ALOYSIUS ARLANDO DISCUSSES
CREATING UNITY FROM DISRUPTIVE CHANGE
isruption is taking place in
many industries. Whether
it’s the consolidation and
merger of hotel groups in
the hospitality sector; the economic
uncertainty of Brexit; the impact of the
Industry 4.0 revolution in
manufacturing; or regulatory changes
in the pharmaceutical industry,
disruptors are throwing spanners into
the works.
Organisations will have to embrace
this change, whether it’s in the context
of risk and compliance practices,
business models or operational
processes. The digital invasion in the
travel industry is one example; the way
consumers buy travel products and
services has radically changed the way
traditional agencies sell travel.
Manufacturers, too, have to adapt to
Industry 4.0 or be left behind in the
innovation curve.
How then should associations in the
various industries react to these
changes? Whether it’s a trade or
professional association, a philanthropic
organisation or an NGO, members want
to learn and benefit from their
community interactions. The
responsibility of providing direction and
clarity then falls upon the associations
to ensure their members’ needs are met.
Accordingly, their roles in this new
climate of change must adapt as well if
they are to answer the clarion call of
their respective industries and
members.
So, amidst this landscape of
disruptive shifts, how can advocacy
drive collaboration to influence the
outcomes desired by associations?
Action through advocacy
Is it a mindset shift that you want your
members to adopt in order to meet the
challenges of the future?
Through advocacy efforts, we can
cultivate and germinate an idea or ideal
that we want to perpetuate and the
support we want to garner from it. The
success of this effort depends on the
method of outreach and how the
message is amplified for effective
engagement.
Audiences now do not want to be
talked at or to be subjected to obvious
persuasion. They want to be
enlightened and to be spoken to in a
way that naturally resonates with their
ideals and belief systems. The message
must be aligned in a way that it bonds
them to their societies and communities
meaningfully.
Does the FOMO (fear of missing out)
approach work? And does it also work
with the sceptics and traditionalists who
think that the new era of disruptive
change is an unnecessary disruption?
Re-engage, excite and incite
Keeping members engaged can be a tall
order considering the diversity in
demographic profiles, especially with
the younger members, and this
requires a different engagement
strategy.
There is a need to leverage
technology platforms to ensure that
members interact via these online tools
and social media channels. Thereafter,
the messaging approach must be
considered.
The element of authenticity is
generated with good story telling,
“
Whether
it’s a trade
or professional
association, a
philanthropic
organisation or
an NGO, members
want to learn
and benefit from
their community
interactions.”
which makes it more believable and
easier to relate to on a personal level.
This desired effect is necessary in
engaging the new generations of young
professionals who have different ways
of thinking. The common mistake of
just highlighting product or service
benefits serve no lasting value.
It is also crucial that members
themselves generate content; nothing
works better than to have them as the
ambassadors to your cause by spinning
the wheels of agenda.
Encouraging online shareability
requires associations to have engaging
content on hand such as video clips,
photos, blog posts and other snippets.
By giving some thought to the
intricacies of member advocacy efforts
allows associations such as AIPC to
establish a closer connection that is more
relatable and makes it easier to address
industry best practices and trends that
navigate the sea of change.
ISSUE 101
/
Aloysius Arlando
is also Chief
Executive Officer of
SingEx Holdings,
which manages the
Singapore EXPO
Convention and
Exhibition Centre.
He is also the
President of the
Singapore
Association for
Convention and
Exhibition
Organisers and
Suppliers
(SACEOS).
AIPC represents a
global network of
over 185 leading
centres in 60
countries, visit:
www.aipc.org
CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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