High ambitions for fostering talent at the RAI
AIPC CEO SVEN BOSSU LOOKS TO AMSTERDAM TO SEE HOW SOME AIPC FUTURE TALENT IS SHAPING
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AI Amsterdam , a longstanding member of AIPC , the International Association of Convention Centres , is the exclusive sponsor of the 2022-2023 edition of Future Shapers , the AIPC talent programme . The RAI is a role model when it comes to attracting and fostering talents , both by promoting a career in the event industry at high-schools and universities and by offering a wide range of professional trainings to its staff .
COO at the RAI , Maurits van der Sluis , recently explained that the management of his organisation firmly believes in investing in talent . In that sense , supporting the AIPC talent programme was a logical step .
Recognising that there is a war for talent at the moment , the RAI applies a “ bring the outside in ” policy , actively scouting for talent at high-schools and universities . To that purpose , partnerships have been set up with institutions such as Hotelschool The Hague , HL Stenden , BUAS , Windesheim and ROCvA in order to highlight the importance of the events industry , to collaborate on projects and to attract young professionals .
Attracting talent is one thing , retaining and growing these talents a completely different one . Van der Sluis insists there is no ‘ one size fits all ’, as needs and expectations from individuals can be profoundly different . Therefore , the HR department of the RAI has developed a range of programmes , from the more ‘ classic ’ internal training , to tailor-made programmes for high-potentials . Such partnerships bring great value as they provide the
RAI with ‘ insider ’ insights on the type of education offered and the value it can bring .
As a result of these efforts , the RAI is very successful in attracting and retaining talent .
Coming back to AIPC ’ s Future Shapers , van der Sluis said he was impressed by both the quality of the lectures and the level of ambition when it comes to addressing event industry challenges . “ The presentations given by the Future Shapers at the AIPC Annual Conference in Budapest ( last July ) were extremely professional and relevant – for a moment I thought these were existing companies pitching their products . Instead , these were two teams consisting of convention centre talents , who met face-to-face for the first time two days before their performance .”
As part of the Future Shapers programme , the participants are asked to come up with an idea which could
Above : Maurits van der Sluis
“ The presentations given by the Future Shapers at the AIPC Annual Conference were extremely professional and relevant – for a moment I thought these were existing companies pitching their products .”
( re- ) shape the future of convention centres . Not only do they need to explain the concept they have in mind , they also need to articulate the value it will bring and do an impact estimate in terms of time and budget . The entire Future Shapers Task Force – which coordinates and supports the programme – was surprised ( amazed might be a better word ) by the quality and level of innovation of the ideas put forward for this year ’ s edition .
While the ideas touched upon very different areas – from sustainability to catering and technology – they all had one common denominator : to drastically improve the value offered to customers by convention centres . It clearly demonstrates what this industry is really about : providing the best possible experience .
Unfortunately , only two ideas could make it to the next stage , which is about transforming the concept into a business proposal to be presented by these talents at the 2023 AIPC Annual Conference in Luxembourg . We will not disclose the winners yet , but you might want to know that both concepts of the previous edition have been / are being transformed into real products , so watch this space !
ISSUE 123 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 11