AIPC, the global association of convention centres, is launching a staff exchange programme between its members. The association says the idea is to offer an additional professional growth path to upcoming talent.
The programme will be based on the best practices put in place by two AIPC members leading the way, the SwissTech Convention Center(Lausanne, Switzerland) and the Calgary Stampede Convention Center (Canada).
Attracting, nurturing and retaining talent remains a challenge for the global event industry, including convention centres, so the association asked its AIPC talent programme – Future Shapers – for solutions. One of the solutions presented during the 2023 Annual Conference by Sathyan Chandrasekhar (ICC Sydney) was a staff exchange programme between member organisations. Inspired by the concepts, Maria Watts (Calgary Stampede) and Myriam Loulid (SwissTech Convention Center) started working on the translation from PowerPoint to Practice.
The association summarises the advantages for the participating members as follows:
- Acquisition of new skills: Acquire new knowledge by working in a different environment. Learn new work methods, discover new technologies or approaches.
- Business exchange: Working as partners to exchange business. Specifically international congresses that rotate between continents. Expand professional network.
- Exploration of new cultures and perspectives: By working in a different environment, participants can explore a new culture and gain new perspectives.
In order to make these advantages as tangible as possible, a SMART set of objectives and deliverables was defined and embedded in the programme, which runs for six weeks.
“We believe that the exchange of staff between our organisations will be extremely beneficial, both to the staff members involved and our respective organisations. It offers an unparalleled learning opportunity, leveraging the unique network AIPC offers,” Julianne Jammers, managing director of the SwissTech Convention Center.
“The best way of learning is still from each other. Creating bridges between venues worldwide via staff exchange programmes will allow participants to grow as a global community of convention centres and to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences to the talent involved,” echoed Greg Newton, general manager at the Calgary Stampede.
AIPC will now build upon the pioneering work done by these two venues to function as a ‘matchmaking’ platform for convention centres worldwide.
