Following its recent meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) agreed to start a new phase of development after the completion of an initial three-year program designed to achieve consensus on key industry issues, develop agreed industry messages, align value measures and develop communications systems and materials.
The second phase focuses on implementing the results of the first phase in advancing industry awareness, refining value measurement and further improving interactions within the international industry community.
“For a very long time, JMIC was simply a medium for exchange amongst international meetings industry associations, but spurred on by a realization that we had a major job to do in increasing awareness of our issues and values we undertook to develop a more formal program of activities and see how we could work more effectively together,” said Philippe Fournier, president, JMIC. “This program, which included two industry-wide conferences on the important issues of value measurement and industry communications was completed at the end of last year and essentially achieved what it was intended to do. Now, we have used these experiences and achievements to assemble a next-phase development program that will take what we have accomplished and put it to work in advancing our profile and effectiveness into the future.”
The program will include new activities and is the result of a survey of JMIC member views and preferences. Key objectives for these activities include:
- Raising the profile of the industry and its values to wider community and government audiences through more intense communications activities
- Providing a mechanism for delivering a unified industry position where this is required to advance overall objectives
- Organizing and carrying out of conferences in areas of industry-wide importance
- Increasing awareness of JMIC’s roles and resources within the industry itself
- Consolidating industry information resources in areas of collective interest
- Encouraging greater incorporation of JMIC objectives and resources in members’ activities
It was agreed to maintain JMIC’s flexibility of action and to direct all available resources to programs rather than administration.
“It is clear that our first phase of development took us a long way toward the realization of being able to deliver a more consolidated approach to defining and promoting the industry and its values,” added Fournier. “However, we still have a long way to go, and we are mindful of the constraints we have as an organization trying to do a lot on a limited budget. We believe that the program now set out – particularly in terms of generating an overall perspective and set of resources that we then encourage members to utilize – is the best route to achieving both consistency and impact in addressing our objectives.”
Joint Meetings Industry Council was established in 1978 as a vehicle for creating a forum for the exchange of information and perspectives amongst international associations engaged in various aspects of the Meetings Industry. It is dedicated to building awareness of the meetings industry and the value it delivers in supporting global economic, professional and organizational development.
The active member associations that comprise JMIC are:
AACVB, the Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus
AIPC, the International Association of Convention Centres
ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives
DMAI, Destination Marketing Association International
ECM, European Cities Marketing
EFAPCO, the European Federation of Associations of Professional Congress Organisers
EVVC, European Association of Event Centres
IAPCO, the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers
ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association
IFES, the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services
MPI, Meeting Professionals International
PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association
Site, the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
JMIC is supported by the CIC (Convention Industry Council).
