THU JUN 2, 2005
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INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF CONFERENCES & CONVENTIONS NORTH AMERICA
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Membership Benefits |
About IACC |
Benefits of Active Membership
Marketing Services:
IACC has an active promotional program for member centers. To view, go to Marketing Services.
Publications:
In addition to an active referral system, IACC publishes a Global Membership Directory which is distributed to 12,000 qualified conference planners annually. IACC's newsletter, CenterLines, also keeps members and meeting professionals informed on the latest trends, products and services in the industry.
Professional Education:
IACC is the single resource for continuing education and training for conference center professionals. In addition to the highly acclaimed educational component of the Annual Conference, IACC-North America throughout the year offers workshops specifically geared to the development, operation and marketing of conference centers. Certificate programs in conference planning and services, and in conference sales are now in the planning stages with expected implementation in two years.
Networking:
Educational forums provide excellent opportunities to make contacts and develop relationships with professionals from every segment of the conference center industry around the world. The establishment of IACC-Australia and IACC-Europe carries the bona fide conference center concept into every corner of the globe and provides members the opportunity to extend their
professional network onto different continents.
In particular, the Annual Conferences or Annual General Meetings of the chapters (Australia, Europe, and North America) provide some of the best ways to meet fellow decision-makers, discuss timely operational issues and learn about new products and services available within the industry. IACC members are far more collaborative than competitive and are willing to freely exchange non-proprietary information. Members work together on a variety of active committees to further the growth of the association and the industry.
All the information in the IACC Global Directory and more is available at the touch of a computer button.
Internet Services
A major benefit to every member is a complimentary home page on the IACC World Wide Web site, and its enhancement with up to four photos and a logo. The IACC Internet site provides every member with an individual web address that can take planners directly to the member's home page. This address then becomes a marketing tool for the member to use in collateral or for direct customer contact. For heightened visibility, expanded listings with multiple pages and hyperlinks to previously existing web sites can be purchased through IACC.
The IACC web site also provides planners a searchable database where they can enter criteria for a potential conference and quickly locate IACC-member facilities which satisfy those criteria. Then, planners can complete a Request for Proposal (RFP) on line and e-mail it to any facility they might choose to contact. In this way, not only is all the information in the IACC Global Membership Directory available at the touch of a computer button, but customers can make nearly instantaneous inquiries to any member facility equipped for e-mail.
Members who would enjoy prompt feedback from other professionals in the industry without leaving their desks may subscribe at no charge to the IACC Discussion List. This is an automated electronic mailing list for conference center and meeting industry professionals. Discussions focus on industry trends, creative trouble shooting and other current issues.
Active Membership
Since IACC is a facilities-based association, it is primarily defined by its active members. They are commercial conference centers, corporate training centers, and college and university conference centers, all of which satisfy the association's universal criteria for membership.
Generally, one person at a facility acts as the principal contact with IACC, but anyone employed by a member facility can take advantage of membership benefits.
Benefits of Allied Membership
"IACC membership has repeatedly opened doors for BEC to serve organizations that would be difficult to reach in any other way. I highly recommend it for any company that wants to develop new or more business in the specialized conference center industry."
Scott McMinn,
Vice President, Benchmark Equipment Company
"The MarketPlace exhibit during the Annual Conference has translated into thousands of dollars for our company and many happy long-term relationships. We are a proud Allied member of IACC."
Margaret H. Leitch,
VP, Miracle Sales & Catering/National Guest Systems
Introducing IACC
The idea of the conference center has taken hold in the hospitality industry --so much so that hundreds of hotels and resorts have appended the words "conference center" to their names. Within this mass of "wannabes," slightly more than 300 facilities meet the stringent Universal Criteria of the Independent Association of Conferences & Conventions (IACC), a not-for-profit organization established to serve and promote this growing segment of the industry.
Formed in 1981 with just a handful of active members, IACC has grown to include conference centers around the globe. Today, the vitality of members in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America underscores IACC's exceptional reputation and trumpets the IACC brand of the conference center concept worldwide.
Conference centers occupy a unique niche in the training, education, hospitality and travel industries. They exist for just one purpose: to provide the most productive environment for smaller meetings and they require a host of specialized products and services in order to achieve their mission. Moreover, they are constantly upgrading and improving their facilities and services in order to be competitive and to remain on the cutting edge.
Allied Membership
Those individuals and organizations which provide goods or services to the conference center industry have proven essential partners in its growth. So, IACC developed the category of Allied Membership to include these industry partners in the benefits of the organization. IACC's Allied Members:
- Develop new business by tapping the substantial purchasing power of IACC members.
- Gain valuable exposure for products or services through networking opportunities, Annual Conferences, CenterLines, and IACC's Internet site on the World Wide Web.
- Get a jump on the needs of IACC members for specific products and services through the “Construction, Renovation and Expansion Report,” available exclusively to Allied members.
- Reach conference centers around the world through a complimentary listing in the IACC Global Membership Directory and advertisements in IACC publications.
- Display goods and services to hundreds of primary decision makers in the conference center industry through the Market Place segment of IACC-North America's Annual Conference.
- Secure the support of IACC members through commitment to the vitality of the conference center industry.
Who should join?
All Suppliers of Goods & Services to Conference Centers.
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