By Adriaan Liebetrau
With 2015 fast approaching, Adriaan Liebetrau takes stock of the year that’s been and what SAACI has in store for us.
Since my appointment as CEO of SAACI almost six months ago, so much has happened in our association and in our industry at large that it is hard to believe the end of 2014 is around the corner.
Are we really in the home stretch? It can’t be – it seems like only yesterday that we announced particulars of SAACI’s five-year strategic plan. Yet we have made considerable progress in implementing it.
MEMBER COMMUNICATION
We have stepped up member communication and we have taken a long, hard look at member benefits, fully realising that times continue to be tough and that members of associations like ours need real return on investment.
We have restructured our national board and our branch committees to create a more conducive environment for implementing the business plan and the ‘champions’ of the eight strategic pillars have been hard at work.
A whole lot of progress has been made in the formation of the Council of Event Professionals, which will create a recognised certification for members of the business events industry.
THE FUTURE
Plans to expand the number of SAACI branches are afoot, with our first sub-branch being formed in Tshwane, where we have more than 120 members. In the next couple of years, we will also have branches in neighbouring countries.
We are working closely with the SA National Convention Bureau on various fronts, but most importantly, we will soon, and finally, have accurate statistics about our industry, on which to base marketing and other decisions.
We ‘beat to a different drum’ at our annual congress in St Lucia and now the challenge is to maintain that momentum. I believe we are using our resources well. The establishment of Association Hub in Rosebank, at our head office, was an important stepping stone and in many ways we are moving with the times.
Let’s focus on what is left of 2014 and gear up for 2015, when we plan to take SAACI to new heights.
