Ask anyone working in this industry what skills are essential for producing successful events, and chances are efficiency will feature somewhere close to - if not at - the top of their list. Hardly surprising, considering we work in an environment conditioned to waste as few resources as possible, especially in the current economic climate. So why is it that the very same industry feels the need to have at least 19 different associations representing it?
You certainly need an efficient mind to remember them all, not to mention what they do, for it's a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms. For starters there's the Event Industry Alliance, aka the EIA, which acts as the combined secretariat for the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), Association of Event Venues (AEV) and Event Suppliers and Services Association (ESSA). Then there's the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA), the Hire Association Europe (HAE) and the new Event Hire Association (EHA).
Slightly easier to remember are ACE - the Associations for Conferences and Events - and Eventia, which was formed in 2006 following the merger of the Corporate Events Association (CEA) and the Incentive Travel and Meetings Association (ITMA). And let's not forget the International Special Events Society UK (ISES UK), The Event Services Association (TESA), the Marketing Communications Consultants Association (MCCA), Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Field Marketing Council (FMC). Oh, and it doesn't end there - we also have several other international associations, each claiming to serve the UK's event industry.
According to Jim Winship, director of TESA, this somewhat extensive list is a result of the diverse nature of the business. "The number of trade bodies currently operating in the event industry largely reflects the diversity of the sector and the huge variety of skills it requires," he says, a viewpoint that is fervently backed by the majority of his fellow association representatives. "There is no simple format to events - an exhibition is quite different to a concert or public firework display - and the same applies to the skill bases needed to put on these events," he adds.
Granted, the industry is an infinitely wide and varied one, but for some members these explanations still don't justify why there needs to be more than 19 different associations. "We are one industry and we need to be talking as one," declares Sledge sales and marketing director Ian Irving. "There are too many different associations serving this sector. I personally would welcome an association that served the whole industry well."
In the same way that if there were 19 different event managers working on one event, having 19 different associations representing the one industry means that there is often a lot of crossover and, inevitably, plenty of confusion. "It is a complete waste of resources and actually the industry suffers as a result when associations duplicate services," says MCCA managing director Scott Knox.
"There are always a few associations that become surplus to requirements when they are too similar to others," says Will Broome, president of the UK chapter of ISES. "These tend to be engulfed by existing associations - if they are any good - or expire if they are not good enough to warrant a place at the table."
To give them their due, a number of organisations are already taking steps to come together, or at least make themselves more accessible to members. In July, Event reported on the merger between the British Association of Conference Destinations (BACD) and Eventia, which will be completed in January 2009, while the MCCA has recently partnered with The Marketing Society and the Incorporated Society of British Adverstisers (ISBA) to ensure they offer the most relevant services.
"There shouldn't be so many associations," admits Eventia executive director Izania Downie. "There is a lot of duplication and too much inefficiency." For the past few months Downie and her team have been holding conversations with Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and ISES UK to discuss how they can work towards pooling their resources, so that they can offer more benefits to the industry as a whole. "The only thing holding us back is the unwillingness of other parties to participate," says Downie. "There are a lot of egos out there and they are not willing to lose their power and control. If it wasn't for these people we would have made the changes years ago."
According to ESSA director Chris Skeith, this sharing of resources is also part of the reason the EIA operates as a combined secretariat for the AEO, AEV and ESSA. "It gives us a united brand to speak to the outside world and break through the perception of a fragmented industry, while still allowing the different sectors within the market to work directly within their own communities," he explains.
"While each association focuses on the needs of its particular members, shared functions such as marketing, event organisation, accounts, research and general administration enable us all to save money and provide a better quality service than we could individually."
ACE membership development manager John Thompson agrees that forging closer links and partnerships with other associations is essential. "This integrates our members into the ever-changing needs of the industry but still retains the ACE identity," he says.
However, Irving's ideal of one central body doesn't hold much credence among association officials. "A one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to cater to every agency and supplier within any sector," says Knox.
NOEA general secretary John Barton is totally against the idea. "I have many years' experience in various industries and in some cases this has been tried out, only for people to realise years later what a waste of time it was," he says. "Why? Because of the self-interest of groups of people and companies who will not agree to compromise unless it's on their terms."
Whatever the future holds for associations - either one central body or a string of strategic partnerships - something must done to create a clear and more united representation of the event industry, both to its members and the outside world. The challenge, however, is in making sure each sector's interests are represented, otherwise there is a risk of diluting their significance altogether.
"If one association attempts to be all things to everyone, the sum total would be a dilution of relevance to all members," says Skeith.