A New Initiative for Member Recognition

Why are we initiating this award?

While AIPC’s Apex Award for “World’s Best Congress Centre” has become an industry standard and a highly contested event, there are many other dimensions to the overall management equation that are also deserving of attention. At a time of intense competition amongst centres all over the world, the concept of management innovation, or the creation of new approaches to management issues and opportunities, is one of these.

There are three reasons why we are proposing the Innovation Award at this time:

1. It will create the opportunity for recognition in a key area of centre management, namely the development of management and program innovations;

2. It will open up participation to a broader spectrum of AIPC members, some of whom have been unable to qualify for the AIPC Apex Award due to the nature of their business, and

3. It will allow us to move the AIPC Apex Award to alternate years, relieving the pressure that many members have been reporting from clients who are increasingly unwilling to complete evaluation forms every year.

What will it be?

The AIPC Innovation Award will reflect AIPC’s mission of “Encouraging and recognizing excellence in congress centre management”. It will be made for specific projects or initiatives that represent “innovation” in the true sense of the word; that is, the development of a new, more creative or more effective approach to any aspect of congress centre management, operations or marketing. The emphasis in judging will be on how effectively the initiative addresses its stated objectives, which may be to improve efficiency, increase marketability, effect cost savings, achieve environmental goals or improve market position.

Three such initiatives will be recognized each year from submissions made by AIPC member centres. The call for submissions will set out the appropriate format and documentation required to participate.

Who is eligible?

All AIPC members in good standing are eligible to compete in the Innovation Award. There will be no limitations on the type of operations and / or market served in determining eligibility.

How will submissions be evaluated?

As with the AIPC Apex Award, evaluation of submissions will be carried out in a way that recognizes the importance of client opinions as well as those of peers and business academics. A panel will be assembled under the auspices of AIPC President Barbara Maple to review submissions and make recommendations for the award, which will be made at the AIPC Annual Conference in alternate years to the AIPC Apex Award.

The emphasis in judging applicants for the AIPC Innovation Award will be on how effectively the innovation addresses its stated objectives, which may be to improve efficiency, increase marketability, effect cost savings, achieve environmental goals or improve market position. The evaluation criteria that will guide the panel of judges are outlined under the Innovation Award Evaluation Criteria section.

When will this happen?

The inaugural AIPC Innovation Award will be initiated in 2007 for presentation at the 2007 Annual Conference in Graz, Austria. Instructions for submissions, including a description of evaluation criteria and submission requirements, will be available on line February 15, 2007 with a deadline for submission on April 30, 2007. All submissions will be reviewed by the selection panel and recommendations brought forward prior to the Annual Conference. A short list of finalists will be communicated in advance of the Annual Conference to enable participants to prepare for presentations at the conference (see below).

A new opportunity for recognition!

The winners of the AIPC Innovation award will be accorded the same level of recognition now given to AIPC Apex Award winners. Publicity will be achieved through trade media, member communications and industry presentations; at the same time, winners will be given the opportunity to profile their winning innovation as a case study to be presented as part of the Annual Conference program.