Why aren’t there more here?

Last week, just over 100 delegates assembled for IACCM’s Australia conference, hosted by National Australia Bank in Melbourne. The most common question I had from participants was “This is so valuable – why aren’t more people here?”

In the early years of IACCM, I used to worry about the volume of people attending events. But after visiting a number of other professional association conferences, I realized that it isn’t numbers that count: it is the quality of who is there and what the event achieves.

Some conventions are very much about reinforcing the current role and skills of their community. It seems to me that delegates attend primarily to be reassured of their value and relevance, even if it isn’t true. They are comforted by being told that their job is essential and it is only a matter of time before they are recognized as key contributors to their business.

IACCM has always been about leadership and change. It tackles the challenges of the volatile economic conditions that truly are making contract and commercial management critical competencies. In addressing those issues, it confronts its members with the need for leadership and it equips them with the facts and the data they need to drive executive action and support.

As a result, IACCM events appeal to those who aspire to be leaders and change agents. And that is not a role for the majority, who prefer a more comfortable life and to be reassured that they do not need to do anything, the future will come to them. However, with more than 2,500 participants attending IACCM conferences and workshops this year, that groundswell of leadership and change has become quite significant.

‘