Come together - the art of co-locating

Whether you’re thinking about co-locating or just collaborating on content, working with another association can be a rich and rewarding experience. But there are risks, too. James Lancaster reports…

They say variety is the spice of life and it would seem more international associations are discovering that working together can enhance the scope – and flavour - of their flagship meetings.

The multidisciplinary nature of modern science has something to do with this. Increasingly it no longer makes sense for associations to discuss their fields of expertise in intellectual silos.

Coming together allows both sets of members to explore the wider context of their subject and develop useful relationships with peers working in different or associated specialities.

It’s also an opportunity to boost delegate numbers, attract new members (many people belong to more than one association), and – provided you get your calculations right - reduce costs.

But co-locating is not something that should be taken lightly.

Candi Gunning, head of events at UK-based Kingston Smith Association Management, said it was not uncommon for associations, having agreed to work together, to overlook the gritty details.

“Associations get excited about the content, and what they can learn from each other, before they think about the logistics - and really the two have to happen at the same time,” she counsels.

“It’s very difficult when you’ve got two organisers working on the same thing, so you need to establish who’s doing what: who’s going to look after the delegates, who’s going to look after the speakers, who’s going to pay for this,  who’s going to pay for that. There has to be a financial agreement in place, that’s the crux of it. So long as that’s in place, then it can work.”

Carol McGury, executive VP of Event and Education Services at association management company SmithBucklin, said associations often made assumptions about co-locating that proved wrong.

“They find, once they get into the details, that the two organizations may not be aligned around similar cultures. Do they have the same operating models - is one for profit, one non-profit, for example? How do they actually execute their events? Who makes the final decisions? Without alignment on these issues much time will be wasted on indecision and misaligned priorities.”

Depending on how a joint congress is structured, Gunning warns, the notion you will automatically increase delegate numbers may prove to be a fallacy, too. You might just find numbers are down.

“You have to consider the crossover of delegates. Are you going to gain delegates or are you going to lose delegates? You might have one association that doesn’t charge their delegates for anything and another that charges for everything, and, if that’s the case, is the association that charges going to lose delegates to the free part of the joint conference where there is similar subject matter?”

Patrizia Buongiorno, vice president of congress organiser AIM Group International, sounds a similar note of caution about networking. “Usually when associations decide to co-locate they think that networking will increase. But, will networking really increase or will it actually decrease because participants lose that sense of intimacy and familiarity? Will participants feel confused?”

It’s tempting to think co-locating is bound to reduce costs. But what are the financial implications?

“It might seem like holding a joint congress is a great way to save money,” says Gunning, cautiously, “but it’s best to think of it as a great way to get a better programme together, and so long as you look at it carefully and put down some guidelines in the first place, then it should save some money.”

If handled correctly co-locating should be welcomed by sponsors and exhibitors, who will have the chance to showcase their wares in front of a bigger and more diverse group of delegates.

However nothing should be taken for granted.

Says McGury: “You have to ensure your exhibitors understand the co-location. It may appear that by bringing two congresses together with their attendees, you will increase exposure for your exhibitors – this is good – but what if it brings customers together that the exhibitors don’t value? Ensuring there is clarity for your exhibitors and time is spent segmenting the exhibition floor to make it easy both for congress attendees and exhibitors is another important aspect to consider.”

Much to think about, then. But the benefits of co-locating should not be underestimated either.

CASE STUDY

Animal magic

Whenever its annual congress meets in Europe, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) works with the Federation of European Companion Animals Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) to produce a joint congress.  It’s a relationship that has last almost two decades.

For WSAVA it is an obvious way to boost delegate numbers and avoid unnecessary competition with the pan-European federation. More than 70 per cent of attendees at this year’s WSAVA-FECAVA event, in Copenhagen, were from Europe. But it’s also a way for both associations to share knowledge and enable their members to network with a wider pool of colleagues.

When you have an audience that supports both associations, it only makes sense to join hands and offer the best experience possible to members, including top speakers, a knowledge-packed programme and ample networking opportunities for members of both associations.

Dr Anne Sorensen, president of the Local Host Committee & Danish Small Animal Veterinary Association, captured the essence of the joint WSAVA-FECAVA event, in her opening speech to congress, describing the meeting as an opportunity to ‘capture the best of both worlds’.

The two events of both associations also have a number of similarities. On average, both host about 3.000 delegates, have an annual rotation and they last on average about four days. The major difference is that FECAVA is a European association, thus it rotates within the continent, and WSAVA, as an international association rotates between continents too.

Jerzy Gawor, past president of FECAVA, and chair of the organising committee for the next joint Warsaw, Poland, in 2020, said:  “The synergy between the two associations and their different approaches to delivery seem to be the major advantages of such events, however the second part – that variety - also causes difficulties. All parties want to preserve their identity and sometimes it is necessary to seek compromises which is not the easiest part. The Danish example though shows that it is possible and the outcome can be wonderful.”