Michael McMahon
President/CEO, Hill & Partners and EDPA Future Workforce Chair
The EDPA and its members are in full swing with another highly active fall Tradeshow and Event Season. Of course, as if that demand isn’t enough, we continue to engage in activities centered on our Future Workforce initiative.
EDPA’s Future Workforce Committee has spent most of 2023 executing grassroot efforts to engage new audiences, while we continue to gain greater insight and understanding around all things Future Workforce. Statistics continue to support the significant challenges that all industries will face going forward when seeking to repopulate their ranks. Course correction for our industry and its many privately owned small businesses, has been challenging as we compete with national and global workforce shortages. Here are just a few of the challenges that all businesses face.
Demographic Shifts – retiring baby boomers.
Industry Growth – healthcare and Tech strain the talent pool.
Skills Mismatch – tomorrows workforce will have unique skill demand.
Labor and Trades – two people are joining trade ranks for every five retiring.
Evolving Workplace Expectations – remote hours and flexibility expectations
If you are reading this blog, you are probably a member of one of the largest industries that most have never heard of, which is something the EDPA has been working to change for quite some time.
The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), supported by the EDPA, has been working for years alongside industry associations to bring our industry opportunity message to our elected officials.
In recent years, EDPA has invited a larger sample of member disciplines, with a focus on Design and Future Leaders to highlight, expand and enhance activity for our young professionals
Future Workforce has emerged as a refocused effort beyond Workforce Development activities of the past with the intention to meet the more comprehensive workforce challenge that we will all face going forward.
The Future Workforce Committee and its focused subcommittee structure has successfully added a new and complimentary dimension to EDPA. Our member companies deserve ongoing information, resources, and support when it comes to attracting new talent to our face-to-face industry. More importantly, these people centered entities require a unique breed of engagement professionals across a variety of disciplines.
2023 has provided the Future Workforce initiative with insights through action, as we have taken steps to engage members, inspire volunteers and reach outside of our industry to advocate and learn.
EDPA member survey and follow up calls to member companies already individually engaged in workforce efforts
Job fair visits
School counselors zoom exchanges
In-person job fairs
American School Councilors Association (ASCA) exhibit featuring a 20x20 exhibit
Skills USA engagement and annual meeting discovery visit
Exploration of universities with event planning programs to expand our university affiliations
Future Workforce content creation
Banner stands & engagement materials
Development of a partnership playbook
Advocacy materials
Occupational materials and industry member spotlights
Occupational compensation range materials
“My favorite committee success this year came through talking with 22 member companies who’ve been in the trenches building relationships with students and faculty for years. From there, identifying the key factors for successful relationships between EDPA and educational institutions, and turning that information into a tool for EDPA members.” Katina Rigall Zipay, Chair Academic Partnership Development
As we assume that tomorrow’s workforce will continue to rely on research, data, and firsthand experience to consider opportunities for work and career, the EDPA will be engaged in an ongoing and long-term initiative to compete for talent today, tomorrow, and well into the future.
This Future Workforce initiative will continue to require a higher level of engagement by business owners and industry leaders within our industry to expand our reach as we refine our ability to tell our story.
“Sharing your time and knowledge is what our association is all about. Thankfully, we have a great group of volunteers helping create assets for efforts. However, our committee is looking for additional skill sets to help in Future Workforce content creation, top of the list being currently video production/editing skills”. Gina Porcaro Chair Content Creation & Management
We are looking for our membership to collectively go on record with a “Count Me In” attitude toward this challenge. The EDPA is inviting member companies to consider new ways to engage, communicate and ultimately train their Future Workforce, and we need your people and your financial support as we address this challenge together.
"I believe one of biggest successes was ASCA. We were able to bring together over 14 different EDPA companies to unite as one to tell our story and debut us to an entire population of professionals that had no idea we existed. We were also able to learn so much about what we don’t know when it comes to reaching the new workforce – their expectations, career paths and hopes and dreams – They know as little about us as we know about them and we aim to change that.” Matthew Little, Chair Future Workforce Professional Labor and Trades
What will be changing for all businesses going forward?
Continually Evolving Workforce Training Perspective - tools and processes, online learning, microlearning, personalization, gamification, VR, data-driven insights, just in time learning, soft skills emphasis, collaborative learning within a continuous learning culture.
More Deliberate Local and National Advocacy Efforts - Communicating our industry opportunity to those outside our association and industry will be the key to repopulating our ranks, in conjunction with a targeted effort to engage with influencers, councilors, faculty and like-minded associations.
Additional Financial Resources - The EDPA will continue to enhance Future Workforce initiatives at the Chapter and National levels, while we also engage and learn from our international partners. Even as we continue to deliver significant volunteer efforts toward the initiative, a clear and established source of financial support will assure measurable results and a higher level of productive Future Workforce initiative activity.
As a leading Association in the face-to-face engagement space, we see no alternative to fully leaning into this comprehensive approach to our Future Workforce challenge. As valued members of this association, and the recipients of high praise among our peer organizations, we have a unique opportunity to lead in both dialogue and solution, with the support of our member companies and the industry ambassadors they employ.
We will leave you with just a few more reasons why this work is so very important, and why we are asking you to match our level of commitment with both financial support and your ongoing industry ambassadorship.
We are competing to turn the tides by:
1. Attracting Talent: New talent will overlook the exhibit industry if they're not aware opportunities it offers. They will opt for industries that are more well-known or perceived as more glamorous or exciting. Many similar industries are facing a workforce challenges. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reports that 80% of construction firms are having difficulty finding qualified workers, leading to labor shortages in the industry. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) estimates that by 2028, there could be 2.4 million unfilled manufacturing jobs in the United States due to the skills gap.
2. Retaining Talent: The exhibit industry often requires long hours and extensive travel. This can lead to burnout and make it difficult for employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The Work Institute's 2020 Retention Report found that voluntary turnover costs U.S. employers approximately $630 billion annually. Developing a pipeline of skilled and qualified talent is crucial for smooth transitions. The Gallup State of the Global Workplace report revealed that organizations with engaged employees outperform those without by 202% in terms of productivity.
3. Passing the Baton: Like many industries, ours is facing the challenge of an aging workforce. As older workers retire, there's a need to attract younger talent to fill these roles. The exhibit industry is no exception. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that by 2024, nearly a quarter of the workforce is projected to be aged 55 or over, which could lead to a significant number of retirements and a shortage of experienced workers.
4. Growing our Industry: Without a steady influx of new talent, our industry may struggle to grow and innovate. This could impact its competitiveness and long-term success. A larger pool of qualified employees can lead to more innovation and growth in the industry as a whole. This can create new opportunities and improve the overall health of the industry. A robust workforce can help the industry withstand economic downturns, changes in market demand, or other challenges. The more skilled workers there are, the more resilient the industry can be.
Join our EDPA Workforce efforts. Reach out and tell us to “Count Me In”. We need your people and your financial support as we address this challenge together.
