My argument for membership in the EDPAby Michael McMahon, President & CEO, Hill & Partners, Inc. EDPA Executive Committee Member
Michael McMahon
President & CEO, Hill & Partners, Inc. EDPA Executive Committee Member
The Experiential Designers and Producers Association serves hundreds of professional organizations that compete and or collaborate within the rapidly expanding face-to-face marketing universe. As an executive committee member with the organization I’m certainly partial, however, I’m also witness to the countless benefits that come with membership.
We have all sacrificed time with our families and loved ones simply to meet the demands of a 24/7 industry that knows no sleep. It seems impossible to find discretionary time to invest in new learning, or engage with others outside our small existing client and supplier relationships. I used to use plane travel to make a dent in my stack of “things to read”, and now with WIFI at 30,000 feet, the workday continues as if I were sitting at my desk.
Our counterparts, Exhibit & Event Managers, often have more in common with us than they do with their own colleagues. We all share that head down, on time, on budget tenacity that is necessary to survive in this business from project to project. Grinding out high performing solutions anywhere on the planet, under challenging timeframes, can keep us in a bubble. There is less and less time for open thought, positive influence and the adoption of new ways and new technologies, while under pressure to keep things afloat.
This is precisely where membership in the EDPA makes a difference. As a member, you are provided with opportunities to engage with your peers, a process that collectively raises the quality of output for all involved. The EDPA is growing and changing with new member companies, suppliers, creative folks, finance people, sister organizations and even affiliated universities who will usher in our future work force. There are committee groups participating in federal, state and local government initiatives in ways to promote “better” best practices, and more favorable rules of engagement for our industry and our customers.
A quick list of benefits facing professionals who embark on EDPA Membership
I have experienced all the benefits that come from an ongoing peer conversation, overshadowing anything I might have accomplished if left on my own.
I personally invite you to be part of our EDPA, and experience the connection and completion that comes from being a member, not as a secret known only to a few but, actively contributing to this industry that generates more than $100 billion within the U.S. economy alone.
Join us!