What makes your professional association work?

Over the last couple of days, I attended the Australian Institute of Packaging’s conference — and this association has obviously got it right. From the very charming retired blokes who had a great time keeping the wheels turning, to the session themes and topics through to the range of ages of delegates and the fact that they had to force people to actually leave the conference dinner, this conference was a success.

The fact that everyone there was united in being passionate about packaging gave the conference a great feel. Equally, the fact that they all got something out of the conference is a tribute to the organisers and the speakers they arranged. I loved that the speakers ranged from extremely articulate young women to industry veterans with a wealth of experience.

Having enjoyed the conference, on the plane back to Sydney last night I got to wondering what makes a good professional association.

There is an association for just about every profession you can think of. In the food and beverage industry the AIP, FTAA, AIFST, DAA, APPMA, SCLAA and ARBS immediately come to mind, but there are more. But what makes the association worthwhile?

I guess it has to offer something to its members — information, training, mentoring… It also has to stand up for its members in government policymaking. But it can’t simply rely on a few highly committed people — it needs its members to be involved, and that means you.

You can really tell if your professional association is thriving by looking the annual conference.

• Is there a range of ages present?
• Are the people smiling and greeting each other?
• What is the proportion of women?
• Are people sitting with their heads buried in technology or networking?
• Are all of the sessions well attended?
• Are long-serving members and newcomers recognised in the awards?

The AIP conference ticked all of the boxes, but for me the most noteworthy was the number of women of all ages who were there. And for the many women with whom I chatted, I really love the idea of a ‘Women in Packaging’ group... we just have to sort the location of our meeting — Dubrovnik, Mauritius, Reykjavik, Florence???

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