As reported in March, we closed out our fiscal year by achieving all of our organizational
goals. Below is brief list of highlights, with comparisons where possible to the goal and
prior fiscal year numbers. Look for a more complete list in our Annual Report, which is in
development. (Please note: all numbers are preliminary until the audit, currently
underway, is completed.)
All of these good things happened thanks to a lot of teamwork. Our Chairman, Richard
Andersen, CFE, was instrumental in setting our goals and ensuring staff and volunteers
were supported in achieving them. John Bolton, CFE, 1st Vice Chair, set us on a solid path
at the beginning of the year by leading the VenueConnect program committee in its development of a highly successful event. The other members of the Executive Committee – Immediate Past Chair Randy Brown, CFE; 2nd Vice Chair Kim Bedier, CFE; Mark Mettes; and Paul Davis, CFE – worked in concert along with the Board of Directors to guide our strategy. And of course, we have an outstanding group of volunteer leaders serving in many capacities, whether on the Foundation board, a school board, a sector program committee, or a project committee or task force.
Last but not least, I extend my thanks to the staff here at IAVM. In collaboration with our members, they have worked hard this year and truly made a difference. I’m proud to be associated with them.
As we move forward into a new year, we can be excited about the increasing level of engagement from members as evidenced by the most recent Call for Volunteers: 86 members sent in requests for committee appointments this year, as opposed to 38 last year and 44 the year before. More people are raising their hands, volunteering to lead, and that bodes well for our future.
Year-End Highlights (Fiscal Year April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013)
- Achieved a net profit of $120,000, exceeding goal by 100%, or $60,000, and an increase of $374,000 over the prior year
- Achieved the membership goal of 4,100 members, compared to 3,808 the prior year and 3,515 the year prior to that
- Brought in membership revenue of $1,252,000, a 10% increase over the prior year, and compared to a goal of $1,159,000
- Sold $445,000 in sponsorships compared to $328,000 the prior year, an increase of 36%
- Captured over $250,000 of in-kind sponsorships
- Developed a new partnership program and ROI reporting system to more strategically engage allied members and add value and benefits
- Produced 15 webinars, compared to 6 the prior year, a 150% increase
- Offered 62.5 hours of content in the On-line Learning Center, compared to 9 hours the prior year, a 594% increase
- Achieved cumulative total of 3,147 completed surveys for VenueDataSource, compared to 1,984 at the end of the prior fiscal year, a 59% increase
- Redesigned Facility Manager Magazine content and graphics around member feedback
- Presented the first virtual Stadiums Conference, with 7 host sites
- Redesigned newsletters with the result of the unsubscribe rate dropping by 80% and open rates increasing 20%
- Increased our Facebook “likes” from 524 to 834, our Twitter followers from 1,027 to 1,479 and our LinkedIn connections from 2,546 to 3,706
- Increased our VenueNet profiles from 757 to 971 and our connections between members from 4,491 to 5,231
- Developed a new alliance with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events
- Joined the “Meetings Mean Business” coalition led by the US Travel Association
- Obtained $65,000 in Foundation major gifts versus $0 last fiscal year
- Increased Foundation annual giving revenue by $6,000 over last fiscal year
In closing, we took some big steps forward this last year. However, challenges remain. For example, we are tracking behind in exhibit sales for this year’s VenueConnect, and are working to close that gap by introducing a new opportunity for buyers and sellers called DirectConnect. We know the web site needs a lot of work, and we plan to unveil a new and improved site soon. And we continue to improve the magazine based on your on-going feedback. It’s all a work in progress, and the evolution continues.
Hope to see you soon in New Orleans for VenueConnect!
Regards,
Vicki Hawarden, CMP
IAVM President and CEO
