Are you a chief organizer, a risk-taker and a collaborator? Do you prioritize and strategize? These are all traits of great leaders. In 2009, U.S. companies spent $12 billion on leadership development. Last year 44% of companies expected to increase total spending on leadership development and executive education. According to Deloitte’s research 56% of company leaders say they will soon face a shortage of qualified executive talent.
If you aspire to be a great (or even greater) venue leader you’ll want to participate in IAVM’s Senior Executive Symposium (SES). This week-long, deep dive into leadership will take place May 13–16 at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Widely regarded as one of IAVM’s premier venue management programs for senior level executives, SES is also a step along the path for venue managers looking to become a Certified Facilities Executive (CFE).
Senior Executive Symposium is a three-year program, but it’s not a sequential course. Venue managers can attend no matter the timing in the yearly sequence. It’s not about year one, two or three – it’s about the rich and relevant content presented each year.
Brandi Quick, CFE, is the assistant director at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL. She has been an IAVM member since 2001, and has had the opportunity to attend all three years of the Senior Executive Symposium. She has also attended IAVM’s Venue Management School (VMS) and the Graduate Institute (GI) at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia. When asked how SES differs from Venue Management School, Quick says, “I look at the three programs like this: VMS is like the Bachelor’s Degree program, the Graduate Institute is the Master’s Degree of Venue Management, and Senior Executive Symposium is like the PhD program. It is covers a higher level of knowledge and is a much more intense and focused program. Where VMS and the Graduate Institute may spend an hour on a subject like customer service, SES will take a full day to cover it.”
Quick knows the kind of impact Senior Executive Symposium can have on a career trajectory. “Senior Executive Symposium provides seasoned venue managers to a deeper understanding of their profession. Venue managers leave well-rounded and through SES gain a new perspective on how to approach the culture of a facility and not just the operations.” Like Oglebay, SES’s location at Cornell adds to the great program, allowing attendees to engage with other students in an iconic educational setting.
Through Senior Executive Symposium venue managers gain a broad focus. This year’s curriculum covers the customer experience, managing risk and strategy to gain a competitive advantage, and leadership thinking styles. Applications for Senior Executive Symposium are open through March 31. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to broaden your horizons and take another step in your management career. Scholarships are also available. To learn more about the program contact Rodney Williams, director of education, at Rodney.Williams@IAVM.org.
