IAMC INSIDER
IAMC Year in Review: 2006
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As anniversaries are a time to look back and celebrate special accomplishments, as well as look forward to more, it is worth noting that IAMC has just completed yet another year of record growth and attainment.
The association designed to meet the needs of corporate real estate executives at large industrial companies enters the halfway point of 2006 with 420 dues-paying members and continues on a record pace of growth.
With annual membership growth topping 25 percent, and with three-fourths of the membership regularly attending the twice-annual Professional Forums, IAMC is quickly building a name for itself in the world of industrial real estate.
The association marked several major milestones this year, including a record attendance of 324 at the Spring 2006 Professional Forum at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
Forum attendance has grown steadily since the inception of IAMC in July of 2002. Starting with 142 attendees at the very first Forum in Savannah in 2002, IAMC has reached a new high point each year, increasing attendance to 201, 225, 315 and now 324 in successive years.
More importantly, the ranks of Active Members are growing with the types of industrial companies that are household names. At the San Diego Forum in March, IAMC welcomed 12 new Active Members from these companies: 3M, ConAgra Foods, Coors Brewing, Weyerhaeuser,
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| The Spring 2006 Professional Forum at Hotel del Coronado set a new attendance record for IAMC. |
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| The Fall 2006 Professional Forum in Williamsburg will afford IAMC yet another opportunity to look at corporate real estate from both an historical and global perspective. |
The San Diego Forum also set records for total number of sponsors (32) and total sponsor commitment in dollars, ensuring the continuation of a financially strong and viable association.
Some of the best measures of IAMC's success, however, are provided not by numbers but by the words of IAMC members. Consider these comments from two members who attended the San Diego Forum:
Bob Waller, senior vice president of operations for Medline Industries, said, "The Spring 2006 IAMC Forum displayed the continued momentum and growth of our organization. The program content was strong, and the quality networking with other corporate real estate executives was invaluable."
Michael Watt, president of the Long Island Partnership, said, "The IAMC Professional Forum provides the best of all possible worlds – insightful and informative seminars pertaining to corporate real estate issues co-mingled with intimate networking opportunities. The Long Island Partnership looks forward to working with IAMC on a variety of levels."
What's next for IAMC? As the association enters its fifth year, the focus will continue to be on member service and member engagement.
Along those lines, the year ahead will include the rollout of several new programs designed to meet member needs. Among them will be the new BCIR certification program for industrial real estate practitioners, the new online IAMC Career Center, and the online Surplus Property Clearinghouse designed to match available sites and properties with the needs of those seeking a good facility location.
The fifth year of IAMC also features two Forums at premium venues: the Colonial Williamsburg, Va., Lodge this fall and the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla., near Jacksonville next spring.
IAMC members will be immersed in American history as they learn and network in the heart of the Colonial Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. And then they will enjoy the oceanfront views of scenic Amelia Island while enjoying the refinement that only the Ritz can provide.
If you have not yet attended an IAMC Forum, let me encourage you to come to Williamsburg Sept. 30 through Oct. 4 and check out this growing association for yourself. Registrants for this Forum are signing up at a record pace, and rooms at the Lodge are going fast.
If you join us in Virginia, you will likely become part of yet another history-making event for IAMC.
Ron Starner is the executive director of IAMC.
