1995 Autumn ACTE Quarterly: President's Message | Demystifying the Internet | International Task Force Report

As ACTE's Membership Proliferates in Canada and Europe, the International Task Force Tackles Tough Issues

Global growth is a mixed blessing for many organizations. It affords resources to better serve their constituencies. It also means that associations have to work hard to keep meeting the needs and expectations of members who often have different styles of doing business and differing expectations of the role of professional associations.

Hence the formation in January 1995 of ACTE's International Task Force, which is chaired by Henry Keizer, vice president of Euro-Confer International Group. The task force represents a cross-section of ACTE members. Steven Schoen, ACTE vice president of internatioanl development and CEO of The Global Group, has been tirelessly working on behalf of globalizing the organization for several years. Nancy Bruner, the travel manager for Cargill, has been involved in ACTE for five years and is also a member of the Board of Governors. Mike Spooner, of Reynolds Metals, is ACTE Treasurer and brings his knowledge of finance and globalization to the plate. Derek Remsen, also a Board member, helped lead ACTE's foray into Canada. David Henderson of Independent Television News and finance chair of the ACTE Europe Committee, represents the European membership.

The goal of the Task Force is to look at the future of an ever-globalizing association; evaluate its governing structure in a way that will encourage maximum involvement of its worldwide membership; and will secure ACTE's mission within the corporate travel industry. "Admittedly, when ACTE was initially formed it wasn't conceived as an `international' organization," said Keizer. "The by-laws, rules and regulations weren't designed to serve an international membership. There are also cultural differences that needed to be addressed. We wanted to make sure that the North American and European membership were on the same wavelength-and recognized the same way." The issue of formal recognition of chapters is particularly sensitive. "It's ironic," explained Steven Schoen. "The ACTE Committee in Europe is growing incredibly and is organizing highly successful regional forums and local activities. But as far as the by-laws of ACTE are concerned, the European Committee and the Canadian regional structure aren't officially accommodated."

The task force is also in the process of evaluating financial and legal issues before it presents a draft proposal to the Executive Committee in December. "After considering its feedback, and making necessary revisions, we'll make a formal presentation of our recommendations to the ACTE Board of Governors next February," said Nancy Bruner.

Ultimately, said ITN's David Henderson, the Task Force's mission is to "transform ACTE into a truly global organization without losing the regional perspectives of the membership." Henry Keizer sums it up this way: "By going global, ACTE can expand its role, and continue to be a platform to share knowledge, opportunities and solutions. The more people and parts of the world are involved, the broader the platform gets. We can achieve our mission if we stay faithful to ACTE's founding principle, that all members of ACTE are equal members, whatever segment of the industry they represent and from whatever part of the world they're from." AQ

1995 Autumn ACTE Quarterly: President's Message | Demystifying the Internet | International Task Force Report