Bigger and Better: World Conferences Go Every Other Year

One of the decisions that came out of the International Board of Directors meeting this past March was the unanimous approval for the World Conference to take place every other year. After the 2017 World Conference in Manchester, England, the next will be held in 2019. This change has been discussed for many years and is already being welcomed as a long-overdue adjustment by several clubs as they look for ways to improve the quality and attendance at their regional conferences.

Background: It has always been a struggle to fill our World Conferences to capacity. Full conferences such as those in Washington, D.C. in 2010, New Orleans in 2013, and Vancouver in 2015 are the exception. Most years we have as many as 100 spaces left available to sell, which amounts to lost revenue for FFI, not just in terms of conference fees, but also the cost involved with planning the conference. These empty seats also mean lost opportunities to share with, educate, and learn from our attendees.

Does having the World Conference every year spread us (and our attendees) too thin financially and dilute the conference’s appeal? At FFI we’ve been asking this question for a few years now, and we’ve toyed with the idea of having it in alternate years. Now, as we approach our 40th anniversary year, the time seems right for this change.

Having the FFI World Conference every other year should allow us to:

1. build anticipation with a longer break between conferences
2. provide more calendar room for members to participate in regional conferences and events
3. plan a bigger and different kind of conference with more to offer
4. attract more attendees
5. reduce planning costs
6. have time to implement changes based on feedback from the previous conference
7. organize a smaller, different event in non-conference years

The importance of the events planned for 2018 and in subsequent “non-conference” years cannot be understated. These respites from World Conference preparation gives all of Friendship Force an opportunity to plan a slightly smaller, alternative event, such as a friendship festival or development project that aims to enhance our mission and progress in some way.

As we institute this change, we want to hear from you! What would you like to see at future World Conferences? What events might you like to see in the non-conference years?

Feel free to submit your comment below!

Update from Recent Board Meeting

Dear Friendship Force Club Leaders,

Earlier this month, the Friendship Force International Board of Directors met for the 76th time in our history to discuss, among regular business, the current state of the Friendship Force mission worldwide.  There is no doubt that our mission of “promoting global understanding across the barriers that separate people” continues to be an important calling for all of our clubs and members, as evidenced by the hundreds of delegations and thousands of ambassadors forging new friendships through the Friendship Force each year.  We speak for the entirety of the Board when we say we are honored to be working hand-in-hand with you as we continue to seek realization of the full potential of our mission.  Your presence was felt in every conversation and decision made throughout the weekend.

Perhaps more important than any specific decisions made throughout the weekend was the depth of the discussion around each of the topics presented.  Building on the messages about FFI’s financial position shared during the Vancouver Conference in 2015 is a heightened awareness that the decisions we make now may profoundly influence our organization’s success in the future.  To that end, there was an intentional effort to keep the long-term goals of the organization in mind while we wrestled with acute issues mostly related to our currently stable but tenuous financial position.

Bringing clarity to the Board’s role in organizational governance, as well as accountability to how we move forward, was a significant focus of the weekend's activities:

• The Strategy Committee has been reconstructed and is now called theStrategy and Innovation Steering Committee. In addition to its original purpose of overseeing the progress of the strategic plan and its eight initiatives, this committee will also help organize and assess the impact of several pilot initiatives launched in the past 24 months.  This committee is also charged with vetting new initiatives and ensuring that the mission of Friendship Force isn’t compromised, but enhanced and strengthened by these endeavors. 
• The Board approved the creation of a Policy Review Committee whose purpose is to work with staff in resolving several current issues related to the wording, contradictions, and general confusion around some parts of the club and exchange policies.  With the thanks to many of you for forwarding your concerns related to club policies to Jeremi, the Committee has already begun in earnest to present clarifications to the Board at their next meeting. 
• Recognizing the need for a concerted effort to devise a fund-raising philosophy, a fund development plan, and to help align the existing Legacy Fund with the goals set forth in the Strategic Plan, the Board unanimously approved the creation of a Fund Development Committee.

 In addition to a comprehensive update on the database and website project, the Board also spoke extensively about the need to elevate worldwide awareness for the Friendship Force and about how the launch of the revised website is one such opportunity to project a refreshed presence of our organization to the world.  Presentations by FFI staff touched on ways to clean up the Friendship Force brand that will be implemented this year, as well as new communication tools currently in development to help bring the worldwide Friendship Force family a little closer together.

Over the next several months, more details and news about actions being taken by Friendship Force Board and staff will be shared.  In the meantime, and if there was one message received and reciprocated during this most recent Board meeting, we must begin to take action in 2016.

In friendship,
Jeremi Snook, CEO and Bob Duncan, Board Chair

2016 Friendship Force International Board of Directors