Young Professionals
IAFE Introduces Young Professionals Initiative
Prior to the 2008 IAFE Spring Management Conference in Salt Lake City, a dozen leaders of the IAFE met for the sixth time in a series of strategic planning sessions convened since 2002. One of the five goals vital to the future of the IAFE was noted as the need to "identify young staff, board members, and volunteers for potential leadership for fairs and the Association."
After seeing three new CFEs all aged 30 or younger announced at the 2008 IAFE Spring Management Conference and following on the heels of that strategic planning session, the seeds of the IAFE Young Professionals Initiative (YPI) were planted by then-First Vice Chair Max Mosner. As part of his plan of work for his year as chair in 2009, he suggested that the IAFE staff immediately begin identifying fair staff, volunteers, and board members throughout the Association who might be under 40 years of age and willing to brainstorm and work together to build the initiative.
Over two-dozen individuals came together at the 2008 IAFE Annual Convention to do exactly that. The result was a plan of action for 2009, which included identifying young leaders throughout every zone of the IAFE and bringing selected members together for a strategic planning session.
At the 2009 Spring Management Conference in April held in Seattle, 10 individuals met for four hours for a strategic planning session. From that meeting came the mission statement for the YPI, "To provide a venue for young professionals to guide the future of the fair industry through leadership development, mentoring, incentives, education, and idea sharing with IAFE."
The long-term and short-term goals for YPI as a result of the strategic planning session include:
- Scheduling working meetings and social events during regular IAFE gatherings.
- Creating a mentoring program for young people in the Association by matching them with experienced members.
- Create a "Rising Star" award to recognize leadership and industry contributions of IAFE members under the age of 40.
- Involving young people on the grass roots level (through state and zone meetings).
- Creating meeting programming geared towards that age group.
- Adding a "YPI VIP" feature in Fairs & Expos magazine.
Please help us identify the young leaders at your fair — staff members, volunteers, and board members — under the age of 40 so that we can reach out to them with information about the YPI. Send contact information via e-mail to one of the co-chairs; Jessica Underberg of the Erie County Fair, Hamburg, N.Y. (junderberg {at} americas-fair {dot} org) or Jennifer Giesike with the Washington Town & Country Fair, Washington, Mo., and the IAFE Zone 5 Director (jgiesike {at} washmo {dot} org).
