Each year, the Executive Committee, which this year consists of our Chairperson Patty Andersen, Vice President of Human Resources & After Market Services, Delkor Systems, Inc.; Immediate Past Chairperson Emmanuel Cerf, VP Sales and Marketing, Polypack, Inc.; Vice Chairperson Andrew Barrieau, President and CEO, Felins, Inc. and me, sets Priority Goals for PMMI. These goals are intended to be short-term and tactical or operational. Basically, it’s what the Executive Committee expects the PMMI Staff to accomplish in the upcoming year.
The goals could be about any number of areas that PMMI needs to focus on in order to grow, ensure our association's success, and provide even more value to our membership. At the same time, these goals must also always support PMMI’s Strategic Plan. For 2024, the Executive Committee set four different goals, which include PMMI Media Group's continued growth—including advancing PMMI Media Group’s newly launched events business—a review of our reserve policy, and member engagement.
The priority goal that identifies member engagement states that PMMI staff will make no fewer than 100 member visits to members who are either not engaged or under-engaged with PMMI. During each visit, these members will hopefully recognize the true extent of their PMMI membership via our PMMI Advantage presentation.
It’s no secret to us that most members believe that the number one and, in some cases, sole value of PMMI Membership is the show benefits. These, of course, are highlighted by the priority picking of exhibition space in the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows and a members’ discount. But I assure you that if you were to ask some of our more engaged PMMI members, they would be quick to reveal that PMMI membership offers so much more than just a show.
The PMMI Advantage presentation provides an overview of all the other programs and services we offer members beyond our trade shows. These are collectively called the PMMI Business Drivers. These items include, but are not limited to, industry-specific Business Intelligence and research, Annual Meeting and Executive Leadership Committee networking opportunities, financial support and matching funds via PMMI U and the PMMI U Skills Fund to train your current workforce, find the next generation of your workforce and, via Global Marketing, expand into new markets.
Since we introduced the initiative, we have shared the PMMI Advantage presentation with members at PMMI meetings, and during many in-facility member visits. Almost without fail, even the most engaged members always tell us, “I didn’t know PMMI offered that!”
If you have not had a PMMI member visit recently by one of our staff offering PMMI Advantage, you just might say the same thing. If you are interested in a PMMI staff person visiting your plant and providing you with this presentation, please pick up the phone or shoot us an email letting us know. We can also provide the PMMI Advantage presentation via web conference. You really have nothing to lose as there is no obligation or cost and we guarantee that it will be time well spent.
The other major benefit of PMMI staff visiting with members in their facilities is we get to hear directly from you, our membership, on what you need, any challenges you are facing, or just what you would like more from PMMI and your PMMI membership. This is incredibly valuable information for us as we are here to serve you, and most of the programs that PMMI currently offers have come from a member suggesting them.
