L E G A C Y
THE GREATER GOOD Holly Patrick explores why associations are taking the positive impact their meetings can have on societymore seriously....
focused network of convention bureaux. “We know that conferences can change communities and better communities lead to happier people.” And creating legacy-impact doesn’t have to be about saving the world, it’s about “moving the needle that little bit closer to the association,”Williams adds. PROTECTING YOUR PEARLY WHITES… e legacy-building work done by the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) is a prime example of how valuable it can be to take the meeting content outside of
he economic legacy of an association event, particularly
T
one which returns to the same destination year on year, is something of a triumph for the venues, the convention bureau and the ambassadors involved in winning the bid. But in a post-pandemic era, with sustainability high on the agenda, there is growing pressure on international associations to show that their carbon intensive in-person meetings truly bene t wider society. is can be in an environmental, social, economic, or political way, but, ultimately, it must bene t the greater good – not just the delegates in the room and their immediate sector. “By understanding that meetings bring long term positive impact, and that long term positive impact will help recovery,wecanspeedupthatchangethat bene ts everybody,” explains Lesley Williams (right) , managing director of BestCities Alliance, the legacy-
the congress centre in order to quickly and e ciently help the wider community. “When we are holding our meetings in various destinations
across the globe, we frequently partner with our oral health researchers and sponsors tohelp support these important programmes,” explains IADR director of meetings Leslie Zeck (above) . “In 2017 at our meeting in San
34 APRIL 2021 AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL
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