Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How is APEX organized?
- What is the Convention Industry Council (CIC) and why is it behind APEX?
- What is the APEX Commission?
- How were the APEX Commissioners selected?
- Who are the APEX Commissioners?
- Why will APEX cost $1.9 million?
- How is APEX funded?
- How will the industry benefit?
- Why does the industry need accepted practices?
- What topics will the initiative address?
- Who serves on the industry panels?
- Is there an overall plan for developing and implementing APEX accepted practices?
See the APEX Structure for a diagram of the groups of people involved.
The best way to look at the APEX structure is to start at the top, work your way down, and then head back up again. The structure was deliberately designed to be complex in order to be as inclusive as possible and have a cross-section of the industry involved in the initiative.
The 31 CIC member organizations nominated individuals to serve on the APEX Commission as representatives of various industry segments. For instance, Amanda Moses represents the Convention/Meeting Management industry segment on the Commission. She is not a representative of any one organization, but represents everyone from corporate planners to religious planners and independent planners to association planners. These Commissioners are responsible for the general oversight of the initiative.
The industry panels, supported by the Technology Advisory Council and the Legal Counsel, are where a lot of the work gets done. These panels composed of approximately 25 members representing a wide-range of industry functions, work to develop a set of recommended accepted practices. These recommended practices are delivered to city discussion groups and the industry at-large for review and comment. Based on this wide-spread discussion and feedback, the panels develop final recommendations that go on to the APEX Commission for a vote, then on to the CIC Board of Directors for final approval.
What is the Convention Industry Council (CIC) and why is it behind APEX?
The CIC is at the forefront of efforts to advance the meeting, convention and exhibition industry. It represents a broad cross-section with 32 member organizations representing more than 103,500 individuals as well as over 17,300 firms and properties involved in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. Formed in 1949 to provide a forum for member organization seeking to enhance the industry, the CIC facilitates the exchange of information and develops programs to promote professionalism within the industry and educates the public on its profound economic impact. By its nature, the CIC provides an impartial and inclusive forum for APEX and the development of accepted practices for the industry.
The APEX Commission is a 10-member volunteer body that has responsibility for general oversight of the APEX initiative. Each Commissioner represents a broad industry segment. The Commissioners are critical to the success of the initiative, as they have significant responsibilities including:
- Serving as the key representatives from their segments of the industry.
- Ensuring their industry segments are adequately represented on the industry panels.
- Working with the APEX Commission Chair to resolve conflicts.
- Continually providing feedback to CIC member organizations and others within their industry segments.
- Communicating with other Commissioners to ensure ongoing dialogue on the initiative's objectives.
- Serving as enthusiastic and motivational forces to champion the APEX initiative within their segments.
- Securing the commitment of the stakeholders within their industry segments to implement the accepted practices.
How were the APEX Commissioners selected?
The CIC Board of Directors appointed the APEX Commissioners accordingly:
1. CIC member organizations, and other interested organizations not represented by CIC, nominated individuals that met the established criteria:
- Held in high regard by the entire industry
- Demonstrated reputation of respect, experience and leadership
- Ability to facilitate relationships with key industry leaders
- Capable of diffusing conflict and succeeding in win-win outcomes
- Seen as a high-level industry leader by industry peers
- Demonstrated commitment to the APEX initiative
- Willingness to make a multi-year commitment
- Ability to create enthusiasm for the APEX initiative within his or her industry segment
2. All CIC organizations utilized the executive committees of their boards of directors to expedite the nomination process.
3. All nominations were reviewed by the APEX Commission Chair, the CIC Board Chair, and the CIC President. A roster of candidates was presented to the CIC Board of Directors for final selection.
Who are the APEX Commissioners?
Click here to see the list of Commissioners and the industry segments they represent.
Why will APEX cost $1.9 million?
$1.9 million may sound like a lot, but keep in mind that this is a five-year initiative. These funds will facilitate the involvement of thousands of industry members over the course of these five years. The most important items in the APEX budget relate to technology, communication, and volunteers. Technology is used (conference calls, web site, web-based discussion groups, etc.) to facilitate the work of the industry panels, and to capture the results of the various meetings of volunteers located throughout the US & Canada.
To be successful, the APEX initiative will require unprecedented cooperation and financial support among all segments of the meeting, convention and exhibition industry. It is tremendously important to the success of APEX to develop funding sources independent of the CIC operating budget to assure buy-in and support for the initiative.
All financial contributions made to support APEX are placed into a restricted fund in the CIC budget. These funds can only be used for the purpose of supporting and advancing APEX. As of March 15, 2004, commitments totaling more than $1,202,000 have been made to support APEX. These initial funds have come from the industry's corporate sector (hotel chains, convention centers, CVBs, service contractors, etc.), and from industry foundations.
Click here for a list of APEX Sponsors and their giving levels.
How will the industry benefit?
Some of the results of accepted practices implementation will be:
- Time & Cost Savings
- Eased Communication and Sharing of Data
- Enhanced Customer Service
- Streamlined Systems and Processes
- Less Duplication of Effort and Increased Operational Efficiencies
- Better Educated, More Professional Employees
In short, it will make the industry more efficient, freeing up valuable
time to devote collaborative energies to broader, more pressing industry
issues.
Why does the industry need accepted practices?
According to the Convention Industry Council's 1994 Economic Impact Study, the meeting, convention and exhibition industry is a 365-day-a-year business that:
- Operates both in large cities and small communities across the country.
- Generates more than one-third of the hotel industry's estimated $66 billion annual revenue.
- Accounts for 22 percent of airline industry operating income.
- Directly supports 1.57 million jobs in the United States.
- Generated in 1994 more than $12.3 billion in sales and income taxes.
- Generated $82.8 billion in total direct spending in 1993, making it the 22nd largest contributor to the gross national product.
This large and multi-faceted industry is composed of buyers, sellers, and third parties whose interests do not always intersect, and whose business practices do not always translate to one another, which results in inefficiencies. The industry currently has no standards or accepted practices in place to guide and coordinate the various segments in their operations.
Attempts have been made in the past by hotel corporations and industry associations to standardize procedures across the industry. These attempts at standardization have failed and have not been accepted by industry stakeholders, as they were not involved in their development. Despite these failed attempts, a 1998 Deloitte & Touche study indicated a high level of support (81% in favor) among industry members for the development and implementation of voluntary industry standards.
By all indications, the time is right for an initiative to develop standards for the meeting, convention and exhibition industry.
What topics will the initiative address?
Seven panels, each addressing key areas, will work to develop recommended accepted practices. Each panel has a formal charge, which serves as a guide to direct its work:
- Terminology: The purpose of the APEX Terminology Panel is to develop accepted terminology that encompasses all aspects of the meetings industry.
- History/Post Event Reports: The purpose of the APEX History/Post Event Reports Panel is to develop recommended industry accepted practices for collecting, storing and retrieving accurate and thorough history/post event report data on meetings, conventions, and events.
- Requests for Proposals (RFPs): The purpose of the APEX RFPs Panel is to develop recommended industry accepted practices for consistent and thorough Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that address core information and unique needs.
- Resumes & Work Orders: The purpose of the APEX Resumes & Work Orders Panel is to develop recommended industry accepted practices for preparing and sharing complete resume and work order instructions/details for meetings, conventions, and other events.
- Meeting & Site Profiles: (WORK IN PROGRESS) The purpose of the APEX Meeting & Site Profiles Panel is to develop recommended industry accepted practices for consistent and thorough profile formats for sites, as well as meetings, conventions, and other events, that include both core and unique information.
- Housing: The primary purpose of the APEX Housing Panel is to develop recommended industry accepted practices for collecting, reporting, and retrieving complete housing data for meetings, conventions, and other events. A secondary purpose is to recommend industry accepted practices around housing issues such as housing providers, internet issues, international housing, and disclosure.
- Contracts: (WORK IN PROGRESS)The purpose of the APEX Contracts Panel is to review all aspects of industry contracts and develop contract guidelines and, where appropriate, acceptable contract language. Additionally, the panel will develop an outline to format industry contracts.
Who serves on the industry panels?
Each panel is composed of a variety of volunteers who bring unique perspectives to the research and development of recommended accepted practices. The volunteers are selected by the Commission from nominations made by CIC member organizations, financial supporters of APEX, and the industry in general. Individuals may self-nominate. The goal is to have a representative on each panel for the following positions. For some of the panels, not all categories apply and Commissioners will select the appropriate categories for each panel:
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Is there an overall plan for developing and implementing APEX accepted practices?
Yes. Read about APEX's goals and benefits of this industry-wide initiative in the APEX Executive Summary. Click here to download as a word document.
Contact the CIC