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Sun, spectacular scenery and stimulants for all senses - in other words EPTDA’s 10th Annual Convention in magical Monaco. 19-21 September 375 participants gathered at this luxurious location to be blown away by the thoughtprovoking speeches, seminars and social programme. EPTDA’s 10th Annual Convention turned out to offer much more than any of us could have ever hoped for! All expectations and previous records were broken in terms of participant figures, atmosphere and achievements. Almost all EPTDA members were present many of them together with their spouses. This confirms the confidence that our members feel - the EPTDA family spirit is clearly not talk only.
More than a few new ideas
The Convention kick-started officially with All Committees Days session on Wednesday. The EPTDA Board, Committee and Council volunteers pondered and brainstormed for the benefit of the association the whole afternoon - despite the temptations of the city and the shining sea. After the meetings, the delegates enjoyed the international guests and first timers’ reception and the welcoming dinner filled with live music. EPTDA welcomed an impressive 90 Convention first timers! The legendary Fairmont Hotel Monte Carlo provided perfect meeting facilities as the delegates sat down to feed their brains with new ideas served by some of the world’s most sought-after speakers. Mr. Kjell Nordström introduced the theme of the Convention "People Make the Difference" as the keynote session
speaker. He awaked everyone by drawing a picture of tomorrow’s global business world where four key words - emotional, personal, female and simple rule the game. Mr. Robert Benninga presented the first seminar with a topic "How to combine Managing Top Results with Leading People to Best Performance. After Mr. Benninga, the delegates learned how to improve their negotiation skills with a hands-on presentation given by Mr. Matthias Schranner. And to put a proper icing on the seminar cake, Mr. Bruce van Barthold, an old friend for most of the EPTDA members, kept the seminar rolling as a facilitator and spoke about "The value of Valuing People" - exclusively for the Annual Convention delegates.
The objective of the convention’s educational
programme was to leave everyone with at least 3 points that they would like to share with colleagues, implement in their business, or remember for future use. The speakers and sessions
made sure all participants packed indeed a few more than just three new ideas into their luggage to take home. But the Convention was not just about learning. In addition to seminars,
information exchange, Motion Control Showcase and Annual Business Meeting, the programme offered truly stunning entertainment from cabaret to gala dinners.
It pays off to be a responsible company
The EPTDA members have constantly rated the Manufacturer Distributor –Idea Exchange (MDIDEX) as one of the most valuable features of the Annual Conventions. This year the Convention featured 10 pre-set appointments, 20 minutes each. All the MD-IDEX appointments could be booked online in advance. In addition to many good old membership benefits, the Annual Convention gave also a chance to celebrate a year which has been especially rich for EPTDA in realizing and initializing new ideas. During the past couple of years it has become
evident that in order to be dynamic and competitive, EPTDA’s member companies must commit themselves to ethically, environmentally and economically sound policies. This means acting in a concrete way - not just in a level of mere statements. One of the concrete examples is EPTDA’s new corporate partnership with UNICEF. EPTDA has associated with UNICEF to support the "Schools for Africa" project which is an international fundraising campaign launched by UNICEF in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Hamburg Society for the promotion of Democracy and International Law. The support from members has been extremely encouraging and EPTDA was proud to be able to hand over a check of 12,500 Euros to Mr. Wiener, the President of UNICEF Belgium. Mr. Wiener joined the Convention to give a short presentation about UNICEF and the cooperation project that helps to install safe water sources, storage tanks and latrines for schools in sub Saharan Africa.
In addition, EPTDA’s Ethical Guidelines are in making. It is our aim to approve a common roadmap for EPTDA, policy that all members are committed to follow. And one must not forget the Required Information Change Process, a process that shows again how EPTDA is fast becoming the ‘Voice of the Industry’. The initial project in which the members of both Distributor and Manufacturer Councils got involved resulted in a Best Practices Document. The Required Information Change Process - better
know as the RICP - has demonstrated the will of the association to play an even more significant role in the industry.
And it truly pays off to be a member
Another burning topic that requires the association’s attention in the future is the monitoring of European business environment. The power transmission industry is one of the few sectors of this size that does not yet have EU affairs monitoring and representation, which leaves companies exposed to legislative risks. After all, European Union is a source of approximately 70-80 % of the legislation that governs our
everyday life and business practices. Changes in legislation might have direct impact in member companies’ bottom line.
This is why EPTDA has started to monitor strategically the European legislative environment. Monitoring reports would offer tailored inside information to the members in an efficient and economical way. Another major new initiative offering tangible benefits to members is EPTDA’s own Learning Institute – ELI. The institute would offer tailored education for the members. The initiative was born when members were asked what would be a dream benefit for them.
EPTDA prepares itself to celebrate its 10th Anniversary in 2008 - stronger and more active than ever before. EPTDA is enjoying a robust growth also in terms of membership figures - already 21 new members have joined EPTDA this year. We work for our members and because of our members. Our members’and volunteers’ continuous support is crucial. That is
one of the reasons EPTDA is organizing its second strategic planning exercise early next year where the EPTDA Leaders will bend their head over the association’s missions and objectives
for the years to come.
As the theme of this year’s Convention crystallized - People Make the Difference. We are sure all agree that the ambiance in Monaco was unbeatable thanks to the participants. When leaders of the industry unite to meet, exchange ideas and enjoy, it can only yield great results. We are positive that Monaco Convention offered many memorable moments - moments that the participants want to remember for a long time. Just wait for the next year’s Convention - EPTDA’s 10th Anniversary will be celebrated in Brussels. That Convention is definitely something worth waiting for!
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