As 2021 drew to a close, the FIDI 39 Club took a step back to reflect on where it’s been, where it is, and where it plans to go within the next two years
No-one can deny the past two years have been quite the rollercoaster ride – the kind with super steep climbs and drops and double loops that make you scream your lungs out. Are most of us running back to get in line again for that particular ride? Probably not – but the experience wasn’t all bad, and more than anything, the past two years have been a period of learning. Learning how to adapt and make sustainable change to our business; not only for the industry overall, but also for the FIDI 39 Club.
Our club has historically functioned as a networking group for young professionals to find their way and – ideally – grow their careers within the industry. Its foundation and cornerstone is the yearly (in-person) FIDI Conference, where the annual FIDI 39 Club Conference is simultaneously held.
For a club that depended on a live event to sustain the momentum of its movement, a prohibition of travel and live events has proved a pretty big hurdle to overcome.
Learning to adapt and change for sustainable growth takes time, and that is the club’s ultimate goal for the immediate future and upcoming year. We want to reformat the foundation with a focus on sustainable, year-round member engagement, culminating in the yearly in-person conference, rather than relying on it.
Coming fresh off the first virtual board election, where we welcomed two new board members – Andrew Chng of Vanpac GroupAsia, and Michael Hughes of Arpin International – with another election for one new board member scheduled to be held during the 2022 FIDI Conference in Cannes, the FIDI 39 Club is experiencing a significant period of change.
Michael was elected on a platform of promoting regional membership chapters for 39 Club members, an idea that we are excited to embrace and drive forward in the year ahead. With all the recent advances in virtual networking, we have the tools at our disposal to truly unite the club in a year-round effort to reach all members and foster continual collaboration among them.
We also plan to offer a broader array of online media, including an increased social media presence and more frequent blog posts, as an outlet for our members to have their voices heard on issues that matter to them.
The FIDI 39 Club Scholarship, which was initially rolled out in 2018 but suspended in 2020 because of the postponement of the annual FIDI Conference, will resume in Cannes with the recipient of the 2020 award, Katlyn Witherspoon in attendance.
The scholarship embodies our mission to provide the younger generation with exposure to a wider industry audience, as well as promote their individual career growth. The scholarship plays a pivotal role in continued outreach among the upcoming generation, and we are excited to witness the programme grow in the years ahead.
Finally, the club will continue down its green path towards a more sustainable moving industry, striving to educate the FIDI community in ways it can progress sustainability in its business, and acting as a primary driver for sustainable change. This mission is already well under way, with the two FIDI Micro-Events hosted by the 39 Club in June 2021 and the work of the sustainability focus group to define what “sustainable moving” actually means.
The theme of sustainability is here to stay within the 39 Club and will be present during the conference in Cannes and future events. Stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming months while the FIDI 39 Club rebuild is ‘under construction’.
