Spring Conference shows association in touch but out of step with the industry it serves
With the UK’s National Federation of Demolition Contractors – one of its national association founder members – celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, London was an appropriate venue for last week’s European Demolition Association Spring Convention. With the sun shining and a new Spanish-based secretariat flexing its organisational muscles, the scene was set for what should have been a meeting of industry minds.
Sadly, the challenges that have plagued the EDA once again reared their heads, resulting in a disappointing level of attendance, a group of sponsors disgruntled at having been demoted to a support act for a cocktail reception, and a collection of presentations which – while generally good – had been all-too-often been aired at other events.
Perhaps the greatest issue, however, and one which was almost certainly to blame for the poor attendance and a lack of engagement from UK demolition contractors, was the cost. Earlier this year, the Institute of Demolition Engineers packed out the Royal Armouries in Leeds, providing demolition professional delegates with a full day of thought-provoking presentations and a good quality lunch for £150 per head. Last month, the NFDC did likewise at the Lowry Centre in Manchester where almost 200 delegates paid around £100 each for a similarly impressive run-down of presentations.
The EDA charged more than that (195 Euros) merely to attend a gala dinner at the Royal Courts of Justice; an appropriate venue given the criminal cost. To attend the EDA conference itself set back delegates 380 Euros, roughly twice the cost of the NFDC and IDE events. Based on a straw poll, only one of the handful of UK-based delegates had actually paid to be there; the rest were either guest speakers or national association representatives.
Now in the midst of a recession, 380 Euros is a lot of money. But most demolition contractors would probably be willing to invest that amount if they were going to learn something that might be of benefit to their business. Unfortunately, anyone that has attended recent NFDC, IDE and EDA events would have been struck with a feeling of déjà vu as far too many of the presentations had been given at other events in the recent past. Even an excellent and impassioned presentation on disaster recovery and crisis management by Tom Stahr of Robinette Demolition in the US would have come as no surprise by anyone that attended the National Demolition Association convention in Las Vegas a few months ago.
The irony was that the afternoon session of the event was given over to a round-table discussion on profitability in a demolition industry hit by recession. The fact that the EDA chose this as a key discussion subject highlights the fact that proves that the association is in touch with the demolition industry; the fact that it chose to largely ignore this in the pricing of its event suggests that they’re out of step.
The EDA is undoubtedly a worthwhile and well-intentioned organisation with lofty ambitions. But all the while it is setting its prices so high, it will continue to be seen as a meeting club for the industry elite and will fail to engage with the smaller, less affluent contractors that make up around 80% of the continent’s demolition professionals.
A photo set from the event can be viewed here.
