How to establish your PCO requirements, what can you manage in-house? Does using a PCO mean losing control? Who manages marketing, branding and sponsorship? Should this really be a PCO? What about intellectual property? When should you go ‘in-house’? Susie Hide, Executive Director of European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. www.associationscongress.com

1. HOST SPONSORS
#ACIE15 ORGANISED BY
Executive Director
What is the role of the Association when working with
a PCO?
SUSIE HIDE
European Association of Neurosurgical
Societies
© Associations Network 2015

2. What is the role of the
association when working
with a PCO?
Susie Hide
Executive Director
European Association of Neurosurgical Societies

3. European Association of Neurosurgical
Societies: EANS
• Both a federation and a
membership association
• Represents c 6,500
neurosurgeons in Europe
• 1,300 individual members
• 5 FTE plus part time and
occasional staff
• European Congress c 2000
participants
• 8 – 10 other events arranged in-
house each year
PCO review exercises in 2008 and 2012/2013

4. Association and PCO:
an ongoing partnership process
Realistic
Self
Evaluation
Choosing
your
partner
Defining Core
Responsibilities
Retaining
Ownership
Ongoing
Review

5. Realistic Self Evaluation
Realistic
Self
Evaluation
Choosing
your
partner
Defining Core
Responsibilities
Retaining
Ownership
Ongoing
Review
• Needs
• Aspirations
• Resources
• Stage of
Evolution

6. A changing picture……
EANS 2008 EANS 2013
Needs To secure the revenue stream To develop our growing
community
To create a distinct & appealing
brand in an increasingly
competitive market
Aspirations To deliver an excellent
meeting whilst creating
financial stability
To compete on a global stage
Internal
Resources
Limited: 1.5 FTE Increasing: 5 FTE plus part-time
and occasional staff
Stage of
Evolution
Basic Developing, with enhanced
professionalism and some
specialist in-house expertise

7. Audience Question
 Do you anticipate that your own answers to Ben’s questions will be the
same in 5 years’ time?
 If the answer is no, then do you expect:
(a) to have taken more services in house
(b) to have contracted more to a PCO

8. Choosing your partner
Realistic
Self
Evaluation
Choosing
your
partner
Defining Core
Responsibilities
Retaining
Ownership
Ongoing
Review
• RfP and using a
consultant?
• Compatibility and Fit
• What will happen if
you disagree?
• Share your medium to
long term vision

9. Defining Core Responsibilities:
General
Realistic
Self
Evaluation
Choosing
your
partner
Defining Core
Responsibilities
Retaining
Ownership
Ongoing
Review
• Advance agreement
is vital
• Communication is key
• Consider specialist
expertise within both
teams
• Consider different
parts of the
association:

10. Defining Core Responsibilities:
Specific
Association
Shared/for
discussion PCO
• Defining scientific
content
• Determining the tone
of the meeting – it’s
your event
• Promotion, marketing
and branding
• Financial issues
• Sponsorship
• Sustained delivery of
scientific content
• Logistics and speaker
management
• Accommodation
• Registration
• Technical arrangements

11. Adopt a flexible approach
 Be prepared to adapt as things develop
 Consider specific skill-sets and be willing to amend standard
arrangements accordingly
 Do the necessary to keep things on track
 Evaluate continuously: monitor association involvement in shared
responsibilities carefully

12. Our own criteria
Benefits of Executive Office involvement must be evident:
Consider
• Has our PCO partner more experience in this field and can they do it better? (even
if we think that we can)
• Even if we are genuinely able to do this better, is the difference significant, and do
the benefits of involvement warrant the resource expended?
• We definitely need to be involved

13. Retaining Ownership
Realistic
Self
Evaluation
Choosing
your
partner
Defining Core
Responsibilities
Retaining
Ownership
Ongoing
Review
• Brand issues
• Financial
guarantees
• Sponsorship

14. When (and if)
to move in-house?
Move In-
house
Retain PCO
Involvement
• Gradual process
• Not “all or nothing”
• Draft in the expertise you may require
• Consider continuing to use external resource in specific
areas

15. Ongoing Review
Realistic
Self
Evaluation
Choosing
your
partner
Defining Core
Responsibilities
Retaining
Ownership
Ongoing
Review
• Realistic
performance
evaluation
• Has association
profile changed?
• Specific
challenges of
next event

16. Thank you for listening!

17. HOST SPONSORS
#ACIE15 ORGANISED BY
www.associationscongress.com
www.associationsnetwork.org