FGIA has exciting news to share about the activities of the Association moving forward, which include a commitment to high-value in-person events, expanding FGIA’s network of partnerships, broadening the use of FGIA’s education programs and funding crucial industry research projects.

The FGIA Board has been doing some strategic planning work throughout the first half of this year, including the completion of a two-day retreat which took place May 12-13 as a hybrid event, with the majority of Board members participating in person. During the retreat, the team completed a group vision activity, discussion of a dozen strategic topics and prioritization and strategy development for the four identified top areas of focus.

1) Purposeful and Valued Conferences

The team agreed that the number one area of focus at this time is delivering purposeful and valued conferences with a focus on industry-related technical content and engaging, thought-provoking learning experiences. Future conferences will be re-strategized to allow adequate time for advancing the technical work of the association while addressing broader industry issues with less emphasis on topics not directly related to the technical aspects of our industry.

Meeting sessions and agendas will be designed for active participation with the schedule organized around Council initiatives rather than the block format utilized over the last five years. While the hybrid format will continue to be supported, the primary focus of the event planning will be centered around incentivizing and maximizing the value of in-person attendance. As we move forward with hybrid conferences and select sites for future events that are not yet scheduled, the goal will be to blend desirable resorts with more accessible sites throughout the year while also encouraging attendance by spouses and families.

2) FGIA as the Fenestration Authority in North America

AAMA and IGMA have both been long-standing pillars of authority and credibility in the industry. It’s now time to return to the unification implementation strategies that were cut short by COVID in early 2020 to definitively establish FGIA as the premier source for technical expertise in our industry.

We’ll also focus on expanding our network of partnerships and continuing to grow the population of organizations, code and regulatory agencies, and other influential bodies throughout the industry who are seeking to collaborate with us. Reinforcing FGIA as a credible expert operating with integrity will support recognition of us as a desired and valuable partner.

3) Excellence in Fenestration and Glass Education

Delivery of effective education programs was a primary objective for both AAMA and IGMA and carried forward as a priority into FGIA. Looking forward, the goal will be to expand use of these programs to a wider network of industry professionals through elevated promotion and outreach. The primary content focus will continue to be technical in nature, building upon the existing strong core training around fenestration terminology, fenestration and IG performance standards and testing, and window and door installation, but is targeted to add material around the benefits of using glass and fenestration.

One of the strategies for attracting broader engagement in these programs is by delivering the content through a modern platform utilizing video and interactive exercises to create dynamic and engaging learning experiences. This future strategy will be to bring delivery of our education programs to the next level so that the quality of the user experience – from enrollment through program completion – is commensurate with the quality of technical content they are receiving.

4) Research Projects

Research is also not a new goal for FGIA, but the path forward includes designing a more formal infrastructure to support research projects in terms of funding, project solicitation, and visibility of this work among the membership. This renewed emphasis will support the position of our organization to be forward-thinking and innovative in our approach to product performance.

Looking Ahead

Only the first part of our strategic planning work has been completed at this point. The FGIA management team recently met to discuss the outputs from the Board’s work and set a strategy and timeline for developing the operational plans to execute on these objectives as well as proposed metrics to gauge our success. Next, the Board will review the staff recommendations, and as needed, small teams of Board members will be established to help guide and support those operational plans.

By the time we host our Hybrid Fall Conference in Chicago in September, we should have good direction in place to share with all of you!