We are fresh off the heels of one of our most successful events yet: the 2025 FGIA Annual Conference, which was held in Orlando, FL and had a space-centric theme of igniting innovation. This included an exceptional private tour of the Kennedy Space Center, two virtual reality headsets on site for participants to try and a panel of member companies talking about the innovations being made within their organizations. Plus, we offered plenty of content around our strategic objectives – research, industry leadership, advocacy, product certification, education and events.

Pulling off an event like that requires focus on the highest priority topics for our members and a cohesive staff team. I have learned over the course of my career that leading an organization, for-profit or otherwise, is about effective strategic operations and functional, productive team cultures.

It’s common to have strategic objectives, but the tactical plans supporting those objectives need to include specifics detailing what each tactic is designed to achieve and what positive impact will result. Progress on tactical plans supporting strategic objectives needs to be measured and reported regularly – using a simple green/yellow/red dashboard can provide an effective, quick, at-a-glance view of how things are progressing. But there’s always a risk of confusing activity with results. To safeguard against that, be sure the desired results are defined clearly and early on so that progress is measured against that target rather than simply illustrating the volume of activity that has been occurring in support of the goal.

And as I mentioned, having an effectively functional team supporting the work to achieve the organization’s goals is a critical piece of the puzzle. Your company’s culture needs to be intentional. Communication norms and expectations need to be set in advance, understood and re-visited often. When they are, you can put on an industry gold standard event for hundreds of people, with a dozen or so staff on site.

At FGIA events, each staff member has a specific role, but they are also known for being adaptable and stepping in when one department needs help, or when it turns out a session needs some extra coverage. I think a large part of this is because we share one vision: serving our members and ensuring they have a positive experience at our conferences.

If you missed the Annual Conference, there is a special opportunity to participate in an online event this June. The FGIA Summer Conference is a virtual event, meaning you can take part in it without the cost of travel. Watch for details about the Summer Conference at FGIAonline.org/Events. Then join us in-person at our Fall Conference in early October.