Future Force set to solve skills challenges

ICC Belfast's Head of Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Ciara Davidson talks about FutureForce, an initiative that tackles the industry-wide problem of attracting and retaining staff.

Northern Ireland’s only purpose-built convention centre, ICC Belfast, was part of a global team which pitched the winning idea to international convention industry leaders in Costa Rica at the AIPC (International Association of Convention Centres) Annual Conference 2024.

As part of the AIPC Future Shapers programme, Ciara Davidson from ICC Belfast and her teammates from ICC Sydney, Viparis and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre had their new FutureForce concept voted the winning idea.

Ciara explained the challenge their project aims to tackle and outlined their winning solution. She said,

Our project, FutureForce, is aimed at tackling one of the single biggest challenges affecting the events industry worldwide: attracting and retaining skilled staff.

“By coming together with leaders from convention centres around the world through the AIPC Future Shapers programme, as a team we quickly realised that the challenges of running large-scale business events in Belfast, Northern Ireland, are no different to those experienced in France, Australia or Asia. The biggest challenge is a shortage of skilled team. Our concept, Future Force aims to address this.

“At the heart of our concept is the centralised FutureForce digital platform, a website and app offering connections for the global community of convention centre professionals and future professionals. It’s a one-stop information source for those seeking a job in business events, information to guide career choices and develop new talent, and a knowledge hub for professionals across every continent.

“Business events careers offer the chance to work anywhere in the world. At ICC Belfast, we have a host of team members who are not originally from Northern Ireland but call Belfast home and become part of our big “Belfast Welcome”. Equally, we are proud to see members of our team taking opportunities to travel to all corners of the world to grow their experience.

“Job opportunities in this industry are many and varied and are not only in event planning and hospitality, but across a myriad of other specialist skilled areas such as tech, sound and lighting engineering and set building. We hope that FutureForce will inspire the next generation of event professionals and strengthen the overall recruitment framework.”

AIPC is the industry association for professional convention and exhibition centre managers worldwide. Its Future Shapers programme promotes international networks and supports leadership development, culminating in a competitive team pitch of a potentially industry-changing concept.

FutureForce was voted the winning concept by over 400 industry leaders attending the summit in Costa Rica. On behalf of the successful team, Ciara Davidson said, 

With the AIPC’s backing, FutureForce is already off to an exciting start. The next stage will be to garner support from other industry associations so we can provide connectivity and a unified voice, making it happen without delay.

“FutureForce could be a true game-changer for an industry which offers so many exciting opportunities on a global scale.”