Just a few weeks ago we finished our Annual Meeting in Detroit, where many of you gathered to expand your awareness of national and international trends—network with colleagues—and grab those precious continuing education hours. It was a fantastic meeting, our hosts were incredibly gracious, and of course the technical program, networking, and exhibit hall were grand-slam home runs!
Not every member attends the big meeting each year, because some of you have professional goals that focus on local issues and regional needs.
And unfortunately, not every member attends the big meeting each year because their employers may not support their participation in a four-day meeting because of cost, time, or both. And that’s why we go out of our way to rotate the meeting location and partner with different Districts each year: to help bring the national and international expertise to you; to bring the networking opportunities to you; to bring that treasure trove of PDHs to you. Whenever the ITE International meeting comes into or near your District, I hope you take advantage of the opportunity!
One of the things I spoke about at the Annual Meeting a few weeks ago was the ITE All-Member Survey that was conducted earlier this year. And in this issue of the Journal, we have an article that highlights some of the key findings. For me, there were three things that stood out, and they directly align with why our membership is inching close to that 19,000 mark, continuing to grow with each passing year:
- The survey showed that 82 percent of respondents felt ITE provides enjoyable net-working opportunities. More than half of the respondents attended three or more ITE events each year, with many surpassing six.
- In the survey, 80 percent of respondents indicated that ITE provides excellent/good information and opportunities to help them advance their careers. Indi-vidual advancement and professional development are always a huge reason for people to join and remain a member of our prestigious organization.
- We also saw that 79 percent said ITE provides multidisciplinary information and programs with relevance to their roles within the transportation industry. We’re hitting the right topics at the right time and maintaining our ability to be relevant to both individual and industry needs.
I’m absolutely thrilled with those results! While I of course love the growth numbers, it’s these engagement numbers that, to me, are the true measure of our success. But let me be crystal clear—the credit for all this success goes to each one of YOU reading this right now.
This is your success, your celebration, your pat on the back. This is your organization. ITE is, and always has been, a member-driven organization. We are heavily volunteer-focused in terms of leadership, areas of emphasis, publications, and knowledge sharing.
Before becoming Executive Director and CEO, I was an ITE member for 30+ years, and just like you, I faithfully read ITE Journal, attended ITE events whenever I could, put time into volunteer leadership positions, and took advantage of those networking opportunities whenever I could. Because like life in general, you get out what you put in.
Thanks for all your efforts and for helping ITE reach new heights each year!