AEMP, John Lennon, and The A-Team Making the Best of a Unique Time

AEMP, JOHN LENNON, AND THE A-TEAM:

BY GEORGIA KRAUSE

MAKING THE BEST OF A UNIQUE TIME

Equipment Management Live was an innovative virtual event that gave participants the opportunity to interactively engage with industry leaders and other AEMP members using Zoom’s live video conferencing.

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Virtual experiences allowing AEMP members to share knowledge are part of the association’s vision for helping its members now and in the future.

©KATERYNA – STOCK.ADOBE.COM T his might sound familiar. You’ve been told that Savannah is lovely in June, you’re caught up at work, and the company has signed off on four days away so you can attend AEMP’s annual summer leadership summit. You’re looking forward to catching up with some of your AEMP buddies over some fine southern cuisine, sharing thoughts on the day’s sessions, talking a little business, even floating the idea of motoring over to Hilton Head to see who’s golfing. Yep, you can almost hear those dragon flies humming

“summertime” as you check to see what flights will get you into Georgia’s most gracious city. Then, BAM. The world takes a roller-coaster turn and, like many events across the nation, AEMP’s Leadership Summit was cancelled. You aren’t going anywhere, Bucko. John Lennon told it like this, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”

Ok, now what?

This year AEMP has been working to expand its resources and experiences for members, taking the next steps to provide the finest educational, networking, and business leadership opportunities for professional equipment managers.

Donte Shannon, CEO of AEMP, and the AEMP board have been crafting AEMP’s FY20-21 Strategic Plan, which is the foundation of the association’s growth. Shannon’s priorities include continued positioning of AEMP and its members as the foremost experts in equipment and fleet management, especially in relation to the impact professional equipment managers have on C-suite management goals. More knowledge transfer and educational opportunities — virtual and in-person — are part of the AEMP vision to help enhance current equipment managers’ careers and encourage future workers to join the profession.

Developing and implementing globally recognized best practices and industry standards for maintenance, finance, safety, sustainability, and environmental procedures is a goal Shannon share’s with the AEMP board and partners. Additionally, continuing to build relationships anchored in trust and professionalism with equipment OEMs, government agencies, and industry innovators provide powerful resources for AEMP members to draw from.

Shannon feels it is important to aggressively take advantage of resources and growth opportunities to further engage and deepen the value AEMP brings to its

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During Equipment Managment LIVE, attendees will be able to interact and engage with industry leaders.

membership. So when it became clear the 2020 Leadership Summit in Savannah could not be staged as planned, AEMP quickly realized that many of the near-future additions and innovations planned to support the FY2021 strategic plan were remarkably well suited to staying connected with AEMP members now.

Wikipedia suggests Richard Franck is credited with writing, “Necessity is the mother of invention” back in 1656. What better time than now to make use of AEMP’s ideas, resources, and skills? Necessity, meet Invention.

Doing a quick pivot, AEMP’s stellar staff reconfigured what was to be the annual leadership summit in Savannah to fit today’s unique social parameters. The result was the first ever AEMP Equipment Management LIVE virtual conference. Equipment Management LIVE was an innovative virtual event that allowed interactive engage with industry leaders and other AEMP members using the powerful platform of Zoom’s live video conferencing. Each day’s conference, usually about 90 minutes in length, offereed live streaming video

“…THE FIRST EVER AEMP EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT LIVE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ON JUNE 22-26, 2021”

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that displayed both that day’s speakers and the AEMP members participating in the meeting. (If you haven’t done a Zoom event before, visualize the opening shots of the Brady Bunch in which you will have your own space.)

AEMP’s live, connected conversations and presentations included panel discussions in which all attending (signed-on) participants were encouraged to speak and ask questions in real time. These sessions were recorded and made available on demand to AEMP members for 120 days after the Equipment Management LIVE event is over, giving members who may not have been able to attend the option to view the proceedings later. After each day’s session, AEMP’s featured speakers continued to be available for comments and questions via a hosted forum on the AEMP website.

Advances in technology are broadening our knowledge base and giving us opportunities to bring greater value to our professional and association experiences. Some of the platforms used during Equipment Management LIVE are being incorporated into future business, educational and certification events that will allow many more techs and managers the chance to grow in their profession with the greatest scheduling flexibility.

Of course, in-person events are always the highlights of AEMP’s calendar and will continue as the world regains its balance. Member engagement is key — ‘associating’ is the foundation of our association. Stepping up to take advantage of this unique time in our country to introduce new engagement opportunities to our members is what we hope AEMP members will come to expect from their premier professional equipment management association. Good things are on the way! “I love it when a plan comes together!” - John ‘Hannibal’ Smith, Leader of The A-Team

Nice.