IGIM Industry Associations Playing Nicely - Or Are They?

Over the last year or so, I've seen a lot more cooperation between the various IGIM industry associations I'm a member of. In some cases it's been formal partnerships, such as the one between ARMA and RIMPA. In other cases, it's more of a "let's play nicely together", as was the case with the certification panel I moderated at AIIM23 and the keynote panel I moderated at ARMA Canada 2023. 

At ARMA Canada 2023 this week, ARMA and RIMPA announced a broader initiative called the Global Information Consortium. RIMPA had previously announced this in April, but it likely didn't get much notice or traction on this side of the pond. And I'm still not sure what this means, as the website is just a landing page and signup page with no information about members, how to get involved, etc. I don't believe AIIM is a participant, at least not yet. 

But the point of this post is events. Over the last few years, the vendor-neutral IGIM calendar in North America has looked something like this: 

• February: InfoAdvocates InfoGov Day, online
• March: InfoGovWorld Media, Information Governance Summit, San Diego, CA
• April: AIIM, various locations
• May: MER, Chicago with one exception
• June/July: ARMA Canada, various locations
• September/October: InfoGovWorld Media, InfoGovWorld, virtual
• October: ARMA InfoCon, various locations

But the next 12 months will see significant shakeups. AIIM has created a new event, the Solutions Showcase and Strategy Summit, scheduled for October 3-4 in Tampa, FL. This is the same dates as InfoGovWorld, which is now an in-person event, and only a few days before ARMA InfoCon 2023. ARMA has taken over the former MER conference, now rebranded as InfoNext, and perhaps in response, has decided to hold it April 8-10, 2024 in Palm Springs, CA, the week after AIIM24 in San Antonio. 

In both cases, these events are green field - that is, AIIM could have held the SS&SS anywhere and any time. And since MER InfoNext is rebranding and moving, same same. But in both cases management decided to hold their events in close proximity to established and already scheduled events. 

So my question to both AIIM and ARMA is - why? Why would you intentionally schedule on top of another event? And please don't insult our intelligence by saying that those were the only dates available. You have the entire country, and almost any week, to hold your events. This cannot be other than an intentional bid to make those of us in the industry choose between them. You may find that their event is preferable to yours.... And in the case of ARMA InfoNext, it's unlikely that most prospective attendees would be able to get the money and time out of the office to go to both AIIM and InfoNext. But maybe there's less overlap than I think, though speakers and vendors may disagree.  

Since InfoCon was scheduled a year ago, I'm already signed up to do a precon workshop and a panel there, so AIIM doesn't get my rego or presence for their fall event. Similarly, since AIIM24 was scheduled at least a year ago, ARMA InfoNext probably doesn't get my rego or presence for their event, though as a consultant I have slightly more flexibility than most.

I'd love to get some insight from AIIM and ARMA as to their thought process, but I won't hold my breath. Likewise, I'd love more information on what exactly the GIC entails, but likewise. Whenever they get around to providing additional details, I'll post them here.