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IAAPA Unveils Three New Education Initiatives in 2011
Foundation, certification, executive education add depth and reach to the association’s training and research capabilities
by Jeremy Schoolfield
 This is a big year for IAAPA’s educational offerings, as three key initiatives debuting in 2011 will increase the value and benefits members receive from the association year round. They are:
The IAAPA Foundation, a separate nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation, focused on education and research for attractions industry professionals.
The IAAPA Institute for Executive Education, a new weeklong program presented in partnership with San Diego State University.
IAAPA Certification, which recognizes professional development within the industry. “People are now looking to their associations for more than just a trade show,” says San Diego Zoo’s Ted Molter, the foundation’s first chairman. In that light, below is a summary of each of these new programs.
IAAPA Foundation
One of the most popular perennial requests of IAAPA is industry research and data. The association listened, and the IAAPA Foundation is the answer.
As the foundation gets rolling this year, one of its first key objectives will be a benchmarking study of the attractions business, “so that anybody getting into the business would have some basic facts to start with,” Molter says. “It’s something that’s going to give back to this industry.”
As a separate nonprofit corporation from IAAPA, the foundation has its own board of directors, its own budget apart from the standard IAAPA operating budget, and access to different types of grants and other resources IAAPA previously couldn’t obtain.
“It will help open up some new doors that, in turn, will help us with education, communication, and shoring up the industry in general,” Molter says. The idea is to have one central location to pool the industry’s combined resources into data that helps everyone; one company alone, he says, may not have the couple hundred thousand dollars available to commission such a study, but all the companies in the industry combined certainly do. The board of directors (see list at right) comprises industry veterans who will begin reaching out to their longstanding relationships to get the fundraising going. Besides industry research, the foundation will also enhance training and education for professionals throughout the industry, and demonstrate the industry’s value to the broader global economy and well-being.
“It’s a legacy program for those who have been a part of this industry for so long—a chance for them to give back in a way they haven’t been able to before,” Molter says. “Their initial participation certainly is going to be with funding, but the results are going to be beneficial to everybody. They’re going to be making a contribution to something that is going to be a benefit to all of us,” Molter says.
 IAAPA Institute for Executive Education
In January, the association debuted its newest seminar program, the IAAPA Institute for Executive Education. As the name states, the institute’s curriculum is intended for top executives looking for an intense, all-encompassing week of immersion in the highest level of business practices.
IAAPA for years offered a broad-based executive program that dealt in generic best business practices. The difference this time around was all about finding the right academic partner: San Diego State University’s L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management was founded nine years ago by a group of former attraction executives for future attraction executives (so far, the school has a 100 percent placement rate within the industry).
“What we needed to bring to our members is something that exudes our industry,” Molter says, where the instructors are able to speak specifically to the needs of this business. Thus San Diego is a perfect location, with its wide collection of attractions touching so many of IAAPA’s constituent groups. The first institute included a daylong “cultural audit” of Molter’s San Diego Zoo, where he interacted with participants to discover if what he thinks San Diego Zoo stands for is what they observed as visitors. The week’s program included a visit to SeaWorld San Diego and a classroom case study of the local Boomers! family entertainment center.
 “We’re going to be at those places as much as we’ll be in a classroom on campus, so that’s really exciting—and hard to replicate,” says Carl Winston, director of the Payne School.
San Diego also is a relatively easy international destination, particularly for Asia-Pacific attendees; in fact, more than half of the 2011 class came from outside the United States. And speaking of class size, the institute is intentionally small at a maximum of just 30 participants. “This is a personalized program,” Winston says. “We want everyone who attends to know each other. You can’t create those rich, deep human connections in a large class.” The program is already sold out. Please contact John Henderson at jhenderson@IAAPA.org about future programs.
 IAAPA Certification
The Institute for Executive Education is also the final step in IAAPA’s new certification program, which also debuts in full this year. Certification is designed to elevate the professional standards of the industry through a combination of classroom work and on-the-job experience. There are three levels of certification:
Manager, with emphasis on expanding knowledge in five key areas: marketing, finance, revenue generation, operations, and human resources.
Professional, with emphasis on analyzing information and making sound decisions.
Executive, the highest achievement for those with extensive industry experience, demonstrating a strategic vision for a company.
So how does this work? Essentially, Molter says, anyone pursuing certification has an “account” where credits are earned toward completion. For the first level, attractions managers, participants receive credit for attending educational seminars at IAAPA events and participating in association committees. Each level has its own set of criteria, culminating in the Institute for Executive Education.
“It’s a new level of engagement we previously didn’t have,” Molter says. “If you want to move about within the industry, we hope our certified members are the ones who will be given additional consideration for job opportunities.”
For more information about any or all of these new IAAPA education initiatives, visit www.IAAPA.org/education, or contact John Henderson, vice president, education, professional development, and training services, at jhenderson@IAAPA.org.
IAAPA Foundation Board of Directors
• Rene Aziz, Group Divertido
• Jane Cooper, Herschend Family Entertainment
• Phil Lindsey, The Health Museum
• John McReynolds, Universal Orlando Resort
• Ted Molter (chairman), San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Jim Seay, Premier Rides
• Paul Serff, Texas Travel Industry Association
• IAAPA President and CEO (to be determined)
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