McLean, Va. -- The Convention Industry Council (CIC), an umbrella group representing 30 meetings-related associations, is seeking new management, opening the possibility that CIC president Mary Power may leave the organization.
CIC plans to issue a request for proposal next week for management services and award the contract by May, Power said yesterday.
Power and her staff of six people are employed by Association Management Group (AMG), which has held the management contract since 1998. Renewable annually, AMG's most current contract expired at the end of last year. The company will continue to manage CIC until a new contract is signed.
"It's a good exercise," Power said of the management review. "CIC is a much larger organization now."
The Certified Meeting Professional program, which CIC administers, has grown from about 3,000 participants in 2001, when Power joined AMG as CIC president, to a projected 11,000 people this month.
AMG plans to bid on a new contract, Power said, although AMG will simply be one among a number of management companies expected to vie for the contract.
Even if the CIC board selects a new management company, Power could still continue as the top staff person. She is not under contract to AMG but rather is employed with AMG under a day-to-day, work-for-hire agreement.
The board's decision to open the contract to competitive bidding came as the result of a comprehensive review of CIC's operations, which began last March.
"The CIC board believes periodic evaluation of management options is healthy, advisable and in the best interests of CIC," said CIC chairman Thomas Mobley Jr., general manager of the Washington Convention Center.
"We commend the staff of AMG, led by Bruce Wardle, and CIC president and CEO Mary Power for their leadership and professionalism during the evaluation process," he added.