As part of his closing speech at Healthcare Estates 2012, (see above), IHEEM’s new President, Greg Markham, introduced several new initiatives designed to raise the Institute’s profile, increase membership numbers, and ‘support members’.
‘Member get Member’
Among these are the introduction of a ‘Member get Member’ incentive scheme, via which any existing IHEEM member introducing a new member will receive a £15 Amazon voucher. The new member will correspondingly benefit from a waiver of the usual application fee. Chris Parker, IHEEM recruitment/ membership manager, elaborated: “At the last full membership survey undertaken by IHEEM, over 90% of respondents indicated they would recommend IHEEM to a colleague. A ‘Member get Member’ scheme is a tried and trusted method of encouraging members to make such a recommendation, and I expect many will do so, allowing colleagues to gain from the benefits that IHEEM membership brings. This will also help in meeting the challenging aspirations we have for membership growth.” Full details may be found at: www.iheem.org.uk/Member-get-Member
Young Member Group
Many members will recognise the challenges facing both the industry and the Institute in terms of an ageing workforce and succession planning. In order to provide at least part of the solution, the Institute is starting a Young Member Group to specifically address the needs of our younger members, provide a forum for them to meet and chat about issues, initially ‘virtually’, and to support their career aspirations. All existing members aged 35 or under will automatically become Group members, and will be invited to participate in its activities. Further details will be provided in due course via the IHEEM website and e-newsletter. Visit: www.iheem.org.uk/Young-Members- Group
President’s Blog
Greg Markham has also started a ‘President’s Blog’, to be published periodically, and accessed via the IHEEM website and other social media. He explained: “By starting my blog, I hope to be able to reach both existing IHEEM members, and those potential members and all those professionals with an interest in developing our industry. I plan to use the blog to update readers on Institute business, provide insights into healthcare estates matters, and keep readers up to speed with current developments.” The blog may be accessed at: www.iheem.org.uk/Presidents-Blog.
