ICA Expo is key to the official closing of the IYC

We want to leave 2012 with a blueprint in hand for 2020, writes ICA Director-General Chuck Gould.

The ICA Expo in Manchester, UK in November 2012 promises to be a not-to-be-missed event. In fact, it is the cornerstone to a series of key events occurring the week of 31 October 2012. Marking ICA’s close to the International Year of Co-operatives, it is designed as the culmination of the activities of the Year.

As it turns out, the times are auspicious for exploiting the opportunity of the International Year. As we have assessed the economic and social changes in the world today, we believe the underlying conditions are comparable to those of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when co-operatives experienced rapid growth, and when the co-operative movement around the world came together to create the International Co-operative Alliance.

Accordingly, our goal is to turn the Co-operative Year into a Co-operative Decade, and to make that shift in Manchester. We want to leave Manchester that week with a blueprint for 2020.

Central to our vision for the decade is the co-operative to co-operative trade that the ICA Expo epitomises and facilitates. Those co-operatives that participate in the Expo are at the forefront of that vision, early adopters of still-untapped business potential. Beyond the transactional opportunities the Expo provides is the strategic learning—the exposure to business strategies of other co-operatives.

The venue of the 2012 Expo lends itself to a virtual case study of one of the world’s premier co-operatives: The Co-operative Group, a consumer co-operative with turnover in excess of GBP 13 billion and a stunning growth story in recent years. The Co-operative Group will be opening its new headquarters while hosting us in Manchester.

While global in scale and impact, co-operatives at their core value community. The UK co-operative community has committed to the success of this Expo Week by convening co-operators from across the UK to participate in the Manchester events, further increasing the traffic and the excitement.

ICA is making a special effort at this Expo to allow participation from the co-operative public around the world, by creating a “virtual conference” on the internet, alongside the real events in Manchester. We want those excited by the promotion of the International Year to tune-in and witness the vibe and buzz as well as taking the opportunity to review all that’s happened during the Year.

While there are many ways to participate, there is a real limit to the number of co-operatives that will be able to exhibit and market their products and services there. Space at the Expo is going fast, and when it’s gone, it’s gone! I encourage you to avoid disappointment and not delay by booking your space now.

Looking forward to seeing you in Manchester!

Charles Gould
Director-General, ICA

Find out more about the Expo

Source: ICA news