ICF Convention Attendance Dips Amid Controversy

The lure of warm winter weather–and the continuation of a heated debate–have not been enough to convince some coaches to attend the upcoming ICF convention in Orlando. “I’ve spoken with a number of coaches who told me they were not planning to attend this year due to dissatisfaction with the credentialing plan,” said Jonathan Sibley, a critic of the ICF’s handling of a proposed revision of its credentialing process. “I sense a growing dissatisfaction with the direction the ICF has been heading and believe that the credentialing issue has served as a lightning rod for that dissatisfaction.”

For other coaches, the chance to combine the conference with a family vacation proved a powerful lure. Elene Cafasso, an executive and personal coach in Chicago, plans to bring her family to Florida, attending the ICF convention for the first time. “It’s Orlando, for Pete’s sakes!” she said.

“We are very pleased,” with the registration so far, said ICF Marketing Coordinator Amy Richardson. According to Richardson, 1,039 people have signed up for the four-day convention, which starts December 2nd. The attendees come from 43 countries and every state in the U.S., according to registration figures provided by the ICF.

The ICF calls its convention “the largest global gathering of coaches.” It was  estimated that 1,200 people would attend. If that number is reached, it would still represent a significant drop from the 1,500 who attended the ICF’s 2008 convention in Montreal.

The annual convention represents a key component of the ICF’s overall budget, bringing in nearly 30 percent of the ICF’s overall revenue in fiscal year 2009, according to the group’s 2008 annual report. (The Montreal conference brought in $1,205,468)

The choice of Orlando has been sold in marketing materials as an “accessible, affordable” location, and the ICF also reduced registration costs by $25 (the regular full conference registration costs $775 for ICF members and $975 for non-members) in an effort to be “sensitive to current economic realities.”

The economy has been delivering significant blows to conventions across all industries, with some cities reporting drops in attendance of up to ten percent as companies and individuals decide to hold back on spending.

Tom Krapu believes the convention–controversy aside–is money well spent. “The ICF conference always offers many opportunities to network with coaches worldwide and gain perspectives from other coaches through breakout sessions,” said Krapu. “Attendance is around 1,100 when other conferences this year are suffering terribly because of the economy. This tells you something about the quality of ICF conferences. In addition the exhibit areas are sold out this year,” said Krapu, who will be among the presenters at the conference.

Vikki Brock will be in Florida, but not attending the conference. “I have attended at least 10 of the last 15 conferences, beginning with the first one in 1996. I find that unless I am speaking (which is a session I must attend) I end up in the halls or exhibit area talking with colleagues,” said Brock. “Based on that, I had decided to not attend at all this year, until my international clients asked if I would be there – and when the number got up to six, that was the tipping point in making the trip to Orlando.” Brock says she’ll meet with her international clients, connect with coaching friends, and attend the open ICF luncheon on the credentialing issue.

Are you signed up for the ICF’s conference? Or have you decided to sit this year out? Either way, we’d like to know how you reached your decision.