The Wick in the Candle

As I type this column, I am sitting at the Arizona Biltmore participating in PRISM International’s Commercial Information Services of the 21st Century: The Fundamentals. We have close to 50 people meeting here, learning not only about the fundamentals of records management but perhaps more importantly about some of the trends and innovations in the industry. We had presentations on the four pillars of the industry, sales, marketing, operations, warehouse design, finances, risk mitigation and more.

Our membership task group did a great job recreating and updating this workshop for our industry. The fact that we are at the Arizona Biltmore—a beautiful property rich with Frank Lloyd Wright designs and in history—certainly has added to the experience.

As one would expect, some of the attendees are new to the industry and are soaking in the rich knowledge of our experienced speakers and leaders. Many of the attendees, however, are seasoned pros who are taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from each other in this structured environment. The same thing happened at the European Information Management Conference, sponsored by PRISM, the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) and ARMA International. Though they welcomed newbies to all of our sessions, for the most part, our speakers engaged with an audience of seasoned professionals.

It is always striking to me that those people who most often participate in trends and educational sessions are not necessarily those new to the industry, who, some would argue, would benefit most from the presentations. Instead, more often than not, very experienced people attend and participate not because they necessarily need the information but rather because they crave it. Successful people are intellectually curious and are passionate about searching for trends, for what’s new and for an opportunity to learn from each other.

William Arthur Ward, the author, educator and motivational speaker, once wrote, “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” It didn’t take long for me to see this candle burning brightly among the members of PRISM International.

Join us at the PRISM International Annual Conference May 13-16, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Spring, Fla., for a great opportunity to meet, mingle and learn from your colleagues. What better opportunity to light your candle?

Dave Bergeson is the incoming executive director PRISM International, Chicago, and can be reached at dbergeson@prismintl.org or at 847-375-4866.