IAF conference in the home of Mickey & Donald

The IAF, International Association of Facilitators, has been recognized for over 10 years as a community of professionals in the field of participatory consulting and support (currently in 52 countries). The IAF promotes and supports the art and practice of facilitation through exchange, professional development, research, networking, and support services.

The North American IAF Conference 2013 took place in Orlando, Florida from June 5th to 8th. And Neuland participated for the first time. Attentive readers might be surprised, as we have frequently reported on our participation in international IAF conferences in the past. However, these were always held in Europe and organized by the European branch of the IAF.

So, this time, the journey of the two Neuland employees, Birgit Stumpf and Nina-Kristin Schupp, led them to sunny Florida. Well, not quite – because it turned out to be anything but sunny. While Germany was experiencing torrential rains, the Sunshine State was also experiencing a downpour. It was a good thing it wasn't an open-air conference.

Visual Tracks as the initiator of the Neuland participation

The Marriott Hotel in Orlando—a gigantic complex where you practically need a compass to find your way around—hosted this year's IAF-NA Conference. The first Visual Tracks took place the day before the actual conference, the so-called Pre-Conference Day—workshops led by visualizers such as Brandy Agerbeck, Sophia Liang, Dean Meyers, and John Ward. It was an excellent opportunity for us to reconnect with good friends and partners.

Impressions from the event