A Successful Client Council with Three Days of Collaboration, Workshops and Strategic Planning
ASL enjoyed a wonderful few days building the value of the asthma & allergy friendly Certification Program with Certification Clients, Certification Program partners, colleagues and friends in Washington DC. It was a great opportunity to showcase the experience of a number of certification clients – what the certification has meant for them and how it has enabled them to grow. Our guests forged invaluable connections with peers, industry leaders, and innovators.
Day 1: A panel discussion titled “Designing, Building, Maintaining for a Healthier Indoor Environment” on the eve of the Client Workshop marked the opening of the three day event. Our expert panelists Holly O’Driscoll, Benjamin Holsinger, Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner and Jillian Pritchard Cooke contributed valuable insights that were very well received by the invited audience. Our host James Flood and Crowell & Moring provided the amazing facility and wonderful hospitality.
Day 2: Our expert-led Client Workshop with Tarkett, Knauf Insulation North America and Renegade Brands USA, Inc. was so refreshing. To be in a room with a dynamic group of old and new friends ideating around our shared mission to create healthier indoor environments was nothing short of inspiring.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America are a trusted advocate for the asthma and allergy community and it is a great pleasure to partner with them. SPARKS Consulting Group, the PR group responsible for amplifying our story, also joined us for the day.
Holly O’Driscoll facilitated the Design Thinking Workshop that enabled us to experience the free thinking that is necessary for a people-centred approach to design and building. At Allergy Standards, design thinking is at the forefront of everything we do: we start with the human. The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Mark is, after all, one of the few scientifically proven marks that is focused on the impact a product has on a consumer’s environment and the effect this environment has on health. We apply design thinking principles to understanding our customers’ needs, communicating the value of our brand, and in brainstorming ideas and solutions.
It was a joy to be able to make use of outdoor space in late October and for this we are grateful to Bobby Cunningham and the Vogel Group.
Day 3:It’s been too long since we have been able to meet in person with the extended team at AAFA and celebrate our our unique partnership that combines patient advocacy and science, so it was a particular pleasure to hold our AGM in person this year. The three days of collaboration, client workshops, and strategic planning has set us up for an exciting 2024 and beyond, ensuring the best for consumers and manufacturers.
Thanks to Kenneth Mendez, Sanaz Eftekhari, Kathy Przywara, Kimm Rafferty, Hannah Jaffee, Annette Minella and Alex Buzby for incredible teamwork!
We hope that everyone who attended the 2023 Client Council left with renewed enthusiasm, ideas and plans for how to use the Certification to grow their brand, and an appreciation of the power of the certification to communicate commitment to better indoor air quality and sustainability.
Key Words
Client Council, AAFA, Tarkett, Renegade Brands, allergies, asthma, asthma & allergy friendly®, Allergy Standards, Dr. John McKeon, indoor air quality, indoor environment, healthy air, certification, design thinking, client workshop
References and further reading