Futures Council

Overview

The Futures Council is AEM’s leading source of information on disruption. Using the expertise of members, futurists and professionals in applied technology, it seeks to develop the most pertinent and engaging information to inform members about changes that could impact what they manufacture and how AEM could adapt to thrive in that change.

The goals of the Futures Council are to:

• Serve as an early alert system to AEM and its members through reviewing and discussing disruptions on the horizon (out three to seven years or presently experiencing exponential growth) that have potential to impact off-highway equipment manufacturers and/or AEM from the Association’s perspective.
• Consider if the disruptions will impact AEM’s service offerings and/or if AEM should begin dialoguing with its members on the topics through its Boards, committees and content.

Objectives

• Identify a prioritized list of disruption topics that AEM should bring to its membership through content, committees or Sector Boards: disruptions within its trades of construction, agriculture, utility, forestry and mining, or disruptions in its operations of channel to market, manufacturing or supply channel.
• Deliver to the AEM Education and Content team, membership or Boards, ideas or changes in suggested approaches to support the membership. In addition, add to a “watch list” of items likely to disrupt the Association’s service and financial model.
• Establish a regular cadence of disruption outlook content delivered to members.
• Oversee Future Vision Teams, think tanks that include members, non-members and/or subject matter experts, as needed:
  • Future of Food.
  • Future of Building.
• Oversee peer groups that are pay-to-participate and include members in focused work areas to build a network of influential peers.

2023 Priorities

• Continue to promote the work done by the Vision Teams, including sharing information contained in the Future Food Production and Future of Building whitepapers.
• Continue to raise awareness of topics which need education enhancement within the membership as well as helping AEM determine next steps to support the direction and achievement of trends contained in the whitepapers.

Deliverables

• The Council will gather in person a minimum of one time per year with potential to meet virtually to discuss such topics in order to provide an early alert system to AEM and its members. 
• The Council will also serve as a content contributor to AEM Communications on topics deemed of value to the membership by the Council.

Composition

• Select leaders from 15 to 20 AEM members with a possible addition of outside subject matter experts from time to time. Terms are two years with the ability to be reelected.
• Preferably from a leadership, product marketing, innovation, digitization or research and development position.
• Identified by the member company as a potential future leader in their organization.
• The Council may be comprised of up to three non-members with a background in futures studies, app/technology, digital expertise, new process development or similar.

Meetings

• The Futures Council anticipates meeting in mid-2023 and additionally as needed.
• At least 75% attendance is required to participate any of these groups.