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This week, we mark a truly special milestone: Manon Bradley, our Development Director, celebrates 20 remarkable years with the Major Projects Association.
Over the past two decades, Manon has been at the heart of our evolution — leading bold initiatives, championing inclusion and sustainability, and constantly pushing us to adapt and grow. From launching pioneering programmes to guiding us through major digital transformations, her influence can be seen in every corner of the Association.
To celebrate this anniversary, Manon has written a personal reflection on one of the most pivotal shifts she’s helped lead at the MPA — our technological revolution. In her own words, she takes us back to 2005 and shares the story of how a fax machine-era organisation embraced innovation, and how one unlikely heroine — nicknamed “Alice” — helped change everything.
The year 2005 marked a pivotal moment in the technological landscape, with the widespread adoption of digital music platforms, the ubiquity of Wi-Fi, and the increasing affordability of flat-screen televisions, which began to permeate the homes of ordinary consumers. In many ways, the technological environment of that time bears a striking resemblance to the world we inhabit today.
However, the Major Projects Association (MPA) that I joined in March of that year was a vastly different entity from the organisation we know now. At that time, we were still entrenched in an era that prioritised paper-based systems and typewriters. The fax machine represented the pinnacle of technological communication. Our member database consisted of a lever-arch file containing around 140 names and addresses, meticulously typed onto plain sheets of paper and painstakingly photocopied onto mailing labels. Whenever we released a new report, our three-person team would dedicate an afternoon to stuffing envelopes and affixing labels by hand.
The process was similarly laborious when it came to promoting new events. We would print flyers, detailed programmes — finalised months in advance — and registration forms, which were then photocopied 140 times by a professional in “The Print Room”. These materials would be dispatched to our Main Representatives and their Alternates, who, in turn, would physically pin them to noticeboards within their offices. A week or so later, the registration forms would be faxed or posted back to us, prompting the manual compilation of attendee lists for each event.
Throughout this period, we relied on the most rudimentary technologies — word processors, fax machines, photocopiers, and the occasional typewriter. As a result, our reach within member organisations was limited, with only two or three primary contacts at each organisation regularly attending events and contributing to our discussions. Yet, despite these technological constraints, the depth of knowledge and breadth of experience shared at our events rivalled that which we see today. We routinely attracted upwards of 70 attendees to our full-day seminars, with approximately six such events held annually. Although the wine we served at lunchtime may have played a small role in encouraging these attendance figures!
Only a few months into my tenure, I recognised that the Association’s growth potential was severely constrained by our outdated, paper-dependent systems. I proposed to the Board that we invest in an electronic database, one that would enable us to capture critical information about our member organisations and track event attendance efficiently. Prior to this, the only method of tracking attendees was to sift through paper attendance lists.
I contracted a local company to develop a bespoke platform, and our modest roster of names and addresses was entered into the system by a brilliant temporary employee named Alice. The database was affectionately dubbed “Alice,” and “she” became a central fixture of our operations until “her” early retirement in 2020.
Of all the changes I have implemented at MPA, the introduction of “Alice” has proven to be among the most transformative. It allowed us to connect with hundreds of individuals at each member organisation, enabling us now to regularly communicate with over 12,000 people each month. The system also facilitated the creation of an online booking platform, which directly fed into the database, thereby eliminating the need for manual data entry and reducing the errors that had been an inevitable consequence of interpreting handwritten faxes.
The ability to track event data in real-time afforded us valuable insights into attendance patterns, the popularity of various topics, member engagement levels, and even typical attrition rates, all of which helped us optimise event planning, including ensuring that we never over-ordered catering.
By the close of 2006, the day-to-day administration of the Association had undergone a remarkable transformation, becoming more efficient and streamlined. This newfound efficiency freed up time to expand our event offerings, and in the years that followed, we introduced new formats, such as Chief Executive dinners, breakfast meetings, and evening sessions, alongside our staple full- and half-day seminars. The £6,000 price tag for Alice was, without question, money well spent.
Since then, I have striven to keep the Association relevant by adopting technologies that genuinely enhance our offerings to members—not by chasing every passing trend, but by embracing those innovations that provide tangible, long-lasting benefits. Each new idea must pass what I call “The Martin Barnes Test” — will this initiative improve the initiation and delivery of major projects? If the answer is affirmative, we endeavour to implement it to the best of our abilities.
I look forward to the coming years with the hope that they will prove as transformative as my pioneering early days. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping nearly every facet of our operations at the Association, and I am confident that its integration will significantly enhance the value we provide to our members. By automating routine tasks, AI will free up our time, allowing us to focus more intently on cultivating meaningful relationships and reinforcing the strength of our community.
(And I can neither confirm or deny the use of AI in the creation of this blog!)
