The Federation of European Self Storage Associations (FEDESSA) has appointed Paola Barazza as interim CEO. The organization also won an award for its 2024 annual conference and tradeshow, according to a July 24 email newsletter from the association to its members.
Barazza will replace Rennie Schafer, who is stepping down from this position as well as his post as CEO of the Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom (SSA-UK) at the end of the year. Barazza has worked for FEDESSA for nine years in increasingly senior roles and helped organize its annual conference as well as multiple member events. She’ll serve for 12 months while the European Committee for Standardization revises its free-trade regulations and the new SSA-UK CEO is selected. The FEDESSA CEO position will then be reviewed, the newsletter stated.
The 2024 FEDESSA event, held Oct. 8-10 in Stockholm, was recognized as the “Best European Conference” at the International & European Association Success Awards, which recognizes outstanding achievements and best practices among membership organizations. The announcement was made during the Associations World Congress event earlier this month in Hamburg, Germany, the newsletter stated.
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“The judges recognized this as an exceptional event that combined high-quality content with creative branding and an innovative theme to ensure outstanding engagement and experience. They praised the comprehensive approach that covered every aspect of the event, successfully engaging delegates, speakers and suppliers from the very beginning through post-event follow-up. The judges highlighted the excellent results achieved and noted that this event has set a very high bar for future events,” the newsletter stated.
Founded in 2004, FEDESSA consists of 12 European self-storage associations that represent about 2,000 facilities. The organization hosts its annual conference each fall in a different European city.
Founded in 2013, the Associations World Congress is attended by association leaders, directors and professionals from around the world. It’s hosted by the Association of Association Executives (AAE), a U.K.-based organization managed by Professional Community Services Ltd., with staff in Belgium, India, the Netherlands and the U.K.
The AAE is a global community of more than 20,000 employees and board members from associations, societies, federations and other work-related membership organizations. It offers information, education, networking, events and training to its members.
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Sources:Federation of European Self Storage Associations Newsletter, Paola Barraza Interim CEO for FEDESSAFederation of European Self Storage Associations Newsletter, FEDESSA Conference Wins Another Award
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