Inaugural WAtoN Day and annual IALA Day
The fact that so many IALA members throughout the world celebrated the inaugural World Marine Aids to Navigation (WAtoN) Day, on 1 July 2019, was a powerful affirmation of the indispensable role of marine AtoN in enhancing safety of navigation and protection of the environment. It also brought IALA’s important technical work to the attention of the wider public.
Members were also very active on social media and numerous personal messages were received by the IALA Secretary-General and Secretariat staff.
Press releases on this special day are available on the dedicated webpage via https://www.iala.int/news-events/world-marine-aids-to-navigation-day/world-marine-aids-to-navigation-day-2019/. A feature article will be published in the printed IALA Bulletin.
For the 14-strong IALA Secretariat staff, all of whom participated in the main event, there was the additional bonus of spending time together and hold their annual “IALA Day”, which took place on 2 July. The day usually involves the interactive review of developments over the past year followed by a discussion on a particular topic, moderated by the Secretary-General as “team leader”. This year’s chosen topic was communication and the whole team – comprising eight women and six men together representing eight different nationalities – worked closely together in a lively atmosphere to produce a clear and concise document. This will serve as a reference for IALA’s communication policy including its scope and purpose, communication channels, roles and responsibilities, and good practice.
