David Shipman, chairman of U.K.-based AFI-Uplift challenges other IPAF members to contribute an additional £75,000 to his £25,000 donation to support a national campaign designed to promote the benefits of powered access.

The United States aerial rental market is estimated at $6 billion for 2009, a 25-percent decrease compared to 2008, according to Ducker Research, which presented its preliminary findings at the International Powered Access Federation’s international conference in London last week. Drucker estimated the mobile elevating work platform market for the 11 European countries currently under study was about £2.2 billion in 2009, an 11-percent decrease compared with 2008.

In other conference events, the chairman of a U.K-based aerial rental company offered to donate £25,000 (about U.S. $38,000) to a national campaign designed to promote the benefits of powered access, if other IPAF members would contribute an additional £75,000. David Shipman, chairman of U.K.-based AFI-Uplift made the challenge after explaining that access rental demand in the U.K. would not recover soon, estimating that U.K. activity levels have decreased 15 to 20 percent from their 2008 peak, with a 10- to 20-percent drop in rental rates.

IPAF managing director Tim Whiteman said the organization would accept the challenge of raising the remaining funds.

Two of Genie’s co-founders — Roger Brown and Ward Bushnell — gave the opening address, drawing lessons from the history and formation of Genie and emphasizing the importance of safety.

“Safety is a value,” said Brown. “If your results are inconsistent with your values, you will have dissatisfaction.”

Bushnell emphasized the need for leadership. “Good leaders have integrity, intelligence, positive energy, courage, passion, authenticity and foresight,” he said. “They know when to get out of the way and let the people they have entrusted do the job. Good leaders remain visible, accessible and approachable.”

Next year’s IPAF Summit will be held April 14, 2011 in Amsterdam.