It may only be one speaker on the program or it may be more, it may be a new business colleague you meet over a drink, or it may even be one of the (many) entertainers performing throughout the half-week of workshops, plenary sessions and social engagements. Somewhere, sometime during the three-day event, you’ll find your little piece of inspiration that makes you think the time (and expense) was well worth it.
That’s the thing about a MEA conference: there is always something that stands out for the majority of people each year, and that brings them back again and again.
MEA’s most recent annual gathering in Hobart was no exception. The program was full, and the delegates (400 plus) were up for a good time (as usual). This year’s line-up of presenters was wide and varied to say the least, and there really did appear to be something for everybody.
A stand-out in 2007 was most definitely Leo Schofield, the man of a thousand events. With three Melbourne Festivals, four Sydney Festivals, two Olympic Art Festivals, and three Sydney New Year’s Eve events behind him (to name a few), he provided a great mix of information with humour and plenty of wit to an audience mix of experienced industry members and newcomers.
Another top speaker was Andrew Wilkie, the former soldier working in the Office of National Assessment until he quit over the Australian Government’s decision to send troops to Iraq. See Bryan Holliday’s comments on page 19 of this edition.
Bernard Salt provided a wonderful presentation on the changing face of working and social life. Through analysis of statistical data he sees the skills shortage to be the number one business issue globally for decades to come, particularly because of the contracting birth rates.
He told delegates that baby boomers will continue working well after retirement, and that Generation Y will be equally focused on “lifestyle” as they are on work.
Workshops were also interesting and informative. Nigel Collin and his creativity workshop was well received. He left participants not only vowing to get more creative but gave them some no-nonsense tools to do just that.
Sessions by Belinda Yabsley, Megan Miller of Sabre Corporate Development, Diane Tompson, Darrell Weekes, and Avril Henry were also well attended and well received.
Channel Seven’s The Great Outdoors presenter, Shelley Craft, did a wonderful job as MC. She was enthusiastic, professional, and provided just the right mix of humour before and after presentations. It was especially obvious after each keynote speaker that she had been listening to the presentation because she provided insights of her own about each presentation cleverly and succinctly.
There were only a few incidents that stood out as poor at this year’s event. The first was the performance by the Rosny Children’s Choir, which was used as part of the opening ceremony. My disappointment with their performance had nothing to do with the singing voices. They are clearly a great group of young kids. I would suggest that their failure to ignite much of anything in me had more to do with where they were performing and how they were performing.
The last time the MEA conference was held in Tasmania the Rosny Children’s Choir performed in a very different setting, at a different time (of the day), and in a different venue. At that performance there was barely a dry eye in the house as the children’s sweet voices echoed above the MEA delegates.
There was none of that this time. Different setting, different time, different result.
Another disappointing factor was the presentation by the Federal Minister for Tourism, Fran Bailey, who attended the MEA conference in person for the first time in 2007.
But she was talking to the business events industry, who would have been far more interested in hearing what the Minister was doing in attracting more business to Australia than telling everybody how important the business events industry was.
The other disappointing performance was from the band playing at the gala dinner at Wrest Point. Unlike the band at the previous night’s function this group failed to ignite the party-hungry MEA crowd. I don’t think there was anything wrong with the band, it was rather the setting and the evening’s format that were probably the contributing factors to the group’s failure to take attendees somewhere special. Dinner followed by a long list of award presentations kept attendees from kicking up their heels until it was too late for many who escaped on buses as soon as they could.
The Event of the Year went to Jack Morton Worldwide for the spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne last year. Taking out the Platinum Award for obtaining the top score of all the entries was Robin Rudaizky of Perth Expohire & Furniture Group.
Most Outstanding Contribution from an Individual Award went to Elizabeth Rich. (pictured top right with Leigh Harry).
Other winners were:
• Meetings Management – less than eight employees – Conference Solutions, ACT
• Meetings Management – more than eight employees – Tour Hosts, NSW
• In-House Meetings Management - Australian Education International, ACT
• Catering & Banqueting - Sydney Showground, NSW
• Convention Centre/Tourism Organisations - Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Special Event Organiser - Great Southern Events, NSW
• Conference Support Services - Ovations, NSW
• Meeting of the Year – more than 500 delegates - Event Planners Australia, Qld
• Operations Person of the Year - Mary Hair, Alice Springs Convention Centre
• Conference Support Products - Execugifts, QLD
• Specialty Venue - Dreamworld, QLD
• Meeting Venue, less than 150 delegates - Westin Melbourne
• Meeting Venue, 150-500 delegates - Hyatt Regency Adelaide
• Meeting Venue, more than 500 delegates - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, QLD
• Technical & Creative Production - Eliteaudiovisual, SA
• Exhibition Support Products & Services - Perth Expohire & Furniture Group
• Meetings or Event Manager of the Year - Jacqueline Larsen, DG Global Events, WA
The following companies enter the MEA Hall of Fame due to their multiple awards in recent years at the national level:
• Sydney Showground (Catering / Banqueting)
• Execugifts (Conference Support Products)
• Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau (Convention Bureau/ Tourist Organisation)
Photos courtesy of www.eventpix.com.au
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