June 30, the bump in the road that is 2007. Half way there! Have I achieved half of what I intend to do this year? Don’t ask!
I had an opportunity to play tourist for a day or so recently in Canberra and Adelaide, and visited the National Museum (Canberra) and the State Library (Adelaide). They are absolutely fascinating places, and treasure troves crammed with wonderful artefacts and memorabilia.
It got me thinking, and actually, I have a confession to make. . . I got a letter a couple of weeks ago from a past client and I don’t know what to do with it. It was not an email, not a phone call or a fax but a real letter that came in an envelope without a window (and I get too many of those!). Some time soon I will have to answer it the same way and pop it into a letterbox as all I have is a return address, but it kind of threw me as I had to think about the mechanics of doing what once was second nature.
The art of letter writing is no more and it makes me think of what our museums and libraries are going to display in years to come. Perhaps yellow post-it stickers with scribble courtesy of a current-day eminent scientist, a Shane Warne mobile phone displaying one if his famous text messages? They won’t have quite the same impact as those parchment letters under glass with the scrawly faded handwriting.
Back to MEA. “Associations make a better world.” I read this statement somewhere the other day and I tend to agree. The sense of belonging, the collegiate spirit and the like-mindedness of our friends and colleagues in our “club” make us feel good about what we do and where we fit in. It never ceases to amaze me how there seems to be an association for absolutely everything.
Working and fraternising as I do mainly in the not-for-profit sector, I get catapulted into another world quite often and meet the most fascinating people who equally share the passion and drive that I have for my association and industry. The World Ploughing Association for instance: what do they talk about at their four day conference? Okay, ploughing. And the International Commission on Large Dams?
I remember on one of my European sales trips I had arranged a meeting with the executive director of the World Simmental Federation. He lived and worked in a small town in Switzerland and our meeting was to be at the coffee shop at the railway station. As I walked down the platform wondering how on earth I was going to find him, there he was dutifully waiting at the agreed spot resplendent in matching hat and tie emblazoned with logos of black and white cows. Another passionate believer in his association and the value of belonging and sharing knowledge and experiences.
I see that some cities are now realizing the value of encouraging and facilitating accreditation for key staff from convention centres, PCO partners and bureau staff and are actually highlighting these qualifications in bid documents in the hope that this might give their city an edge. Not a bad idea and something that should be encouraged here. In fact, I remember reading a press release a few years ago which stated that “San Diego was the first bureau to have its national sales managers and convention service managers certified”.
I am sure you all have colleagues that you would like to see certified – if so, give Lucy Pantling a call at the MEA office on (02) 9929 5400. She is waiting to help!
UP-COMING MEA BRANCH ELECTIONS
An early reminder that before too long we will be entering branch committee election time. As a valued member of MEA, I urge you to consider being part of the governance of MEA. If you have the time (and it does require quite a bit of time) to commit to become a MEA committee member in your state, or one of MEA’s nationally elected national councillors I urge you to watch this space for further correspondence.
CONGRATULATIONS “TEAM ADELAIDE”
I am delighted to announce that the MEA National Conference for 2009 will be held in Adelaide from Sunday, April 5 to Tuesday, April 7, 2009.
The bid process was most competitive with MEA receiving four highly competitive bids.
Thank you to the panel of decision makers - Annabel Davis, Rhona Walker, Ruth Lilian and Suzie Jones for their efforts in deciding the successful bid.
Thank you also to those involved in each bid that was received. Your support of MEA is very much appreciated.
We look forward to working with “Team Adelaide” on what will undoubtedly be a great conference.
MEA CONFERENCE 2008
Planning is about to commence for the 21st Annual Meetings & Events Industry Conference in Alice Springs:
When: Friday May 9 to Monday, May 12, 2008.
The date was announced over a year ago, but just a reminder to put it in your diary now, as we are planning a brilliant educational and social program certain to please.
SEMINAR FOOTAGE FROM THE HOBART 2007 CONFERENCE
As part of our focus on member benefits, MEA is providing you with access to footage taken of seminars at the Hobart 2007 conference.
To access Matt Crouch’s ‘Legal Considerations and Risk Management’ seminar, and Bernard Salt’s ‘Brave New World’ seminar, please go to the MEA website www.meetingsevents.com.au, and click on the labelled link. When you are asked for a passcode please enter; Username:measpeakers and Password: hobart.
The presentations will run continuously from one to the next however you can view particular presentations by clicking on the picture of the presenter in the menu bar on the left hand side.
Footage of other seminars that MEA will hold throughout the year will also be made available on an on-going basis.
Special thanks to Zoom Productions.
NEW STAFF TO MEA
Event Manager - Anna Tartakovskaia
MEA announces the employment of an event manager to manage MEA’s National Conference in 2008 to be held in Alice Springs.
MEA’s event manager will also manage our annual residential program as well as a number of our on-going events.
Anna Tartakovskaia commenced her career in event management after completing a degree in Tourism Management. Her first role in the industry was with one of Sydney’s function venues as the events coordinator. The role involved looking after client event requirements which ranged from corporate events to private functions. Having learnt a great deal and established some industry contacts, she moved to conference management, the area she is truly passionate about.
Before joining MEA, Anna worked for the Aged and Community Services Association of NSW & ACT in Events Management, working on a number of state and national conferences. She managed all aspects of conference planning from program development and speaker liaison to onsite management. Anna worked for the association for over two and a half years and considers it to be the most invaluable experience in her career so far. She is very excited to be joining MEA and looks forward to commencing her role in August 2007.
The MEA Executive Certificate in Meetings & Event Management, in Sydney from December 3-6, is designed for those who have between one and three years’ meetings industry work experience and who need an intensive training experience to move them along their career path.
This is a major training opportunity for meetings/event and sales/marketing personnel working within the industry – and it happens only once per year! The program has only limited spaces available due to the intensive workshop format, so now is the time to act!
The program is intensive and highly participative, involving individual work, group work and lectures from industry specialists. Students can elect to register for the full three-and-a-half day program or the one-day sales and marketing program. Here is a summary of topics and outstanding presenter line-up:
Designing Your Special Event
Meg Abernethy, executive producer and general manager, David Grant Special Events
Managing Risk – Insurance Matters!
Matthew Crouch, executive lawyer, Bartier Perry Solicitors
Simon Baggs, CEO, Lateral Marketing and Management
The Do’s and Don’ts of Conference Programs
Amanda Trotman AMM AFMEA, managing director, The Forum Group
Leanne Christie, managing director, Ovations International
Event Staging for all Seasons and Reasons
Meri Took, CEO, Staging Rentals & Construction Services
Managing Your Budget
Robyn Johnson AMM AFMEA, managing director, Connexion Event Management
Event Site Selection & Negotiation
Warwick Hamilton, managing director – Events Unlimited International
Understanding Conference Catering
John McLean, food and beverage director, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre
Event Industry Update
Linda P Gaunt, CEO, Meetings & Events Australia
Planning the Project – Developing a Critical Path
Ruth Lilian AMM, conference manager, DC Conferences
An Introduction to Exhibitions
Craig Hoskinson, senior account director, Expo Hire NSW
The Basics of Audio-Visual Technology
Keith Wooton AFMEA, general manager, AV1
Selling Your Product from Call to Closure
Ian Michael Farkas, business development director, SCVB
Planning Your Sales Strategy
Sharlene Dadd, managing director, The Meeting Portfolio
Marketing in the e-business World
Monica Hole, director – Condiment Communications
Choosing Promotional Activities that Work for You
Donna Kessler AFMEA, director - Tourism Portfolio
A detailed outline of the program, including up-to-date topic descriptions, fees, venue and presenter details, is available via the training page www.meetingsevents.com.au/training/index.shtml on the MEA website www.meetingsevents.com.au. Registration is also available on-line via the National Professional Development Calendar of Events located via the training page on the MEA website.
Contact Fiona Kelly in the MEA National office for further information on (02) 9929 5400 or fkelly@mea.org.au.
MEA held a very successful forum for in-house meeting planners during RSVP Sydney at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, with more than 30 professionals from the association and corporate sectors in attendance.
Reflecting the pressure for meeting planners to develop events that can demonstrate a clear return on investment for the marketing dollar, a presentation entitled, “The Heat is On” was delivered by director of gnm consulting, Grant McPhee, to kick off the forum.
Grant spoke on effective ways to determine analytic requirements, conduct post-event analysis, interpret the data, measure results and determine the outcomes needed to achieve a business objective.
The open forum following the presentation was a lively discussion covering a range of issues experienced by this segment of MEA’s membership and a unanimous request for a follow up forum in the very near future.
In-house meeting planner forums are organised by MEA around the country at various times. If you are a meeting, conference or event planner working with an association, government department or corporation and would like to hear more about these forums or attend one in your state, contact Anne Camenzind at MEA’s Sydney office for more information.
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