A. This is actually quite a common question and thankfully there is a very informative industry guide which can assist you with this process. Meetings & Events Australia have produced a guide titled ‘How to get the best out of your next meeting or event’. The guide covers a diverse range of topics including the role of the meetings manager, what to include in the event brief, and a checklist of items which should be in the contract between the client and the meetings manager. Another important factor is to consider the experience of both the organisation and individual team members of the organisation that you are considering. Always ask for client references and also request case studies of similar types of events they have managed previously. While there are currently no educational or legal requirements for meetings managers to comply with, if individuals within an organisation are accredited through Meetings & Events Australia, this should be looked upon favourably. A copy of the industry guide can be found at the Meetings & Events Australia website www.mea.org.au under the area of Research and Resources. A list of professional conference organisers can also be found on the website under the Who’s Who area. Alternatively you can contact your local convention bureau to obtain a list of their members which are professional conference organisers.
Leanne Zeid is responsible for the sales and marketing of ID Meetings & Events within Australia. She has more than 15 years’ experience in the conference, hospitality and tourism industry, with her most recent role being with the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau. Do you have a question for Leanne? Email – L.Zeid@idaustralia.com. The best one will be featured in the next edition of mice.net magazine.
While the nature of conference and event management requires a “heads down” and detail driven approach to business, it’s also important to grasp the “big story” from time to time. My company is one of three in Australia to belong to IAPCO, the International Association of Professional Conference Organisers, working to grow quality assurance and promote ethical work practices throughout the industry.
IAPCO has a strict criteria for membership which is painstakingly scrutinised, and the main activity is to boost professionalism through seminars for our members and our wider professional community. Among our observer-members are representatives of major banks and global agencies who conduct high level meetings in many parts of the world.
I recently returned from the 34th IAPCO Annual Seminar in Wolfsberg, Switzerland, where I was on the lecturing faculty for an intensive six-day residential course that is aimed at giving experienced organisers a wider perspective on a range of topics that are germane in their day to day duties. Sixty-two students this year and 19 on the waiting list! And 13 in the faculty. See www.iapco.org for further details. (For ANZ alumni please note the gathering at the IMEX stand in April.)
The value of the course – this was the sixth year I had been on the faculty – is that the students have access to people who are at the top of their profession, who travel extensively and understand world’s best practice and who truly appreciate the value of ongoing education.
Of course, these courses are by no means only one way traffic and there’s tremendous interaction with the students who come from many parts of the world and who have valuable insights to share.
More than 1500 people have completed the IAPCO Wolfsberg Seminar and many more at our regional seminars. It’s an opportunity I would urge all serious conference and event organisers to grasp. There were no Australian students this year which left one speaker as the sole Australian to fly the flag!
One thing evident this year is how the conservation of resources is becoming front and centre in our sector. It’s no secret that the conference industry has always been a massive consumer, especially of printed products, but at Wolfsberg this year, we didn’t have a manual printed, with all necessary information provided on USB sticks. It works.
A number of Australian and regional professionals joined us for a stimulating educational program in Auckland in February at the 40th anniversary of the IAPCO General Assembly. Quality and Greening Conferences were the main focus for this important gathering of international PCO leaders.
 Roslyn McLeod is the founder and managing director of Tour Hosts, a Sydney-based conference and event management company.
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