Q: You had your start in the world of show business, with stints with Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet developing their promotional and marketing campaigns back in the 1970s. Didn’t moving into what must have been a somewhat staid corporate environment seem like a step backwards?
Becoming master of my own destiny was for me such a liberation in itself that it barely occurred to me that I was giving anything up. Live events for the corporate sector were in their infancy in those days, but they weren’t exactly unknown as the airlines, car and tobacco companies had all recognised that live events were a hugely effective addition to their other marketing initiatives. There was so much that the live arts could give the corporate sector, it’s taken 27 years and there’s still plenty we can draw from. As Cate Blanchett said recently: “Creativity is what defines us to the world.” Our major corporations and institutions cannot reach their key stakeholders simply by putting out media releases and through advertising. They demonstrate their expertise in their particular fields by drawing on theatrical and creative elements that have been around for centuries and unfold them through technologies old and new to make an impact.
Q: Most people who do well in the meetings and events business spend a few years in their professional associations, building up contacts, developing a profile and then seep back into their companies. You’ve always been involved in the various industry associations, most especially the International Special Events Society (ISES). You were a foundation member of the Australian Chapter of ISES, and President from 1995 to 1997 and are still highly active with the organisation on an international level.
It’s a crowded business world out there and the only way to prosper is to remain visible and relevant. ISES has taken up a huge slice of my life over the years, but I’ve gained so much from meeting and mixing with the best in the world. I travel overseas twice a year at least to attend ISES activities and hopefully share some of the insights I’ve gained in special events. I always come back with fresh eyes.
Q: You’ve done a lot of work for charity organisations over the years, with Variety – the Children’s Charity Christmas Party at the Sydney Convention Centre being an annual highlight. The centre recently won an award for the quality of this event. What are some of its main elements?
The Variety Christmas Party is the peak event of Variety’s year – the reason they do their massive program of fundraising. It gives some 5000 underprivileged and disabled children from across NSW the chance to come together for a massive party that stretches from one end of the exhibition centre to the other. With them are some 2500 carers and Variety volunteers. Each child gets a present and the chance to blow off steam in a way most of them are unable to do over the course of the year.
We bump in a full catering facility, bring in bands, clowns, a cartoonist, baby farm animals, police and fire department displays, gymnasts and a liberty swing which lets children in wheelchairs experience the simple pleasure of a swing. Some of Australia’s top entertainers donate their time and for many it’s their favourite gig of the year as the kids just go off! We bring this entire event together for around $12 a child thanks to the generosity of artists and sponsors.
Q: Special events have an element of danger about them. Unlike theatre where there’s usually weeks of rehearsals, special events bring a wide range of suppliers together for a once-off occasion where the only rehearsal is a sound check. You must have had a few adrenalin-charged moments along the way.
One that comes to mind that some mice.net readers might recall was an Australian Incentive Association opening party on Hamilton Island with an African theme. A howling rainstorm swept through our outdoor venue far from the resort facilities as our first guests were alighting from their buses. We had “pith” helmets and plastic ponchos at the ready and the party just took off, fuelled by some South African wines and liqueurs. Our African dancing competition was in full flight when a gust of wind blew over our entire stage rigging set, with all the electrics in its wake. Nobody got fried, the party barely faltered, but for a moment it nearly stopped my heart!
We put on 15 themed events in three days over the life of that conference. That certainly doesn’t happen much in our industry today. Sponsors have become far more hard-nosed and are demanding a clear return on investment. It keeps us on our toes.
Q: What keeps you getting out of bed in the morning?
The hours may be horrendous, you’re constantly at the mercy of your suppliers, there’s never enough time at rehearsals and the devil’s always in the detail. Event management is an exacting life choice, but do it well and the satisfaction for clients and oneself far outweighs the pain collected along the way. Now in my third decade in this business, I wonder how many people can say they still get a rush from their daily round after so many years. It’s important to have a flexible mindset [regarding hours worked], otherwise you’ll be dead set miserable much of the time.
We are living in a golden era for our sector. Whatever the advance of communications technology, the need for people to get together has never been stronger and increasingly we see major market campaigns - sometimes global - being leveraged off live events.
The flipside is that event management has become a career path in its own right, with the result that the number of competitors coming into the market continues to escalate. The proliferation of technology has the effect of reducing attention spans of audiences by degrees and we need to constantly call on our creativity and ingenuity to keep our clients and our businesses in the fast lane.
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