In this newsletter and issue of mice.net you will note thankyous to our supporters, sponsors, committees, members and staff in regard to our recent annual conference in Alice Springs. I echo each of these thankyous.
I also look forward to welcoming our valued MEA members to our annual 2009 conference in Adelaide between April 5 – 7, and I can already see signs of an inspiring event.
During the MEA 2008 conference the BECA (Business Events Council of Australia) Summit was held concurrently. This group of industry leaders discussed and workshopped many relevant issues for the industry as a whole. As MEA is a highly supportive member of BECA future issues of this newsletter shall update you on the progress of the summit findings.
Please note: whilst BECA will continue to have industry summits they may not always run concurrently with the MEA conference. As a MEA member you have representation on BECA through MEA’s four representatives being: Rhona Walker AFMEA, MEA Chair; Linda Gaunt, MEA CEO; Roslyn McLeod OAM, AMM, AFMEA, meetings manager representative; and Kate Smith, meetings manager representative. If you have any issues that you believe should be taken up at BECA I urge you to contact one of these member representatives.
MEA is currently, with the assistance of valued industry representatives around the country, reviewing both its award and accreditation programs in the months of July and August. I welcome your input and advise if you have any relevant, positive suggestions towards the future of these initiatives please direct them to myself.
By Conference Chair, Scott Lovett
In the blink of an eye it is all over! The MEA 2008 Annual Conference staged for the first time in Alice Springs was by all accounts a resounding success.
A total of 517 attendees made the journey to the centre of Australia to join with their industry peers to share their stories and share their knowledge for three days.
Thanks must go to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules and invested their time and money in this most important industry event. In times of such global shifts the face and dynamics of business is changing at a rapid pace and as such the need for a strong and united industry association event is even more critical.
To our sponsors, especially the Alice Springs Convention Centre, Staging Connections and IML, a big thank you. It is simply impossible to run these events without the enormous sponsorship and assistance you provide. I would encourage every one in the industry to support all of our sponsors in the same way that they have supported us.
Running an industry event for your peers, especially in such a unique location as Alice Springs, requires an enormous amount of work from a number of people. Our local host committee who crafted one of the best social programs in years must be congratulated – especially for the magical night at Ooraminna, memories of which will remain with many of us for years to come!
The program committee headed by Lynn Fairbrass must also be congratulated for putting on an inspiring, relevant and thought-provoking speaker program. Last and by no means least the conference team at MEA must be congratulated, as always the conference impacts all MEA staff, and their work towards this conference went well and truly above and beyond the call of duty.
We now hand the baton to Adelaide who I am sure will host a most successful conference in April 2009.
Good luck and best wishes for the year ahead and I look forward to seeing everyone again in Adelaide next year.
- Scott Lovett AFMEA
The MEA / Business Events Australia Mentor Program launched at the 2008 MEA Conference in Alice Springs is underway, with a call for mentors and mentees to MEA members distributed last month.
The aim of the program, initially to be run in NSW, is to address the current skills shortage in the business events sector by up-skilling industry professionals to improve the industry’s overall competitiveness on the domestic and international stage.
Mentors and mentees will take part in short training sessions at MEA before starting the p rogram which will run until the end of November.
For more information contact
Anne Camenzind at MEA.
Production is underway on the 2009 edition of the Who’s Who - MEA’s national directory of the Who’s Who of the business events industry.
Members are entitled to a free listing in the directory, so now is the time (until October 1) to check your company description, contact details and subscribers are correct to maximise this opportunity.
The national directory is distributed to members as well as meeting and event managers Australia-wide. To enhance your listing with your colour logo or to purchase an advertisement, contact Scott O’Brien, Who’s Who product manager at BTP on telephone (02) 8264 4480 or email scott@btp.net.au.
Amy Piekkala-Fletcher began her career at Staging Connections in 2002, jumping headfirst into large events with a role assisting with the organisation of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that year.
After building her experience with The OzAccom Group and Event Planners Australia, Amy joined Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Events to manage their delegate services.Revelling in the greater autonomy, Amy was quickly promoted to events manager and still holds that position. 
Amy runs national and international academic conferences for QUT, and is responsible for all conference logistics such as speaker, venue and supplier management, as well as supervision of registration and accommodation management.
MEA held its national awards evening on May 12, 2008 at the Alice Springs Convention Centre. It was a very special night for all award winners and finalists recognising their hard work, achievements and dedication to the industry and their profession. A special congratulations to each of the winners on their high level industry achievement.
Winner: Solution RED VIC
Technical & Creative Production
Winner: Roslyn McLeod, Tour Hosts NSW
Winner: Epicure VIC
Winner: Solution RED VIC
Winner: mice.net - BT Publishing
Winner: Wise Connections VIC
Winner: Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority SA
Winner: Decorative Events NSW
Winner: Leesa Monaghan (Australian Institute of Sport) ACT
Winner: Jacqueline Larsen (DG Global Events) WA
Winner: Alfred Merse - Federal Group Tasmania TAS
Winner: Great Southern E-vents NSW
Winner: Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre QLD
Winner: RACV Club VIC
Winner: The Westin Melbourne VIC
Winner: The Mint NSW
Winner: Tour Hosts Pty Ltd NSW
Winner: The Forum Group NSW
Winner: 16th Annual VM Goldschmidt Conference 2006 - Tour Hosts NSW
Winner: G-20 - Tour Hosts NSW
Event of the Year: Our Bridge - Office of Protocol and Special Events, NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet
Hall of Fame Meeting Venue - More than 500 delegates
Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
Hall of Fame Meeting Venue - less than 150 delegates
The Westin Melbourne VIC
The following companies were commended for their environmental contribution:
Fabmosphere, NSW
Flying Colours Events, VIC
Geelong Otway Tourism, VIC
Great Southern E-vents, NSW
Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, WA
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, NSW
Congratulations again to all the award winners and finalists and to all who took the time to enter the 2007 Meeting & Events Industry Awards. Thank you to our national award sponsors.
Just as we bid farewell to the MEA National Conference in 2008, the planning has commenced for the 2009 national conference which will take place from April 5-7 in Adelaide.
Adelaide is a beautiful and a vibrant city that has a lot to offer to anyone organising an event in South Australia. The conference program will be developed around the theme “A Brilliant Blend” and as the theme suggests it will deliver a brilliant blend of educational components and unique social events showcasing the best South Australia has to offer.
The local host committee in South Australia is busy at work making sure that next year’s conference delegates are presented with an unforgettable experience.
While further information on registration and the conference program will be available at a later stage, MEA welcomes your interest in regard to the sponsorship and exhibition at the conference. Please direct your  sponsorship enquiries to the MEA national events manager via email on anna@mea.org.au. We look forward to providing you with more information on the conference in the near future.
MEA Queensland was thrilled at the strong registrations achieved for the inaugural Queensland-based Executive Certificate in Meetings & Events Management.
Held at Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast from June 23 to 26, this was the first time that the executive certificate residential intensive training course had been offered outside NSW, and the excellent number of registrations confirmed the strong demand within the industry for this type of educational opportunity.
Twenty-four delegates from as far afield as Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the ACT, as well as Queensland, attended the three-and-a-half day program which included a host of informative speakers, the majority of whom were professionals from within the meetings industry.
MEA Queensland wishes to offer sincere thanks to Staging Connections and also Conrad Jupiters for their kind support of this event.
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