Happy to abandon their desks and venture out into the sunshine, more than 800 buyers reportedly walked through the doors of MEETING MART, a one-day show for local and regional Victorian accommodation and events industry suppliers.
Designed for planners who book meetings and events in Victoria, the event this year included more than 95 regional Victorian and Melbourne-based function and event venues, events product and service providers.
Held at the Melbourne Park Function Centre on October 24, the one-day show boasted a full program including a speakers’ showcase, workshop seminars, a cocktail party and an entertainment showcase. First thing in the morning, ICMI Speakers & Entertainers delivered a 45-minute speakers showcase tackling issues and trends pertinent to the events and conferences industry at present. At the conclusion of the showcase participants filed out into the exhibition. A sudden torrent of delegates meant that there was significant foot traffic throughout the morning, and a number of exhibitors said it would have been handy to have had additional staff manning the stands during this time. But as lunchtime rolled around, things calmed down a bit and there was more room to move throughout the exhibition (which was a relief for those exhibitors who hadn’t had a toilet break all morning due to the crowds at their stands). This break in the rush meant exhibitors could duck out to the café downstairs for a bite to eat – which some enjoyed in the scorching hot rays of the midday sun, while others cooled down in the shaded areas around the venue.
The other side of lunch also saw a bit of a lull period, particularly during the 100 pax hosted lunch that was put on for a select group of buyers. But once this lunch was over, those buyers made their way out to the floor of the exhibition to join other delegates arriving well in advance of the cocktail function scheduled for the late afternoon.
Entertaining the crowd
As “beer o’clock” moved closer and closer and exhibitors’ mouths were watering at the thought of a nice glass of red, a number of roving performers courtesy of Music Theatre Australia (MTA) One Stop Entertainment started doing the rounds of the exhibition hall on a mission to amuse. Performers included circus acts, magicians, caricaturists, Cybergirl and stilt walkers, each doing their thing until it was time for the evening showcase of feature acts to commence. Acting as MEETING MART’s grand finale, the showcase, also courtesy of MTA, saw a number of artists take the stage including the three gorgeous violinists in MASKE, new act Ultimo (three male singers performing IL DIVO songs), and a very convincing tribute to Robbie Williams with the band, The Ego has Landed.
On the whole, the day was well organised and there was enough to keep delegates entertained throughout the trade show – from the moreish mini muffins (a quick straw poll revealed raspberry was the flavour of the day) and the free-flowing coffee at either side of the exhibition, to the collection of trinkets and promotional items available from exhibitor stands, including rubber ducks, red dragons and blocks of nougat. And despite a few quiet moments, Richard Dinnage, co-director of the event organiser, Conference Works said that buyer numbers were well up on last year and judging by comments received post-event from exhibitors, this year’s MEETING MART was the most successful one to date.
“All of the initial feedback from both exhibitors and buyers told us that it was a very successful day,” Mr Dinnage said the following day. “The showcases were very well received, with the evening music theatre showcase seeing over 175 delegates not wanting to go home.”
The chance to network
Highlighting the networking opportunities as one of the event’s strengths, delegate Helen Hennessy, project officer of Australia Day, Department of Premier and Cabinet, said the show was certainly worth attending.
“Meeting Mart provided excellent networking opportunities. This was very beneficial for me in particular as I’m just starting out in the industry. The day provided me with a great opportunity to collect information and to meet people who are in the industry and have been for a while.”
National sales executive - conferences and conventions for Hilton Sales Worldwide, David Bosse agreed that the event provided a good platform for networking, despite the fact that as an exhibitor, he spent most of the day standing in one spot (at Hilton on the Park’s stand). Mr Bosse applauded the event as it not only gave him the opportunity to touch base with others in the industry, but also provided the chance to speak to literally hundreds of quality buyers about the Hilton on the Park’s recent refurbishments to the property’s guest rooms on the 17th to 20th floors, and the executive floor.
“As an exhibitor I thought Meeting Mart 2006 was a great success. We will definitely be writing some business out of it. It was a good opportunity to catch up with all the industry people in one location on one day which would normally take up to three weeks in appointment times!”
In contrast, delegate Deborah James, executive assistant/group IT coordinator for Forty Winks Pty Ltd said that while the event was worth attending, she thought MEETING MART fell short of meeting her expectations.
“The speaker sessions I attended in the morning were very worthwhile. As for the actual expo, it was okay. I found a few venues that I didn’t know about, but there was a lot of motel chain information and little actual resort information. There wasn’t much there in the way of entertainment ideas for conferencing. And it was smaller than I expected. But all in all, I gathered some useful information and most stand holders were very friendly and helpful.”
2006 marked the fourth MEETING MART event to be held in Victoria, and despite not yet confirming the dates and venue for next year’s event, Mr Dinnage said that it’s definitely happening towards the end of 2007. In fact, he said that the day following this year’s event he was already receiving calls from exhibitors wanting to reserve a particular space for next year, so no doubt the event will continue to grow in both size and popularity.
Either way, hopefully the notoriously sporadic spring weather in Melbourne will put on the same sunny show in 2007 as it did this year – because there’s no turning down a break from the office to attend a conference if the conditions are as good as it gets!
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