I do hope that everyone is ready for a fantastic and rewarding 2007 MEA Conference.
Our invited speakers are now all locked in and we are absolutely delighted that so many high profile Australian business leaders have agreed to present at the conference.
he speakers are all listed and highlighted on the conference website, however, the program committee are proud to include in your program high calibre speakers such as:
• Internationally acclaimed Bernard Salt, known for his forecasting of business implications to demographic and social change in Australia.
• Leo Schofield AM, a legend of our time in the world of Australian festivals.
• Andrew Wilkie, best known for his whistle-blowing in relation to the foreign and security policies of the Iraq War.
• Avril Henry, author of “Leadership Revelations: An Australian Perspective” and “The Who What When and Y of Generation Why?”
• Shelley Craft, Channel 7 presenter of The Great Outdoors who will MC the conference.
• Inspirational closing keynote speaker Yossi Ginsberg, who will provide your last take home thoughts.
Innovations to each year’s program are most important. This year we will introduce for the first time the Business Exchange Program providing likeminded businesses an opportunity to discuss synergies of working better together and provide a win-win situation for all. Our next innovation is the introduction of an afternoon dedicated to our younger professional membership group – the Y MEA Future Leaders Forum. This will provide a golden opportunity to share ideas with industry leaders on specific areas that effect the industry, together with learning about climbing that corporate ladder in a very competitive industry. Our third innovation is the introduction of Master Classes. This sector of the program is for the more experienced professional members who would like the opportunity to work with an expert at a high end. I am very much looking forward to seeing you in Hobart.
– Ruth Lilian
Tasmania is incredibly diverse and beautiful. More than 20 per cent of Tasmania has been listed with UNESCO as a World Heritage area, in recognition of one of the world’s great natural and cultural treasures. I hope you can remain for a few days after the conference and experience Tasmania.
What to choose with pre and post conference activities? That is the challenge as Hobart and surrounds offer so many unique experiences. We have on offer for you: heritage talks and walks, sumptuous dinners, day tours to Tahune Forest, Port Arthur, Mount Wellington plus lunch cruising, wine estate lunching and much more. MEA members have been offered special conference rates and I hope delegates choose to participate and support our local members! Visit the conference website and review the ‘Pre and Post Activities’ section and ‘Holiday in Tasmania’ section. Bookings can be taken up until mid March.
Speaking of social events, don’t forget that all three social evenings are included in your registration fee. Partners and friends are also welcome to these events at an additional cost. See the conference website for details - www.meetingsevents.com.au.
We are constantly updating the conference website and now have the majority of speaker session snapshots for review.
Lastly, we still have sponsorship items to fill, so if your company is interested in sponsorship call me to discuss. I look forward to meeting you in Hobart.
– Kathie McGrath
Do you have what it takes to compete in the face of rapidly changing technology?
Advances in information technology over the past decade have changed the planning and management of meetings and events forever.
Expectations of delegates and corporate guests have risen concomitantly, with high levels of service demanded, especially when it comes to responses to requests for information.
Telstra, as the major player in Australia’s telecommunications sector, has recognised the live events sector as a key player in the dissemination of information about new technologies and last year hosted two significant events for the leaders of the meetings and events industry.
The most recent event was held at the Telstra Innovation Centre in Sydney and provided a fascinating insight into the management of the conference or event in the future.
The speakers were: myself, Mike Nalborczyk, hotel manager of the Sydney Hilton, and Michael Ossipoff, director capability business & government sales. As I said at this forum, the business events industry and each sector within it, is one that thrives on business to business relationships. Without these relationships we would not have the capability to undertake the large amount of business within our business or organisation’s capacity.
In our business we need to bring together a wide range of suppliers who need to work seamlessly with one another and the host venue with minimal time for rehearsal.
These include hotel chains, professional conference management companies, and conference suppliers, meetings managers for corporate organisations and associations and venues.
Conference organisers should be looking to provide their clients with top rate conference technology.
Conference organisers need to be able to access information from their own networks and communicate with their delegates whilst at the conference or communicate with their offices in regard to on-going business whilst away from the office.
Other areas of interest are:
• Sponsors of conferences and events need to have the opportunity to maximise their investment through technology exposure
• Connectivity of guest hotel rooms to meeting/convention venues is essential.
• Business centres need to provide all the services business people expect in their own office environment – and it needs to be a seamless process.
• Videoconferencing for interstate/overseas presenters is a must for Australia to keep up with global trends.
• The need to be on top of the latest global trends through research – this needs to be a call on technology.
Ken Taylor, general manager of the SMC Conference and Function Centre in Sydney, which has 16 function rooms and capacity for up to 800 delegates, says last year’s extras is this year’s standard.
“Cabling used to be quite acceptable for internet access in the different rooms. Today the expectation is that wireless broadband exists throughout the venue. I found the session at the Telstra Innovation Centre extremely useful and came back determined to ensure our technology was up to date. I was particularly impressed with the whiteboards, where the information could be stored and disseminated, even to mobile phones.”
Mr Taylor said speakers, especially those from the United States, had high expectations of the technologies they would employ for their presentations and venue operators had to be constantly on their toes with regard to their communications systems.
Stephen Wong, IT manager for Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum said the Telstra Innovation Centre had done an excellent job in showcasing its capabilities at the seminar.
“The event was clearly well planned and presented and gave us an excellent overview of technology as it stands and where it’s going.”
Veteran conference organiser Bryan Holliday said the presentations had been most useful but cautioned that each new advance in IT had to be carefully appraised to ensure it added value to the delegate’s experience.
“My sense has always been that IT makes a good servant, but a poor master. MEA must be commended for mounting these sessions in association with Telstra. Our delegates attend meetings all over the world and know what’s possible. Australia has a great reputation in the organisation and management of meetings and events to protect.”
Meetings & Events Australia partners with SCVB on AEE seminar program
Meetings & Events Australia in its move towards becoming a registered training organisation has entered into a partnership with the Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau to manage the visitors’ seminar program for the Australian Events Expo being held in Sydney on May 16 and 17, 2007.
Our intention is to profile our high calibre education and training and encourage those in the meetings and events industry to embrace ongoing education to improve and increase their skills with MEA as their training  provider of choice.
MEA will provide a range of seminar topics aimed at varying levels of experience in the industry and information will be released early in 2007.
In case you haven’t noticed, that was 2006 that whizzed by and if it’s February the MEA clan will be gathering in Melbourne for the annual AIME pilgrimage.
It’s a great time to catch up with colleagues and friends from around Australia and indeed more so from around the world as this terrific show gathers momentum and has become a serious player on the international calendar. Many countries, particularly in neighbouring Asia are now placing greater emphasis on the business events sector, boosted in many cases by the opening of new infrastructure such as convention centres and integrated resorts. AIME is the start-up event of the year – everyone is refreshed after a good lie down over the festive season and the mood is optimistic as demand continues to remain strong in a very buoyant marketplace. With an upsurge of confidence, we’ll eye off our competitors and the buyers are simply spoilt for choice throughout the hectic and stimulating two days – hope to see you there.
However, there is a dark side – Australia’s position on the world scoreboard is slipping as our growth in international events is in decline which does not auger well with new and expanded purpose-built centres coming on line around the country. We have yet to see the promised and long awaited roll out of a brand and a strategy for business events that we can all embrace and leverage – where the bloody hell is it!
Not so for domestic business. I’m hearing from PCO mates that recently they have witnessed a deluge of tenders, some of which could be attributed to the large number of APEC-related meetings that have kicked off around the country coupled with the fact that there will be a federal election before the year is out, and this often leads to a flurry of ad- hoc government meetings.
As business booms (we hope) competition for skilled staff will become more intense which means, my fellow baby boomers, don’t think about putting your feet up any time soon – 60 is the new 40! Employers will need to learn to operate in a very different environment if they want to continue to attract and at the same time retain skilled and talented staff. The desire for part-time work or shorter hours will increase as we continue longer in the workforce and yet anecdotal evidence shows that part-time workers are not taken seriously or, dare I say it, valued as much as their full-time colleagues. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Gen Y (and isn’t Z not far behind?) want a very different deal from those they choose to work for – flexible working hours, support for ongoing study and time for a social life.
At MEA we also need to constantly analyse the membership profile ensuring delivery of appropriate services. Delivery of professional development face-to-face is perhaps not always appropriate for the younger internet generation who might see the primary purpose of attending our annual conference or other events as networking or relationship-building rather than information-gathering. Lots to think about as our dedicated and passionate volunteer committees plan events for the year.
All in all, it’s going to be a roller coaster ride up and down the calendar that is 2007. Why would you want to be part of any other industry!
Ungerboeck Systems International are proud sponsors of the Young Industry Professional Scholarships for 2006.
These scholarships, offered on a national basis for seven young industry professionals, include registration, accommodation and travel costs to the MEA National Conference, held in Hobart, Tasmania from April 1-3, 2007.
To be eligible, the nominees must be under 30 years of age with less than three years’ full time experience in the meetings industry; hold a position in the company that would not necessarily entitle them to attend the conference; have demonstrated commitment to their job and a keen interest in the meetings industry; and be employed by a MEA member. The seven young professionals for 2006 are: New South Wales – Alicia White, Will Organise; Victoria - Carolina Rodriguez, Museum Victoria; Queensland - Julie Caspani, Townsville Convention Bureau; South Australia - Siddharh Ketkar, Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority; Australian Capital Territory - Dennis Stockman, National Museum of Australia; Western Australia - Natalie Sandrini, Perth Concert Hall and Subiaco Arts Centre; Tasmania / Northern Territory - Shelley Howell, Total Event Services – A Division of Top End Sounds.
Ungerboeck Systems International is the leading provider of integrated software solutions for the business events sector. Today the USI product – Event Business Management System EBMS – serves thousands of users on six continents supported from its offices in St Louis, Paris, London, Sydney and Hong Kong.
EBMS has been designed as a comprehensive – yet modular – business management system covering all aspects of venue, event and exhibition management. For more information visit www.ungerboeck.com.
For further information on this scholarship contact your nearest MEA office or contact the MEA national office on (02) 9929 5400.
Student Scholarships
Student scholarships are offered in NSW and Victoria for students in their final year of undergraduate or TAFE equivalent studies in courses related to the meetings and events industry to attend the MEA National Conference being held in Hobart, Tasmania, including registration, accommodation and travel costs. In NSW the scholarship is proudly sponsored by AV1. From conception
to completion, AV1 manages all technical services including projection, audio, lighting, staging, video production and multimedia compilation. With 15 years’ experience in technical support, AV1 combines knowledge with creativity to ensure that your event is a success.
The winner of the MEA / AV1 Student Scholarship for NSW is: Hannah Scott-Young from Meadowbank Institute of TAFE.
In Victoria, the student scholarship is proudly sponsored by the MEA Victorian branch. The annual Victorian ClubMEA Auction Night raises money to send a Victorian industry student to the MEA Conference.
The winner of the MEA Victoria student scholarship is: Sarah McCormack from Holmesglen Institute of TAFE. MEA would like to sincerely thank the scholarship sponsors for their generous support.
AIME 2007, our industry’s largest event, is on at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from February 13 to 14.
If you haven’t registered yet you can still register on the day at the exhibition entrance. AIME’s return to February has been welcomed by the industry and according to Reed Travel Exhibitions the event is expected to include 850 exhibitors from 50 countries.
For meeting, incentive and event planners, AIME provides a wonderful chance to see a wide range of destinations, venues and services including an enormous amount of new products. It’s a chance to catch up with colleagues, find new venues and services and to plan and book your events for the whole year, or more.
MEA is holding a seminar at AIME called - Choosing the Right Venue; Getting the Right Price - at 10.30am on Wednesday, February 14. The speaker is Warwick Hamilton, and bookings can be made online at the AIME website www.aime.com.au or on the day. Other seminars on offer at AIME include: 60 Minutes of Special Event Ideas (ISES); Big Ideas for Big Events; The How and Why of Incentives (SITE); Emerging Destinations; and Planning an Incentive Program that Delivers. Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau, the owner of AIME, is also adding some punch to networking events this year. Don’t miss the Welcome Reception, Discover Victoria, at the MCG or the new Dine on the Dock, a new event on Tuesday evening (February 13). For more details on AIME 2007 visit the AIME website: www.aime.com.au
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