Face to Face40 years of history, a lifetime of experience

Tips and tactics for successful face to face meetings and business events

Our next event could be yoursLeaders in the management

of conferences, exhibitions,

corporate communications

and special events.

Contact Bryan Holliday on

(02) 9254 5000 or email

bryanh@icmsaust.com.au

w w w . i c m s a u s t . c o m . a u

There will always bea need to meet. As

social animals we liketo congregate with ourpeers to be inspired,educated andinformed. Over 70% of

overseas delegates who visit our shoresconfirm that it’s the destination and theopportunity to network that motivatesthem to attend a conference. Theyacknowledge that the informationpresented in the scientific or businessprogramme could just as easily bedistributed via the Internet.

The essence of the planning and stagingof a successful meeting is, and always willbe, the application of sound managementtechniques and procedures. Our tools oftrade may change and become moresophisticated but the human qualities andcore values required to harness them areperhaps more important today thanthey’ve ever been.

We are very proud of the fact that ourfounding company was the first PCO tobe established in Australia. Today, thereare over 700 nationwide. Clients say thatour expertise provides a standard ofconference organisation that is equal toany in the world.

In my 20 year association with thecompany, I’ve had the privilege ofworking with some extraordinarilytalented people. Each and every one ofthem has made an enormouscontribution to the growth anddevelopment of the business. I’ve

Introductionchosen 12 people to acknowledge here.They include former owners, senior staffpast and present and trusted suppliers.In alphabetical order they are: PaulineBeckton, Ngarita Bishop, EmmaBowyer, Albina Bradford, Miles Clarke,Val Gowen, John Hardaker, BeverleyParrott, Phil Peterson, Ian Stuart, MarkWallage and Pamela Wheat.

All the articles in this booklet firstappeared in the industry magazineMice.net and were written by me. Thephotographs are from events we’vemanaged and produced over the years.

I’m very proud of our company’s historyand tradition. Every day we strive tobuild on our wonderful foundation. Ihope that you enjoy reading thiscommemorative booklet.

Bryan HollidayManaging Director

The Spanish artist Pablo Picasso wasonce asked if he could draw a small

picture while sitting in a café. The greatman made some squiggles on a napkinand handed it over, with the observationit could be bought for $10,000.

When it was pointed out that he’d takenno more than a few seconds tocomplete the request he dryly observed:“Yes, and it took me 40 years’ ofpainting to get to this point”.

There is still a perception in corporateAustralia that meeting and eventmanagement requires little more thanbooking a venue, selecting a speaker,sending out invitations and turning upon the day.

In some instances, an event can bemanaged in-house but when thecorporate image of an organisation is atstake, contracting the services of aprofessional simply adds up. It’s a bit likegetting a haircut: you could hand over

the scissors to your nearest and dearestand you may get a satisfactory result butit’s an option fraught with danger.

The internet has made venue selection,accommodation and related servicessomewhat easier to access but this byno means is the complete picture. Theprofessional event planner is animportant source of added value whichshould be thoroughly canvassed whenan appointment is being considered.

There are instances where the eventplanner has greater buying power thanthe client through sheer booking volumebut the real value lies in how that eventplanner can use the venue to ensure thecompany’s strategic objectives can bestrealised. The event planner’scontribution should be viewed as aninvestment to ensure a positive outcomeand companies briefing an event plannershould ask what creative input wouldcome with the appointment.

Another important issue to consider is theeffective use of technology to plan andmanage your event. The days when aconference or similar business eventcould be planned using just Excel are longgone: event planners use customised andoften web-enabled technology that allowsthe smooth management of attendees,speakers, flights, accommodation,exhibitions, social functions, meals,transfers, financials and the many otherdetails that the attendees come to expectfrom a function.

Australian event planners are at theforefront of event management technologyand put in place policies, protocols andprocedures that ensure accurate reportingthroughout the life of the event. Effectivecommunication is the goal of any businessevent and it’s essential that the informationthat is its lifeblood is effectively andjudiciously managed.

Added Value

Creativity – should underpin every event

Challenge – the key feature of doingbusiness today

Collaboration – an essential element ofevent management

Clients – give them every reason to useyour services next time

Competition – all the more reason to becreative

Communication – the lifeblood of yourbusiness, internal and external

Commitment – use yours to boost thoseof your stakeholders

Community – be a part of it

Commerce – keep your eye on thebottom line at all times

Career – everything a job is not

Capability – yours will inspire others

Conferences –everything must begeared to get your clients’ messageacross clearly

Change – make it a friend, but don’t doit just for the sake of it

Customisation – ensure each event hasits own unique flavour

Contribution – create a workingenvironment where contribution isvalued and recognised

Class – stamp it on everything you do

Culture – recognise its unique impact onyour events

Contact – the underpinning of theevents business

Choice – recognise this is a prerogativeof your clients and respond accordingly

Connectivity is a silly little word thatdeserves banishment

Top 20 High Cs

As anyone who runs a business knows, it’s always more cost

effective to grow your business with anexisting client than to find a new one.

Many organisations utilise the services ofevent management companies forspecific projects, be they conferencemanagement, corporate hospitality,ceremonial occasions or productlaunches.

Event managers, however, are wellplaced to provide added value by way ofa significant range of communicationsservices. It’s all about understanding thenature of the business of the client andensuring their communications, internaland external are completely on songwith the organisation’s overall aims andobjectives.

A communications audit is a good placeto start:

• Is the company or associationprojecting a coherent and consistentmessage?

• Does the office stationery reflect theorganisation’s image?

• How up to date is the sales collateral –on paper and online?

• Are the staff uniforms and groomingup to standard?

• Is the company’s message consistentfrom one event to the next?

• Is their corporate hospitality budgetbeing well spent?

• Are their means of motivating andenthusing their staff cost effective?

• How do in-house events likeChristmas parties assist with their overallobjectives?

• With what frequency do theycommunicate with clients, past, presentand potential?

• How do they communicate andacknowledge their staff when they’reworking under pressure?

There is no reason why a conference/event management company couldn’tprovide a consultancy service toaddress many of these issues for theirclients The aim of every business eventis to enhance the quality ofcommunication between all parties andperhaps we should do more in terms ofoffering our expertise in this area.

If nothing else, we should be ensuringour own communications processesmeet these standards.

Keep Your Message on Song

The party is a key component of anyconference and its planning and

delivery needs every bit as muchattention as the business or scientificprogram itself.

The trend is for more informal occasionswhere delegates have the chance tofreely circulate, where formalities arekept to a minimum and where a varietyof experiences are on offer.

It is important to look at the history ofthe event to establish the style andsubstance of that meeting’s conferenceparty. While most Australian conventioncentres can manage large sit-downdinners, for groups over the 800delegate mark, a walk-aroundconference party is recommended.

The theme of the party should bedetermined in the main by thecomposition of the delegates. Wherethere are many international delegates inAustralia for the first time, an Australiana

night is always appreciated, with sheepshearing, aboriginal dance, nativeanimals, surf lifesavers and bush bandsproviding the movement and colour.

Close consideration has to be made ofthe sensibilities of the delegates – whilemany Australians are happy to walkaround eating, there are others –particularly Europeans – who prefer touse a knife and fork at all times. Aspread of food stations around the venueis recommended over large buffetspreads. Dietary requirements should becatered for in the registration documents.

Seating needs to be provided for atleast half the delegates, as well as tallbar tables where guests can eat anddrink in comfort. Consideration has tobe made with regard to salads, whichcan be difficult to consume standing up.

For larger conferences where there is awide spectrum of ages among thedelegates, it is useful to have several

entertainment areas where delegatescan either party hard or simply chat overa quiet liqueur and coffee.

It is important to ensure the ratio of gueststo wait staff is correct, especially at thestart of the party when drinks are beingserved. If budgets permit, some“mocktails” are a welcome choice for non-alcohol drinkers who invariably have justthe options mineral water and fruit juice.

Conferences are quite intensive affairs,with meetings often starting at breakfasttime, so transport for delegates whowish to have an early night or who arefeeling the effects of jetlag, should beavailable within 90 minutes of the startof the party. It might also be helpful toalert the host city’s taxi services that theevent is underway as well as also havingthe information at hand with regard toclubs and late closing bars for the night-owls among the delegates.

It’s Conference Party Time!

There’s few industries where service setsan organisation apart like airlines.

Virtually every commercial flightanywhere in the world is identical interms of its basic experience – settlingin, safety announcements, inflightservice, entertainment, landing and exit.Most perceptions are determined by theattitude and service provided by theflight attendants. These usually rangefrom sublime to “flight from hell”.

Like the airlines, the meeting and eventssector’s success levels are alsodetermined through adherence toservice standards. What sets a companyapart is not its ability to deliver itspromised package, but the creativityand level of engagement of its staff inthe delivery.

Service, like manufactured goods, is acommodity in the sense that policiesand procedures are in place to deliver areliable and consistent outcome. This is

not enough. Like that flight attendantwho will go the extra mile to make yourtrip special, the event planner needs todraw on the creativity and passion withintheir organisation to set the event apart.

With communications the basic aim ofevery conference, the event planner cando much more than simply make sure ithappens smoothly on the day bydeveloping an understanding of theclient’s world.

While no one expects the event plannerto know everything about the client’sorganisation, it is more a matter ofgaining an understanding of thecommunication processes and ensuringthe key messages are delivered in theclearest possible way.

This goes way beyond having a publicaddress system that works properly.People learn differently, so the choice ofMC, the structure of the tea and coffeebreaks, the role of the after-dinner

speaker or motivational speaker all havesignificant impact on the end result.

Some years ago, we dressed aneminent scientist in a toga and had himmake his entrance to the conferencedinner in a chariot. A simple bit of fun, ithad a profound effect on the culture ofthat conference and significantly helpedstrengthen an international organisation.On another occasion, the clients drew alltheir talent from their own ranks todeliver an emotive and memorableopening ceremony.

To draw from the creative pool withinyour organisation, you have to discoverwhat’s there and a monthly exercise toreview past projects and plan futureones is an ideal opportunity to tap intothe creative juices which may be hidden.

Harnessing Creativity

Industry leaders and corporate executives tend to play senior roles in

their professional associations and play animportant role in charting the activities anddirection of the organisations.

As such, they have an influential role indetermining the substance and style ofmeetings – be they corporate or annualassociation gatherings. Care has to betaken in the development of the programand in the way that is relevant andinteresting to all delegates – and thisoften means the large body of attendeeswho might be two or three decadesyounger than most of the organisers.

All associations need new blood and withconferences usually being the peak eventin the annual calendar, it is vital that theprogram, its marketing and presentationhas appeal across all age and knowledgedemographics to ensure interest issparked to attend for years to come.

The walk-in music, the choice of MC,the signage, presentation technology,keynote speaker, lifestyle speaker andthe degree to which newcomers arewelcomed all play important parts in theway in which the organisation isperceived by the delegates.

Even the way the conference is marketedmakes a difference. The development ofthe online environment means potentialdelegates can be brought into the loopthrough e-newsletters which areinexpensive to produce and update. Theubiquitous text messaging technology,which is so popular among the owners ofmobile phones, can be used to reminddelegates to register and of some of theevents they can look forward to at theconference.

The peripheral activities are equallyimportant to the successful outcome.The social program needs to bebalanced to appeal to all ages and

interests. If there is a tradition for aformal dinner, arrangements need to bein place for a nightclub or after-dinnervenue to offer a complete change ofpace. Perhaps it’s time to rethink theformal dinner if the age demographic ofthe delegates has changed to such anextent that the majority might prefer acompletely different way to celebrate.

Menus which might have been adequatefor years also need to reflect changingtastes and the multi-cultural nature ofAustralian society and contain alternativedishes to the standard Anglo Saxonbanquet fare.

Audience response systems are animportant means of gauging how muchdelegates are learning from apresentation and also provide feedbackto presenters. They can also be highlyeffective for evaluating the conference,its business program and social events.

Tuned In To Your Delegates

Event management has become apopular career choice for many

young people in the wake of the highprofile events that stud the calendar –be they sporting, cultural, commercial oracademic.

Rather than being merely a by-productof marketing studies, it’s encouraging tosee that some of the leading tertiaryinstitutions offering event managementmodules are including opportunities forstudents to work in the “real” world ofevent management companies.

This sector does have a “glamourfactor” and it’s a good thing for would-be entrants to realise the business canbe stimulating and personally veryfulfilling, but these rewards invariablycome with the cost of hard work,pressure and intense attention to detail.

Savvy employers hire on attitude andtake the responsibility to train the skill-sets required for this business. Goodinterpersonal skills, a pleasantdemeanour, independence, writing abilityand a willingness to work in a team arequalities that universities and TAFEcolleges are ill-equipped to impart.

The events business can be gruelling attimes but enlightened companies ensureongoing training, participation in industryforums, professional developmentseminars and performance appraisalsare integral to the operation of theenterprise. It’s insufficient simply todeclare that a career path exists.

Education should also be a two waystreet. Conference professionals who mayhave several decades in the businesssometimes believe they are the font of allknowledge. The reality is there is a lot theycan learn from the relative newcomers tothe industry, if they care to listen.

The needs of successive generations ofdelegates at conferences clearly changeover time – of which the elders of theorganising committee might be quiteoblivious. Conference company staffwho are attuned to the dynamic withinthe client’s organisation should have theconfidence to raise concerns.

While there are fears that our tertiaryinstitutions are becoming obsessed withtheir commercial needs at the cost oftheir academic imperatives, thevocational opportunities now availableare the best investments possible if theevents sector is to meet its full potential.

Select Attitude Over Skills

The great benefit of advancingtechnology is that much routine data

processing has been automated.

For instance, accommodation, transfers,speakers and accounts all feed into andout of a central database, with virtuallyno duplication of input.

Conferences and their associated liveevents by their very nature require a highdegree of teamwork. This may rangefrom involving a handful of suppliers inthe case of a business conference in acity hotel or several hundred whenturning on a party for 5,000 delegates toan international medical conference.

It’s essential that everyone has a sense of“ownership” and commitment to the task

to which they’re assigned. It may behelping delegates on and off their sunsetcruise or eating fire at the congress party –there is no doubt that guests can instantlydetect if the service or entertainment theyare experiencing is being delivered withenthusiasm and warmth.

There are hundreds upon hundreds ofelements that determine the success orotherwise of a conference, but the onekey aspect that has to be deliveredperfectly every time is attitude. If theattitude exudes “ownership” andwillingness to show leadership ifrequired, the challenge to the eventorganiser is met.

Event managers sometimes findthemselves in regional or remotelocations and relying more than usual onthe services of suppliers who might onlybe required to do their allotted task onceor twice a year. The challenge then is forthe person with overall responsibility for

delivery of the event to build up goodlines of communication and engender asense of ownership.

Leadership qualities are often bestdisplayed when the unforeseen occursor there are events beyond the controlof the organisers. These are part andparcel of the nature of our enterpriseand it’s how these challenges arehandled and the attitude displayed thatwill determine the dominant perceptionof the event on the part of the client.

We’re All Leaders Now

A recent online auction by a pharmaceutical giant had

conference and event organisers biddingagainst one another to supply variousservices for its meetings business.

At a time when procurement proceduresare being revised across the businesslandscape, this is an attempt to changethe relationship between organiser andclient – to consider price as the soledeterminant as to whether a service canbe provided.

The efficient planning and delivery ofmeetings and events requires muchmore subtlety than simply pricecompetition. Relationships aredeveloped and nurtured over yearswhich have a significant impact on the“culture” around which a companyorganises and delivers its live events –be they seminars, product launches orcorporate meetings.

These services cannot be simply“bundled” into a price point that can bebid for on an online auction. The peopleproposing and promoting this concepthave lost sight of the dynamic of face toface communication.

Meetings and live events are “windows”into the culture and management style ofcorporations large and small and it isimportant that the meeting organisertailors those events to reflect a consistentmessage and image. By straitjacketingthemselves into a service regime that ispredetermined by way of an anonymousonline auction, the company loses out onthe creativity and flair that mightsignificantly enhance their event.

Event services are not like a consumerproduct on a supermarket shelf.Aspects such as corporate memory,intuition and track record are every bitas important as price when it comes tocontracting an event planner.

Online Auctions Not the Way

The past decade has seen thetransformation of the business of

meetings and events.

I remember striking the “Enter” keywhich launched the (then) MeetingsIndustry Association of Australia website,little knowing what a juggernaut theinternet would become in all our lives.

That was Hobart in 1996 and despitethe online world having invaded everyaspect of our industry, the way we talkto our clients, their delegates, oursuppliers and our staff, the basicpremise for people coming together atmeetings remains unchanged.

As that inspirational Australian of theYear, Dr Fiona Wood, told the MEAconference in Perth, she gets her bestinformation at conferences. It’s the flowof ideas that’s irreplaceable and whypeople will continue to register in theexpectation they will gain somethingfrom the meeting that the juggernaut

that is the World Wide Web is stillunable to deliver.

This is not to assume that simply bystaging a meeting you can reachserendipity with everyone attending.Indeed the onus to deliver an event thatjustifies the registration fee is even morepressing as potential delegates aresecure in the knowledge they canaccess the information one way oranother within days, if not minutes, of itbeing delivered.

As businesspeople it is also ourresponsibility to ensure that our clientshave the most cost-effective eventpossible without diminishing the qualityof the communication. The onlineaccess has eliminated the need to postweighty documents worldwide and weshould be looking to reduce the outputof registration brochures and otherprinted material, for cost andsustainability considerations.

We shouldn’t view this as a threat to ourprofit margins, but rather evidence thatwe’re using the technology at ourdisposal responsibly. The reality is that ifwe aren’t prepared to innovate, ourcompetitors certainly will.

Recently the Sydney Convention &Exhibition Centre invited a cross sectionof its clients to view some of thedevelopments that had taken place inrecent times and to unveil some newones. The information imparted couldhave taken up two pages on an emailedpress release, but it was the way inwhich the 250 guests were entertainedand informed that saw more than 40firm bookings flow in as a direct result.The Centre now offers wireless internet,menus fully costed online, intelligentlighting and a range of other benefits butat the end of the day it was theinnovative and technically flawless waythey staged the event that secured themthat fresh business.

Meetings in an Online World

No one who attended the Spinal Injury conference in Sydney early

last year is ever likely to forget theimpact that the late Christopher Reevehad on the event.

Unable to breathe unassisted and withmovement only from his neck upwards,Reeve spoke with courage andeloquence, giving hope and rareunderstanding to the many delegates inthe audience with spinal injuries.

If there was ever a case for the value ofthe meeting, this was it. Meetings thatare well conceived, organised andmanaged can leave a legacy that goeslong past the take-off of the final aircrafttaking the delegates home.

Case in point: A daylong companyconference by a Taiwanese insurancecompany at the Sydney Opera Houseis topped off with a series of awardsbeing presented, the video rolls of thetop performer talking about his work

and attitude to it. To a standingovation, this middle-aged man bringshis mother on stage to acknowledgeher part in his success.

This might not be the way things aredone in Australia, but the principle is thesame. The meeting is where pastachievements are recognised, futurestrategy is outlined and where peopleare motivated to deliver – be it in stemcell research in the case of the spinalconference or the promotion of lifeinsurance products at the other.

The common thread for all meetings isthe quality of the communication. Howthe message of the organiser or promotercan make its way through the barrage ofcompetitive information. It has beenestimated that the average city dwellerreceives about 2,500 different messagesin one form or another by the time theystart work every day – this includes all thedifferent product brands one encountersfrom the moment one awakes.

If meetings are to provide theinformation, education, motivation andreward, the organisers and eventmanagers need to look closely at thepoints where interference can take theevent off track. Transport arrangementsare especially prone to delays. Thefailure of a single coach to arrive at adesignated place and time can trigger acascade of complaint that can threatenthe overall success of the event.Contingency planning must takeaccount of any difficulties of this natureand the disruption to the delegates’schedule acknowledged.

A successful meeting leaves much morethan simply knowledge extended abouta particular topic. It leaves a legacy in ahost destination in many ways, benefitsthat can flow for many years thoughinvestment decisions, incrementaltourism and goodwill generated.

Meetings Should Build Legacies

Anew year is as good a reason as any to consider your business

relationships and how you can best usethem to further your corporateobjectives or those of your professionalassociation.

There are occasions when a client wantslittle more from their event planner thana purely organisational service –ensuring venue is booked, flights, hotelsand transfers arranged.

This is a core activity for the event plannerbut there is much more strategiccounselling and management consultancya professional conference organiser canbring to the table. It’s an often untappedresource and one that companies andassociations should bear in mind whenappointing an event planner.

Remember, this is a relationship thatmay stretch over many years. Eventplanners often bring many years’experience of working with organisingcommittees, marketing at asophisticated level and plenty of tacticalthinking to the situation. There are manydifferent financial models which can beused for event management and howthese are applied can significantlyimpact on the outcome.

The golden rule that “he who has thegold makes the rule” always applies, it isimportant that clients recognise thatwhile they may be experts in theirparticular field it is most unlikely they willhave had the same level of experience inevent management as the people theyappoint to the task.

We also have the situation whereassociation conferences often combinethe enthusiasm of unpaid volunteers andprofessional event planners and

managers and it is the role of thechairperson to set policy and action plansand ensure that they are adhered to.

You will have checked out the trackrecord, competence and reputation ofyour event planner when you appointedthem. They are an important resourceand their input on a range of mattersmay be invaluable – if they are givenspace to make it.

Rethinking Relationships

There is no single item more likelyto influence a delegate’s opinion

of the success or otherwise of ameeting than the quality and serviceof food and beverage.

The truism that “what you eat todaywalks and talks tomorrow” is especiallyapplicable to conferences wheredelegates might be battling thedisorientation of jetlag and well out oftheir comfort zones in an unfamiliar city.

The expectation that delegates will becontent with “rubber chicken” served enmasse is quite misplaced and thedesign and management of the meals,cocktail parties, formal congress dinnersand casual parties require the same levelof scrutiny and expertise in planning asthe business program itself.

There is a definite trend away from liquorbeing served at lunch, with manyorganisations opting for picnic boxescontaining light and tasty wraps, freshfruit and fresh local breads. The picnicboxes also allow delegates to movearound freely and are frequentlyprovided in the exhibition area only,ensuring maximum delegate traffic pastthe exhibition stands.

The demand for vegetarian foodcontinues to climb and non meatcanapés at welcome receptions comprisearound 30 per cent of the food on offer.One has to take care that the food is nobigger than one or two bites and issufficiently robust to being handled bypeople who are standing up and oftenjuggling a wine glass. Shot glasses andminiature cups containing tasty andaromatic soups are a popular recentaddition to welcome reception menus.

The practice of serving alternate dishesat more formal dinners should bediscouraged. It always has the result ofguests wanting to swap dishes andothers being disappointed that theirdining companion on either side has adish they desire. Having a mezee platterto be passed around the table can bean icebreaker for delegates who mightnot know one another.

It is also a good idea to have a dessertbuffet as by that time of the night peopleoften appreciate an opportunity tonetwork . They might be dancing anduneaten plates of melting dessertsdetract from the look of the room. It’seasy to cater for all tastes includingproviding fresh fruit and cheese plattersfor the non-sweet eaters. It alsoreduces wastage significantly as well asthe cost of individually plating thedessert dishes.

Food For Thought

Alittle more than 15 years ago if a conference organiser needed to get

a document to a supplier or delegate itwent by Australia Post or a courier.

Then along came this extraordinarypiece of equipment – the fax machine.We thought this was indeed a quantumleap in the way we did business. Herewe could send a letter, yet still keep it!

It cost us well over a thousand dollars,but it was money well spent. Then itwas the turn of the CD Rom and floppydisk, which had the capacity to hold ona sliver of metal enough information thatwould have filled a thick wad of paper.

The online world took hold of ourindustry around seven years ago, withemail providing even fastercommunication all around the world andat a fraction of the cost of “snailmail”and the fax.

The past two decades have seen morechange in communications than theentire period from the invention of theGutenberg Press in 1436. One can onlywonder what’s in store seven years fromnow and how “quaint” our current formsof communications will seem then. Youdon’t see a lot of carousels with slidesfor presentations at conferences anymore, to say nothing about mailingabstracts for evaluation.

The only certainty in our business is thatpeople will still need to come together tocarry out all the time-honoured rituals oftheir associations. Through formal andinformal presentations and dialoguefurther the cause of their commoninterests. Internal politics will dog theseorganisations every bit as much as theydo today.

Another certainty is that event planners,managers and their clients will rely ontrust and reliability to see their ventures

through. In the main Australia haspeople of integrity running itsconferences and events. There is stiffcompetition but a realisation that areputation can take a lifetime to attainand only a minute to lose.

The live events sector has maturedsignificantly in recent times in Australia.We have excellent facilities to offer andincreasingly the business of events isbeing recognised as a dynamic careerchoice. Provided we never lose sight ofthese fundamental values, the future isindeed bright.

Time-honoured Rituals

Australia’s convention centres have been under the spotlight of late,

bringing attention to the overall highstandard of venues in Australia.

The opening of the Perth ConventionExhibition Centre now has everyAustralian state with a world classcustomised venue to promotedomestically and overseas. This is quitean achievement when one considersthat London and New York, for instance,cannot boast convention centres of thequality of Australia’s.

The Gold Coast also now has a firstclass venue located next to ConradJupiters, bringing to three the purposebuilt centres in Queensland. Brisbane’scentre won the Meeting Venue – Morethan 500 Delegates Award from theMeetings Industry Association ofAustralia (MIAA) and was rated third inan independent international survey bythe International Association of

Congress Centres (AIPC). The first spotwent to Cairns Convention Centre, proofpositive that our centres are up with thebest of them, and setting the pace.

This is no mean achievement and we’revery aware that these venues compriseso much more than mere bricks andmortar. Cheerful, efficient staff createscheerful, productive delegates andultimately successful meetings. Onecannot over-estimate the part a positiveattitude and training has to play in theevents business.

Look around the various conventioncentres of Australia and a striking featureis that, without exception, their chiefexecutives and senior personnel have farlonger than average time in theirpositions. These are significantenterprises, generating many millions ofdollars annually and deserve expertstewardship.

Recently a team from ICMS Australasiareturned from a conference commentingthat the convention centre staff hadbeen so proactive in anticipating theirrequirements, the entire event hadsimply gone swimmingly. Our clientsexpressed great appreciation for theservice we’d provided, a win-winsituation for everyone.

A number of city hotels around thecountry are undergoing significantupgrades of their meeting facilities andcommunications systems. They realisethat they cannot trade on past glory andthat the client’s expectations are high.

Membership of MEA brings theopportunity to participate in itsprofessional development programs andgain accreditation – a peer reviewprocess that is gaining increasedrecognition around the country. It canonly help service standards.

Centres of Excellence

The shift in world conflict fromconventional warfare has created an

insidious climate of unease due to thethreat of terrorism and poses newchallenges for meeting planners facedwith the task of organising internationaland regional events.

In most cases, it is the perception ofdanger or delay due to increased securitythat is dampening enthusiasm rather thanany overt threat and organisingcommittees need to take this into accountwhen developing their marketing plans.

Simply sending a pile of registrationbrochures to the local committee in aparticular country and hoping that theywill distribute them to the membership ispatently insufficient when there aresignificant disincentives to travel.

For countries that traditionally delivergood numbers of delegates, theformation of a sub-committee formarketing is recommended. Delegates

who have a history of travelling are lesslikely to be intimidated and the addedeffort in securing their participation maywell be reflected positively on theconference bottom line.

The internet provides an inexpensiveand immediate marketing opportunityand the avenues it provides need to bediligently worked. Any inquiriesgenerated through the website shouldbe followed up and communication viaemail should continue after registration –perhaps in the form of a “countdown” tothe conference and snippets of newsabout the business, scientific, social ortouring program. This has the potentialto “virus” market the event throughrecommendations from already signedup delegates to their friends as well as“upselling” the various revenue-generating elements of the event.

Exhibitors also need to have a sense of“ownership” about the meeting andshould be encouraged at every

opportunity to help build enthusiasmabout the event with their client base.Ongoing communication with exhibitorson marketing matters is essentialthroughout the lead up to the event. Ifexhibitors are confident about the tradeexhibition, this enthusiasm will find itsway through to their clients.

The cost of registration is a relativelyminor element in the decision-makingprocess of delegates and it behoves theorganiser to ensure the business andsocial programs are of such a calibrethey provide a powerful inducement toany would-be delegate.

The reluctance of some to travel long haulto international meetings provides theincentive for the development of strongnational and regional meetings and it is theresponsibility of association executives,corporate meeting planners, destinationsand venue operators to make their eventsirresistible to the wavering delegate.

Delegate Boosting in Uncertain Times

Along with the virtual disappearance of the “job for life” the nature of

work requires education to be a lifelongmoving feast.

The move for Meetings & EventsAustralia to become a RegisteredTraining Organisation is a logicalprogression as education is the corefunction of the association.

Event management has become acareer choice in its own right in thewake of the 2000 Sydney OlympicGames. Universities and Colleges ofTAFE now recognise that the planningand management of live events such as conferences, exhibitions andcorporate meetings require a range ofspecialist skills.

The implementation of the Diploma ofEvent Management is a major stepforward for our industry.

Meeting and event companies, however,cannot rely on tertiary education

organisations to deliver all the skillsetsrequired for the job.

This initiative will see MEA as a PrivateTraining Provider delivering nationallyrecognised qualifications, or units ofcompetency, that must be recognisedby counterpart TAFE colleges and otherprivate training providers aroundthe country.

Our company is dedicated to furtherdeveloping the skills of our team throughan intensive in-house professionaldevelopment program. Among thesessions are topics such as:

• Preferred ways of working• Time management• Communication skills• Business development and creativity• IT, design and special events• Exhibitions and sponsorship

The nature of the events industry is thatstaff go from one project to the next tothe next and seldom find time to debrief,

let alone analyse what worked and whatdidn’t. It’s so important to work on ourbusiness as in our business.

It’s most gratifying to observe that manyof our younger staffers have thereasonable expectation that theiremployer will provide the necessaryformal education to ensure they remaincompetitive in an industry notable for theconstant innovation that characterisesthe event management sector.

The power of well organised events toimpact the emotions was never moreobvious than the recent State MemorialService for media mogul Kerry Packer atthe Sydney Opera House.

Large screen projection of scenes fromPacker’s life, the supply of flags andbanners to schoolchildren, the outfits ofthe choirs, and the singing of WaltzingMatilda by a schoolboy were allelements of an exceptionally wellconceived and delivered production.

Leg Up with Education

Competition for market share. Everyday we encounter more ways to

communicate. To ensure that themeetings industry remains viable, allpractitioners must constantly promote thebenefits of face-to-face communicationfor information transmission, education,motivation and inspiration. In his 1979book “True Confessions” adman JohnSingleton used the following story toillustrate the relative power of differentforms of communication:

“So let’s imagine you want to propose toa girl. There are three ways. The bestway is to do it in person. No argument.The next best way is to let her see youand hear you – and that’s television. Thenext best way is a toss-up betweenringing her up (radio) and writing her aletter (print).”

Competition by country. Nationalgovernments are investing millions ofdollars in trying to attract events of all

types to their country. Tourism Australiahas belatedly recognised the importanceof business events by establishing aspecial unit to focus on this high-yieldsector of the market.

Competition by city. When city or stategovernments invest their scarceresources in custom-built conventioncentres and other public infrastructureprojects, they naturally want to ensure aquantifiable return on investment. Withthese projects the operative word isinvestment and not expense. Manydemands are made on the public pursebut the meetings industry is one of thevery few that can return real measurabledollars to the tax payers. Competition isstrong with many cities committingmillions of dollars to ensure that majorevents are held in their part of the world.

Competition by service provider. TheInternet has the capability of directlyconnecting the client with the supplier.

For meetings managers to remainrelevant they must continually improvetheir productivity and always offer newand improved products and services thatcan benefit the clients’ agreed outcomes.This means that strategic counselling andcreativity are assuming far greaterimportance in the product mix than dataprocessing and technology.

The future. Competition will onlyincrease in the future and success willbe achieved by the individuals andorganisations who can ride the wavesand not be drowned by them. Coremoral values will remain as important asthey always have been and clients willreact positively to individuals who actwith integrity, compassion and respectfor the needs and interests of others.

Competition

The mindset that Australia is utterlyremote from the world’s great

cradles of civilisation in Europe andNorth America has been more than 200years in the making.

A recent observation by the expatriateAustralian and former World BankPresident John Wolfensohn is anindication that while the geographymight not have changed, perceptionscertainly have.

He was commenting that the emergingsuperpowers of China and India arebringing the world focus to south andeast Asia, with significant economicimplications for Australia.

This may take half a century to fullyeventuate, but Australia is already in astrong position to make the most of achanging world order. Where strongeconomic growth occurs, so too does therequirement for professional associations

and corporate entities to meet anddiscuss common issues and challenges.

We’re only a relatively short flight and fewtime zones from all the major capitals insouth and east Asia, which makescommuting so much more viable. Thenext generation of wide-body aircraft hasthe potential to even further slash thecost of travel. Anyone with a bit of savvycan easily spend less on internationalthan local calls using phone cards andvoice-over-IP systems such as Skype.

Australia, with its sophisticated meetingsindustry infrastructure in terms ofconvention centres and associatedservice providers, is well placed to helplay the groundwork for the roll out ofinfrastructure for India and China as wellas other countries in the region. Alreadythere is significant evidence thatAustralian events industry specialists aresetting up shop in centres such asShanghai and Beijing.

A competitive advantage Australiaenjoys is that delegates are drawn tomeetings in cities where the locals enjoya good quality of life and critical issuessuch as air pollution are addressed.Delegates enjoy experiencing a slice oflife as it is experienced by the peoplewho live in the environment. Creativecities attract creative people who leavetheir marks in innumerable ways.

Immense opportunity awaits the newgeneration of meeting and eventplanners. Four or five years with adynamic company in Australia andyou’re well set to further your experiencewith a stint in one of these emergingconference destinations.

Downunder No More?

Photographs from events managed and produced by ICMS Australasia

Graphic Design by John Hardaker

Printed by Rostone Print

Leaders in the management of conferences, exhibitions, corporate communications and special events.

Brisbane72 Merivale StreetSouth Brisbane QLD 4101PO Box 3599South Brisbane QLD 4101T: (+61 7) 3255 1002F: (+61 7) 3255 1004

MelbourneLevel 2, 120 Clarendon StreetSouthbank VIC 3006PO Box 5005South Melbourne VIC 3205T: (+61 3) 9682 0500F: (+61 3) 9682 0344

SydneyLevel 9, 234 George StreetSydney NSW 2000GPO Box 3270Sydney NSW 2001T: (+61 2) 9254 5000F: (+61 2) 9251 3552

E: bryanh@icmsaust.com.au • W: www.icmsaust.com.au