Face to Face50 years of history, a lifetime of experience

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

In a digital world, the high-touch andpersonal connectivity that events providefulfils both personal and professionaldevelopment needs. Technology alsoplays an integral part in this allowingefficiencies in operations as well as theability to meaningfully connect peopleacross continents. Importantly,technology allows new content to bedelivered in innovative ways and it’s safeto say that Australia is a world-leader inthe technological delivery of businessevents.

In terms of content, while the delivery ofthese events may have changed overthe years our most popular speakers arestill those with material they can presentthrough storytelling. These speakersdistil the infinite amount of informationreadily available through technology andpresent it in an entertaining andinformative way.

In our own world, competition is fierceamongst PCOs but in ICMSA’s case wecan only spotlight our own track- recordand corporate culture to showcase ourcredentials. Our clients represent a

When Ken Scheller founded ourcompany in 1966 he could not

have imagined 50 years later the dramaticchanges that have occurred in the worldin general and in the conference industryin particular. As a senior executive withQantas he noticed that when delegatesarrived on our shores their onsiterequirements were met by travel agentsand hoteliers. By establishing the firstprofessional conference organising (PCO)company in Australia he began anindustry that can now boast hundreds ofsimilar companies nationwide which todayemploy thousands of people undertakinga diverse array of tasks.

Since those early years, Australia hasremained a popular and iconicdestination for international events withour own conventions regularly attractingdelegates from over 100 countries. Thisinflux of dedicated specialists addsenormous benefit to our country. Theintellectual legacies are profound andhave led to innovations, collaborationand agreements that would otherwisenot have been possible without theseevents occurring.

variety of professional sectors and ourkey role is to provide new benchmarksfor meetings in their world and to createbest outcomes together. The mostrewarding part of our job is knowing thatthe support and consultation we providehas produced outcomes that benefitsociety as a whole.

The future for our industry is bright andwe fully intend to capitalise on this in theyears ahead. I’ve been personally andproudly associated with the company for35 years and it’s exciting to know thatwhatever contribution I’ve made will begreatly enhanced under the leadershipof our outstanding General Manager,Emma Bowyer.

This is the fifth in the Face to Faceseries. The articles first appeared in theleading meetings industry magazine,micenet and the photographs are fromthe conferences that we’ve managed.Hopefully you will enjoy reading it andfeedback is always welcome.

Bryan HollidayManaging Director

At one of our recent companyconferences, we invited all staff to

list the qualities and characteristics ofgood clients and bad clients. Wemanaged to identify 85 good qualitiesand 66 bad qualities. Naturally there wasa degree of repetition and also anacknowledgement that like all lists thereis a large degree of personal opinioninvolved in such exercises. However, itwas surprising how certain words keptappearing in different forms. The mostcommon was trust. It’s a difficult word todefine as it implies almost complete faithand belief in the goodwill of the otherparty. Passion was next as it’s generallyaccepted that it’s great to work forsomeone who really cares and lovestheir profession. As we all know,enthusiasm is infectious and it’s somuch more enjoyable working withsomeone who really enjoys what theydo. Decisiveness and Ability to Delegate

were joint third and these qualities areeven more critical when managing andproducing any event when time is of theessence.

Poor communication was deemed themost common characteristic of badclients. Recent research confirmed that80% of problems at work are the resultof poor communication so perhaps it’sno surprise that this should be numberone. Unrealistic expectations wassecond. Consultants and specialistsuppliers are hired for their proven skillsyet some clients have no real experienceof the various tasks that need to beperformed but think that they know howlong particular projects will take tocomplete .Finally, Micro-managers andControl freaks really challenged our staffto successfully deliver the service thatthey had been employed to deliver.

Although it’s dangerous to generalise,from my experience, I’ve found that themore senior a person is within theirorganisation the more cooperative andcollaborative they are. Whilst more juniorpeople seem to be more adversarial intheir behaviour. The challenge is toconvert the bad guys into good guys.It’s not easy but setting operationalguidelines and agreeing on clear jobdescriptions is one way to start. Also,over time when people work together itshould be possible to harnessrespective strengths and quarantineweaknesses. Deadlines are wonderful atmaking people focus on the outcomeand not the process.

Are all clients equal?

Over the past couple of years I’venoticed that some industry leaders

have complained about the shortage ofskilled people entering the businessevents industry. My response is thatperhaps employers are looking for thewrong qualities when engaging newstaff. Most office jobs require similaruniversal skills; literacy, numeracy andthe ability to work independently orwithin a team structure. This appliesequally to giant companies like BHP andto smaller companies which tend topredominate in the meetings world.

The old adage “Hire for attitude; train forskill” is as relevant today as it was in thepast. In an ever changing world it’s vitalthat all staff have a good generalknowledge, can direct clients towardsappropriate deliverable outcomes andcan guide and motivate suppliers todeliver something special. It’s also vital

to harness the enthusiasm ofcolleagues. A dear associate of mineonce said “Make a friend before youmake a request”. This approach issuccessful every time, especially in amodern work environment where poorcommunication is the cause of 80% ofproblems and misunderstandings.

In a service industry, making regularcontact with clients is as important asdoing the actual job. Best-selling authorBryce Courtney was a very successfuladvertising agent before becoming a full-time writer. Every week he used tocontact all his clients even if there wasnothing of substance to report. Herecognised that the act ofcommunicating was essential in makingthem happy and retaining their business.I’m a great believer in “keep warm”emails. If someone asks me toundertake a task, I respond immediately,acknowledging receipt and then

estimating when the task is likely to becompleted. This prevents unnecessaryfollow-up emails and phone calls.

Vocational education and training isnecessary in order to provide clientswith a first-class service. However, I’dalways engage someone with a positiveand collaborative attitude in the sure andcertain knowledge that any shortage ofskills can be addressed but it’sextremely difficult to change attitudes.

Attitude or skill

could see how their own particularopinions were in harmony with othersbecause results in the form of simplepercentage graphs were instantlydisplayed and second, this involvementof all the audience meant that individualmalcontents could not hog themicrophones.

In the 2000s with the rapid expansion ofpersonal electronic devices and socialmedia individuals can express theiropinions via Twitter or SMS. Although,this may appear to be the completeopposite of the old chalk and talkapproach it can have the very negativeeffect of random comments completelydestroying the feel and emotionalengagement that can exist betweenpresenter and audience. This effect isbest illustrated in the popular ABC TVprogram Q&A where some panellist maybe trying to explain a complex issuewhilst at the same time an inanecomment is scrolling across the bottom

Conferences attract people withsimilar interests. Traditionally the

formal lines of communication were fairlypredictable; the speaker mounted thestage and proceeded to inform,educate, persuade or inspire thedelegates. If there was any time at theend of the presentation questions weresolicited from the attendees. Questionsessions were often dominated bypeople who wanted to present their ownopinions on the topic under reviewrather than to honestly search for ananswer to an important question.

In the late 1980s delegates had anopportunity to respond en masse tocontroversial issues with the introductionof various types of audience responsesystems. Questions were posed anddisplayed on the screen and everyonecould contribute anonymously and seehow their views corresponded to thoseof their peers. The beauty of thesesystems were two-fold: first, participants

of the screen. These approaches arenow very evident at conferences. In anattempt to appear modern andengaged, conferences organisers areincorporating the communicationtechniques employed by professionals inthe broadcast and online media.

One means of communication hasremained constant throughout the wholehistory of conferences and it’s called“talking”. This natural activity can beundertaken without any externalequipment or artificial stimulant althougha moderate amount of alcohol can actas a social lubricant. It can occurbetween all the major stakeholders;delegates, speakers, exhibitors,organisers, clients and volunteers andadequate provision should be made forthis activity in all conference programsboth social and business.

Communicating at conferences

There are many factors that contributeto a conference being regarded as a

huge success. Yes, the speakers mustbe informative and entertaining, the AVmust operate seamlessly, the venuemust enhance the experience and thefood and beverage must be of thehighest standard. However, theingredient that makes a goodconference great is the emotionalexperiences that can be created byintegrating the performing and visual artsinto the program

At major international congresses,opening ceremonies can focus on thedestination and subject matter withbrilliantly choreographed dancesequences and stunning musicalperformances. Tickets for the OpeningCeremony at any Olympic Games are themost sought after, even though there’snot an athletic competition in sight.

Conference parties can take delegateson a journey around the host countrywith integrated displays of food, flora andfauna. Even the intense business orscientific program can be punctuatedwith a lively break for an energeticrendition by a band of musicians. Afterthese kinds of breaks delegates arephysically and mentally recharged.

It’s not just professionals who cancontribute to the sense of occasion. At amajor medical congress a couple ofyears ago we asked some of theeminently qualified specialists to performduring the Opening Ceremony. One wasa highly talented opera singer, another, abeautiful harmonica player and a third atenor horn player who gatheredcolleagues together to play a complexorchestral piece.

We’ve also held art and craft displayswithin the exhibition where delegatescan submit examples of their work andbe awarded prizes. Peers are amazed atthe talent within their ranks and wherebetter to showcase this than at aconference.

So the arts are important and shouldn’tbe confined to museums, galleries andconcert halls.

Conferences and the Arts

One of the hardest tasks tocomplete when organisingconferences is to design a

successful business program. As we’reall unique, each of us interpretsinformation in different ways. Evenamongst people with a common interestvariables such as age, experience,personality and current state of mindcan dramatically influence informationreception and retention.

Many years ago I had the opportunity tohave input into our own meetingsindustry conferences. It was extremelychallenging. Although everyone workedwithin the business events sphere theindividual roles were many and varied.Even the common division betweensales and operations could be complexas people worked for a variety of

organisations each with their owncorporate culture and ways of doingthings. Add “owners” to the mix and thewhole exercise became even morecomplicated. For some delegates it wasthe first time that they’d ever attended aprofessional conference, for others itwas their 20th…... The commonsolution to this problem is to schedule“inspirational” plenary sessions and“informational” concurrent sessions.However, even this structure can haveits drawbacks as one of the universalbenefits of attending any conference isto be exposed to the unexpected andby sticking to your own vocationalsubject-area you could be missing-outon hearing something special.

The best way forward is to take a“smorgasbord” approach by providing asufficient variety of educationalopportunities to satisfy all tastes. As theold saying goes; you’ll never satisfy allthe people all the time but inertia is notan option. My advice is to be bold,adventurous and controversial and thisapproach will always stimulate debateand discussion which after all is what aconference is all about.

Designing conference business programs

floods in 2011. Most capital cities arehome to prestigious medical andscientific institutions and they too attractfinancial backing for conferences as thestates want to harness the intellectualfire-power that such events attract.

Despite the extraordinary reach andsophistication of the internet,conferences are becoming even morepopular with professional bodies wantingto create opportunities for theirmembers to further develop their formaleducation. Although “information” isalmost infinite, wisdom is in as muchshort supply as it ever was. Speakers atevents can act as story-tellers, collatingand then distilling a massive amount ofdata and then presenting it in adigestible form.

For many years, business events havebeen the quiet achievers in the

worlds of tourism and education.Tourism Australia has received millions ofdollars from the federal government tohelp attract overseas visitors to ourshores. Their campaigns also play a verysignificant part in encouraging delegatesto register for conferences being hostedin our country. From the latest research,70% of attendees report that thedestination was the main reason theychose to attend a particular event oversimilar events being held in other partsof the world. In recent times, stategovernments have also been proactivein encouraging conferences whosesubject-matter is in alignment with theiroverall policies and priorities. Forexample, the Queensland governmentsupported a conference on watermanagement following the devastating

Even local government has a role toplay. Enterprising suburban, regional andrural councils are busy packaging theirunique attractions to encourage bothoverseas and domestic delegates to visittheir area. Technical tours are nowalmost universal as delegates want to“see” the local innovative institutions andnot just to hear about their work inside ahotel ballroom or conference centre.

With the massive public investment inmeetings infrastructure the Australianbusiness events industry can look forwardto a very exciting and profitable future.

Government priorities

One of the many benefits of workingwithin the meetings industry is that

you’re often exposed to people, placesand ideas that you wouldn’t normallycome across. Recently we managed aworld congress that attracted delegatesfrom 35 countries who were allpassionate about the joys of seaweed.

The chair of the congress wanted to addsome variety into the program, so weworked with her and the catering teamto incorporate Australian seaweed intothe lunches and morning and afternoonteas. The chair also commissioned astunning recipe book where famouschefs shared their favourite dish thatused the numerous varieties of seaweedcurrently available commercially and thiswas officially launched at the congress.

Seaweed is an incredibly versatile plant.Not only is it used widely in thepharmaceutical industry but it can alsobe used as a renewable source of

energy. To stimulate debate on thistopic, ABC presenter Adam Spencerwas invited to moderate a public forumon biofuels which attracted hundreds ofpeople to the congress venue.

Perhaps not every conference canexpand its appeal in such a way but it’sdefinitely worth exploring theopportunities available to broaden theinterest and harness the creative andintellectual horsepower that such eventsattract. It’s these associated activitiesthat can often create thoseserendipitous moments that contributeenormously to enriching the wholedelegate experience.

Festival of seaweed

One of the many benefits that youreceive from attending conferences

is that you can be exposed to ideas andexperiences that can have a significantimpact on the way that you live your lifeor carry-out your work. Recently, I’vebeen reflecting on the hundreds ofevents that I’ve attended either as anorganiser or as a delegate. Sometimes aspeaker can re-confirm your own valuesand beliefs, on other occasions they canprovide answers to questions thatyou’ve been thinking about for a longtime. Occasionally, they can offerinsights into looking at issues in acompletely new way.

About 15 years ago, I was invited toattend a talk by the recently retiredGeneral Schwarzkopf who led Americantroops during the first Gulf War in theearly 1990s. When he started talkingabout decision-making, I assumed that

due to his profession and recentexperience he would have a very clearand definite view on how decisionsshould be made. Much to my surprise,he said that if you can’t decide betweentwo viable alternatives, then it would behighly likely that either course of actionwould be suitable. His view was that itwas more important to make a decisionand then to make it work than ditherand waste time trying to decide thebetter of the two options. Ever sincethat day, I’ve applied his advice and itdoes seem to work.

Also in the 1990s, I was fortunateenough to attend an incentiveconference in Austria. The socialhighlight was a very formal ball in apalace. The architecture was ornate, theservice extremely professional and theentertainment quite extraordinary. First,principal dancers from the national balletperformed and then members of the

Vienna State Opera burst into song.Surrounded by such beauty andtradition, I thought to myself whimsically;when you have Pavarotti you don’t needa smoke machine. This experienceinfluenced the way that I’ve producedour company’s social and ceremonialevents ever since. If you can get the twoor three basic elements of any eventright, you can dispense with the rest.

Finally, in 2009, three months before anational conference, the art gallery thathad been booked for the dinner wassuddenly unavailable due to the artists’requesting a longer time to set-up theircontemporary displays. The localconvention bureau suggested that wemove to a cathedral. My first responsewas to assume that the location mightdampen the normally exuberantatmosphere but after I’d visited thebuilding, I changed my mind.

Remembering Vienna, we were able toremove the pews from the nave, erecttables in a refectory or Hogwarts style,install lots of free-standing candelabra,arrange for the bell-ringers to greetguests, invite the organist to play secularmusic during pre-dinner drinks and bookchoirs and soloists to sing withoutmicrophones. Needless to say, theevening was a huge success.

So, learning never stops and attendingconferences is one of the best ways tokeep the brain and heart in goodworking order.

Lifelong learning

Conference LogosAll produced by the ICMSA graphic design team

These are simple graphic devices that try to summarise the essence of a particular event. In our case, we always believe thatless is best and we focus on the destination and subject matter to help us attract delegates and commercial supporters.

Here is a selection of some of our favourites.

Anaesthesiology

Commercial Conciliation and Mediation

Hand Surgery and Hand Therapy

School Business Administration

Conference Logos

Chemistry

Conference Logos

Paediatric Dentistry

Robotics

Conference Logos

PublicLibrariesConference1995

PUBLIC LIBRARIES–WHAT ARE THEY WORTH?

4th WORLD CONFERENCEO N M E L A N O M ASYDNEY.AUSTRALIA.1997

MELANOMAPROGRAMMEInformation Technology

Chemistry

Whilst watching a webinar titledMembership is Dead I was

amazed at the similarities betweenprofessional associations endeavouringto attract and retain members andconference organisers marketing theirevents to potential delegates. As withmany aspects of contemporary lifeeveryone is tuning into the same radiostation WII FM; what’s in it for me.

If information can be obtained instantlyvia search engines, then intermediarieshave to become Content Curators,where their role is to collect, collate anddisseminate relevant information todifferent people. Successful conferenceshave business programs that appeal toa wide variety of potential delegates. Myfavourite division is Minders, Finders andGrinders; where the Minders are seniorpeople who crave for strategic guidancein their chosen industry or profession;

Finders are sales focussed and usuallyyounger who want to know how quicklyand efficiently they can influence andthen convert potential customers andGrinders are operational people whohave the responsibility to ensure that allpromises are delivered.

The second similarity is in trying toCreate Communities. In what can be animpersonal world, people with commoninterests are often attracted to an eventin the hope of meeting other people withthe same interests as themselves. Thisprocess can be accelerated by devisingways in which registered delegates canagree to publicise their contact detailsand interests to other registereddelegates. In this way communities formprior to the event, the event cementsthese relationships and interaction cancontinue after the event for mutualbenefit.

As webinar presenter, Belinda Moore,says “Younger people want to be part ofa dynamic and innovative community.This requires the creation of engaging andstrong groups both online and offline”.

Older people are generally moreinterested in the almost intangiblebenefits of attending a conference. Theywant to keep up-to-date with the latesttrends but they also want to network withpeers in order to share challenges andhopefully solutions to current problems.

Like a smorgasbord, all tastes can becatered for with event organisersunderstanding that one size doesdefinitely not fit all

Content curators

ensuring that all staff don’t becomeoverloaded in the process. Thischallenge becomes even harder whendealing with clients based overseas.

Another major challenge facingorganisations and individuals today is intrying to successfully manage workcontinuity alongside the considerabledemands of raising children. As mostfamily units rely on two incomes it isextremely common, for new mothers inparticular, to want to return to work, atleast part-time, after a few months ofhome-based activities. Retaining goodstaff is not only desirable for anyorganisation but is also vital foreconomic and social reasons for theindividuals involved.

One of the best ways I’ve seen toharmonise the worlds of work with lifeoutside work, is for the people whowork part-time to indicate which days

When the fiercely independentcolonies finally decided to come

together as a federation to createAustralia in 1901, there were a smallnumber of important principles that theFounding Fathers insisted on enshriningin law. One was to create a work-relatedconciliation system that couldindependently arbitrate between theclaims and interests of employees andemployers alike. This structure wasvastly different to the purely market-driven approach taken by countries likethe USA. Although the system has beenfine-tuned over the decades, theunderlying philosophy remains the same.

One of the current challengesconfronting service companies,particularly in the meetings industry, is totry and maintain a balance between theefficient and speedy response to clientdemands whilst at the same time

they’re in the office on their emailsignature. I’ve yet to hear anyonecomplain about this initiative. Naturally, ifthere are emergencies or matters thatneed to be addressed urgently, thenalternative solutions have to be found.

Although the Founding Fathers couldn’thave predicted the ways that moderncommunication technology has infiltratedinto every aspect of our lives, at leastthey had the foresight and wisdom toensure that it never was allowed tocompletely dominate our very existence.

Lifestyle superpower

As most print items are rectangular, it’samazing what an impact an unusualshape can have. This can appeal notonly to our sense of sight but also oursense of touch. Recently whilst overseaspromoting a conference being held inBrisbane later this year, it wasfascinating to watch how a simplepostcard die-cut in the shape ofAustralia captured the imagination of thepotential delegates.

Nearly all websites now contain an audioelement which can reinforce andenhance the visual appeal of the site.One of our favourite uses of this mediumis to entice the Chair of the particularevent that we’re promoting to present asimple on-camera invitation. Everyoneknows that they’re not actors but thefact that they’re appearing at all greatlyenhances the power and integrity of themessage.

It seems to be common knowledge thatour sense of smell is the most

evocative of our five senses. By allaccounts, newly mown grass can sendsome people into the emotionalstratosphere as they remember timespast with affection. How many of usharness this fact in our own marketingactivities? As online communication isnow all pervasive, it’s a special treatwhen potential suppliers actually sendus something tangible. As “everythingold is new again” our own companyrecently embedded an aromatic patchwithin the registration brochure for aninternational congress on botany.Recipients were invited to “scratch &sniff” and they were rewarded with theenticing scent of gum leaves. Thisproved to be an extremely worthwhileinitiative and many delegates said that itwas a contributing factor in theirdecision to attend the event.

As we all eat and drink, taste hasuniversal appeal. Many hoteliers leave atrail of cup-cakes wherever they go andthey’re always popular and well received.

So let all our senses be the medium ofthe message.

Marketing and our five senses

These observations were reinforced tome late last year. Just before SCECstarted being demolished, I hosted alunch for one of the committeemembers from the first internationalcongress that was ever held in the newcentre in 1988 along with theChairperson of the last congress held inthe same venue in December 2013.Both these clients confirmed thatalthough 25 years had elapsed betweentheir respective events, the primarypurpose of the gatherings remained thesame. Sharing information for on-goingproject development and customiseddata sharing. Yes, the presentationtechnology had changed dramatically,marketing initiatives were moresophisticated in order to attractdelegates and commercial supportersbut the absolutely fundamental aim was identical.

As any student of psychology will tellyou, Maslow’s views on our needs is

a well-accepted theory that applies tothe meetings industry. When our basicneeds are satisfied like food, clothingand shelter, we all aspire to be sustainedby social engagement. This is whatmeetings are all about. Pure informationcan be readily obtained from onlinesources but face-to-face collaboration ismuch harder to secure. As popularpundits remind us, we’re moreinfluenced by body language than whatan actual speaker says. The responsewe give to the written word is entirelydifferent to the response we give to thespoken word, which in turn is influencedby who’s speaking.

Attendance at meetings constantlyrefresh us on the latest trends in ourareas of interests. No amount ofcontent-capture will ever replace this asalmost by definition it’s out-of-date assoon as it’s published. Even in 1980when we offered high-speed copies oftalks to delegates as they left theauditorium, I’m not convinced that theyever listened to the audio tapes again.Even today, although it’s useful to beable to access online libraries thematerial will never be as inspirational oremotionally engaging than when it’s firstuttered by a distinguished presenter. Soto copy a current advertising slogan;Meetings, motion and emotion.

Meetings, we need them

It’s a very exciting time to be workingwithin the meetings industry. The

federal minister for tourism, AndrewRobb, is committed to making theindustry a huge success by correctlylinking it to the growth and developmentof our mainstream trading activities. Notonly will the recently announced bilateralfree trade deals with South Korea,Japan and China stimulate growth andprosperity amongst our sector but theinvestment from our state governmentsin building and expanding conventioncentres will mean that we have world-class infrastructure to meet in.

Last year’s G20 at the BrisbaneConvention and Exhibition Centreproved the value of having a purposebuilt international meetings venue right inthe heart of the city. The expansion ofthe Adelaide Convention Centre is astrong indication that the festival state is

keen to broaden its appeal in trying toattract new industries to its part of theworld. Former NSW premier BarryO’Farrell promoted the idea of building abrand new convention and exhibitioncentre in Sydney in his 10-point planprior to his election in 2011.

When government leads, privateinvestors follow. There’s been a pleasingspurt of new hotels being built all overthe country and entrepreneurs are alsodeveloping attractions that can used byour sector.

It’s now incumbent upon all players inthe meetings family to show confidenceand approach 2015 with a great deal ofoptimism for the year ahead.

Proceed with confidence

These structural changes are starting tohappen in Australia as some cityconventions bureaux have establishedEvent Delivery departments, publiclydedicated to ensuring that what waspromised during a competitive bid withother destinations is delivered once thebid has been won. After an eventmanagement company has beenappointed they continue to have directcontact with the client and this cansometimes cause confusion as whatappears to be similar information comingfrom two separate organisations. Venuesare also offering conferencemanagement services in-house as theytry and broaden their appeal as theproverbial one-stop shop.

During our monthly companymeetings, I often say to staff that

nobody owes us a living. Although we’rethe longest established PCO in Australiahaving been incorporated in 1966, itcounts for nothing if we don’t continuallyoffer excellent service and value formoney to current clients. Also, I stressthat the traditional services that we offerare not sacred as other organisationsmay invent a new way of doingsomething that is better than the waywe do it. Similarly with alliedassociations; for example, in Americathe city convention bureaux handle allaccommodation requests for conferenceorganisers and the commission theyreceive from hotels helps to fund theiroperations. If this happened locally itwould create a big shortfall in the flow ofrevenue to PCOs.

There’s nothing fundamentally wrongwith any of these developments and it’sincumbent on all businesses to adaptand modify their products and servicesin light of changes in the market. If theydon’t, you can guarantee that there willbe someone ready to pounce to fill anyvacuum that’s created or to promote anew and more cost-effective way ofdelivering the same service moreefficiently.

Roles and responsibilities

In any dynamic environment thereseems to be constant tension between

the forces of supply and demand.Nowhere is this more evident than in theworld of business events. Once upon atime, meetings were convened in anyvenue large enough to accommodatethem, regardless of suitability. Then therewas a realisation, particularly by regionalgovernments that meetings meanbusiness and that by building state-of-the-art convention centres cities couldcapture some of the visitor-economydollar.

Hotels are almost always in a state offlux. When occupancy is high with full-paying corporate guests other areas ofthe market are often ignored; however,as soon as a 9-11 or GFC hits theBDMs become hyper-active in trying toattract the less fashionable sectors ofthe market. Due to the short-term tenureof many hotel GMs any opportunity tosecure long-term business seems to be

sacrificed in favour of rooms booked inthe next quarter.

Sydney is currently an interesting casestudy. With the convention centre out-of-action for three years, hotels and venueswithout accommodation are all keen to fillthe gap. In some ways this becomes asellers market as demand is farexceeding supply. However, when theICC Sydney opens its doors it will beinteresting to see if hoteliers re-focus onoffering competitive accommodationrates for conference delegates or try tomaintain their relatively high room hirecharges. Building and operating hotels isan expensive business and there must bea fair and reasonable return oninvestment so that there’s a constant flowof new stock coming on the market.However, as with all businessrelationships, consistency of performanceand equitable commercial arrangementswill always be more important thanvolatile fair-weather friendships.

Supply and demand

There’s a genuine attempt to recognisethat not all incentive and corporateclients are attracted to the sameexperiences that Australia has to offer.Equally importantly, those from certaincountries need a program that may becompletely different to those fromanother country.

When it comes to offering theirassistance in trying to win internationalcongresses and then helping to attractas many delegates as possible thelandscape becomes even morecomplicated. Contrary to popular belief,not all professional associations are thesame. Some are extremely well fundedand demand high-end sophisticatedservices from the event planners theyengage. Others are more conscious ofevery dollar and their delegates havevery limited buying power with the resultthat few sponsors and exhibitors arewilling to invest in the event.

Once upon a time Tourism Australiaand its predecessors seemed to be

an organisation that simply channelledfederal government funds to itsadvertising agencies and arranged for itsstaff to attend various trade showsaround the world. The brief was topresent Australia as a desirable holidaydestination and they adopted a one-size-fits-all approach. The bidding formajor world meetings was left to thestate-funded convention bureaux andthe national government was hardly ever involved.

Fast forward 20 years and thelandscape is completely different. Withthe establishment of Business EventsAustralia the national body is nowbecoming far more customised in itsapproach to the various marketsegments that it tries to influence.

While clearly any funding body can’tspread its resources too thinly, at leastthere is recognition that to be effective inthe world of business events, there’s noeasy approach that will satisfy allstakeholders but a customised strategywill achieve far better sustainableoutcomes.

United we stand

foreshadowed by studying the publishedprogram in detail. As a PCO, I’m alwaysencouraging clients to make sure that alltheir proposed social events encouragea great deal of networking. This can beachieved by innovative table layouts orscattered food stations that requiredelegates to rise and circulate or byarranging parties rather than dinners.The social program is as important asthe business program. In the secondvolume of his autobiography, ubiquitousStephen Fry says that “Wine can bewiser than ink and banter is often betterthan books”.

The perfect example of this approachwas taken at the recent MEA annualconference in Darwin. Opening plenaryspeaker, Nigel Collins, mounted hismotorbike in Sydney two weeks beforethe start of the event. He hoped tointerview interesting people along theway who would illustrate his belief thatAustralians are incredibly ingenious. He

During the 2008 Democratic primaryelections in America between Hillary

Clinton and Barack Obama, acommentator was asked how he woulddescribe the difference between the twocandidates vying for their party’sendorsement; to which he replied “If youwant information, choose Clinton: if youwant inspiration, choose Obama”. Thisphrase stuck in my mind and I thoughtthat it perfectly suited the differencebetween a conference and a workshopor seminar.

In the rush to endow every activity withan ROI or a strong vocational purpose,we’re perhaps forgetting the importanceof the word “serendipity”. We all attendconferences because we’re influencedby the subject-matter or the destination.However, the best conferences that I’veever attended have given me ideas andsuggestions that could never have been

had no idea who he would meet or whatthey would say but he had an intuitivefeeling that something would happenalong the way. His optimism was repaidin spades and he was able to share hisstories during his extremely informativeand entertaining presentation. Needlessto say, his talk ignited conversationsthroughout the event which contributedenormously to the conference’s success.

So let’s all be bold and acknowledgethat conferences are often forums forthe unknown and as organisers the bestwe can hope for is that we becomemidwives to wisdom.

What is a conference?

just become so accustomed to using andjust as you get dressed for work you alsoalways remember to “wear” your phone.Forgetting it, or not having it with you, islike you are suddenly out of contact withthe rest of the world”. Another said “Theinternet lets you speak to people whoyou share interests with, wherever theylive. I think most people prefer the unityand friendship that comes from sharedinterests rather than being in the oneplace at one time together. We get to dothat now online and can accessinformation whenever we want to."

It’s become clear to me that in order forus to reach out to potential conferencedelegates from younger generations, weneed to better understand when andhow they receive content and indeed thepower of information that is available attheir fingertips. We need to evaluatewhether being in a conferenceauditorium is indeed the best method ofsharing information.

At a recent conference held in LasVegas event attendees who were

owners of free-to-air television stationsdiscovered that 50% of people under 35were not watching television in thetraditional way; instead they werewatching programs on a variety of otherdevices. If we extrapolate this to theconference world, we see a variety ofcontent that may at one time have onlybeen delivered face-to-face nowdelivered via web streaming, pod castsor video downloads.

Curious about this trend, I invited someof our younger members of staff toadvise me on how their mobile phonesare integrated into their business andsocial lives. The responses were quiteopen and enlightening. One said “I thinkthat mobile phones are a piece oftechnology that we as a generation have

As the sophistication of these devicesseems to be coming more pronouncedalmost daily, I wonder if there will beunforseen social and economic side-effects of so much communication or isthis just making human beings moreconnected and aware of the worldaround them. Who knows?

The world at your fingertips

Photographs from events managed andproduced by ICMS Australasia.

Graphic Design by John Hardaker.Printed by Oxford Printing.

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