Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy. They are the only whales regularly hunted by man. To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale. As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod's side.
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Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy. They are the only whales regularly hunted by man. To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale. As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod's side.
Spare a thought for Melbourne’s best known event producer and AFL tragic. In the podcast I did with Peter Jones he …
September 24, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
September 24, 2021
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While city events get the most notice, regional events are often ignored. However events are for more important to the regional …
September 24, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
September 24, 2021
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Brett Bower has been involved in the event industry for a long time – both on the production side and performing …
September 24, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
September 24, 2021
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Meetings & Events Australia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 MEA State & Territory and National Awards at …
September 23, 2021
Posted by ASE News
September 23, 2021
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Isn’t it funny how we come to miss something only after we no longer have it? I raise the point because …
September 22, 2021
Posted by Gary Fitz-Roy
September 22, 2021
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Ruth is an organiser. She became one of Australia’s first In-house PCOs through her work as a Practice Manager for a …
September 21, 2021
Posted by Podcast
September 21, 2021
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Spare a thought for Melbourne’s best known event producer and AFL tragic. In the podcast I did with Peter Jones he told me about being born into the Melbourne Football Club, he attended his first game around 1966, two years after they last won an AFL flag. Then he has produced the entertainment for 13 AFL Grand Finals and Melbourne featured in none of them (the only two finals …
Brett Bower has been involved in the event industry for a long time – both on the production side and performing as a cartoonist and sand artist. Brett Bower Brett is running a FREE Zoom drawing workshop this evening 7pm – 8pm (Friday 24th) We will be drawing an Australian bush landscape step by step. No special skill is required. It’s an opportunity to relax with a glass of wine, …
Meetings & Events Australia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 MEA State & Territory and National Awards at the 2020 MEA Awards Night held at Scene Change Studios. Reflecting on a particularly challenging year, these Awards recognise the innovation and exceptional work done by organisations and individuals in the events sector throughout 2020. This was the second time that the state and national awards were concurrently …
Isn’t it funny how we come to miss something only after we no longer have it? I raise the point because it reflects the sentiments of exhibitors who have come to realise how important and enjoyable it is actually meeting with clients. It’s all about ‘personal contact’ which is not the same online or over the telephone. They miss it! We know that from experience because each time we …
Ruth is an organiser. She became one of Australia’s first In-house PCOs through her work as a Practice Manager for a group of doctors then went on to manage a number of medical associations. Ruth went on to run numerous medical meetings on her own before joining ICMS Australia and then Pharma Events. But Ruth is also a traveller and a journalist – these, and many more attributes, she …
I grew up in a country town of around 8,000 people; there was a small airport near the town. In 2001 Gander, Newfoundland had a population of around 10,500; and an international airport. Come From Away tells the story of how on Tuesday, September 11th 2001 the airspace over the USA was closed and 38 planes heading to the US from the UK and Europe were ordered to land …
Here is a summary of the Victorian Roadmap as it affects events and entertainment Hospitality Phase A: Hospitality businesses can offer takeaway services only. Phase B: Hospitality businesses will be able to reopen to fully-vaccinated customers, for seated, outdoor service only. A maximum of 50 customers will be allowed at a time, with a density cap of one person per four square metres. Phase C: Food and drink businesses …
A story of the pandemic roadmaps – with apologies to Charles Dickens Chapter I – The Period It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring …
Peter Jones assesses the Victorian Roadmap Hope for the best but expect the worst. The proverb kind of sums up the Victorian roadmap released yesterday when it comes to events. About the only mention of something resembling an event were weddings and funerals and I really can’t see a rush on October 26 – certainly nothing before then – for an outdoor only wedding for 50 people at one …
Regional areas across the country are at risk of not only huge economic losses, but Australian Regional Tourism warns recovery for many is no more than a pipe dream. The industry previously worth $138 billion and attributing to one in 12 jobs nationally, and closer to one in six jobs in some regions, has been hardest hit by the COVID downturn. There is no doubt the country faces the largest …
Today marks 12 weeks that Sydney has been in lockdown – 3 bloody months – now we know how Victorians feel. But let’s celebrate! The MEA Awards will be presented on Wednesday night, so pull out a bottle of bubbly and settle down in front of the screen and share your comments via #MEAawards – book your ticket now Australian Event Awards to go online The ceremony will be …
The Australian Festival Industry Conference (AFIC) has postponed its 2021 conference to Tuesday 30 August – Thursday 1 September 2022, due to the ongoing national covid-19 crisis. “It is with great sadness that we announce our decision to postpone the conference yet again. With the situation worsening in NSW, VIC and ACT, it makes it impossible for us to deliver the event as originally planned in November 2021”, says …
Experiential agency George P. Johnson Australia & New Zealand (GPJ A/NZ) announces the upcoming departure of Managing Director Caleb Bush as he takes on the role of Executive Vice President of GPJ Europe, overseeing its offices London, Stuttgart, Oslow, Paris and Brussels. Bush has been a long-term fixture of GPJ A/NZ, starting with the agency in 2009 and has held several roles during his tenure – including Producer, General …
Arinex’ Digital Conference Organising (DCO) team is celebrating a busy first year in operation, marked by a spate of virtual events and successful client outcomes. The DCO team has produced 29 virtual events in the last 12 months, providing professional advice to a myriad of clients across a range of industries. These events have attracted a total of 7113 attendees from around the world, led to 58,480 sponsor interactions …
International Convention Centre Sydney has welcomed the industry’s inclusion in the New South Wales government’s roadmap to reopen and is preparing to welcome in person events back to the venue from mid-October. According to the NSW Government Gazetted Health Order, 10 September 2021, conferences and exhibitions at ICC Sydney can return at one person per four square metres and entertainment events can return at 75% of their fixed seating capacity. …
Now you might remember that the federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said it would be up to businesses to decide if they let unvaccinated patrons into their premises. Well, it looks like in NSW, at least at the 70% vaccination level; this will not be the case. From today’s presser: Gladys Berjiklian: At 70% we’ve been extremely clear and extremely black and white. There is no doubt as to what we said when we …
After extensive consultation with the Industry, the Event Awards 2021 Ceremony will join the long list of 2021 events to move online due to effects of Covid-19. In a perhaps unusual move, the ceremony will be delivered as a series of bite sized broadcasts delivered each evening over 12 days from October 20 – 31 capping off a month-long Industry celebration during which the work of every entrant will …
By Nicole Walker, CEO Arinex As we look for ways to rebuild our industry while Australians line up to get vaccinated, it is clear our industry also needs a shot in the arm. While we are fortunate to still have a full events calendar this month, we have had the expected drop-off of events as the lockdowns continue in our two biggest states and I know we are not …
Andrew Walsh is a storyteller who has produced some of the biggest events in Australia and the world. In this wide ranging interview we cover how Andrew started in theatre in Melbourne while still at school then worked on various theatre productions including the original production of Rocky Horror in Melbourne. After moving to Sydney, Andrew worked for David Beal at Audience Motivation which at the time was the …
The NSW Roadmap to Freedom for the fully vaccinated has a serious discrepancy regarding weddings and funerals To quote relevant sections from the media release Hospitality venues can reopen subject to one person per 4sqm inside and one person per 2sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside.Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with one person per 4sqm or 75 …
So, NSW has a plan as to how events will look once we get to the magical vaccination rates. Lots of influencing factors that may impact it, but I give them a 10 out of 10 for at least having something that the industry can work to. The ironical thing for us under the proposed plan is that theoretically, we will be able to do an event in Sydney …
The NSW Roadmap to Freedom was finally released this week and when you come down to it, despite the cries of “we always take the health advice”, this was a political decision based on commerce more than health. After her disastrous decision to not lock down Bondi and Sydney’s eastern suburbs when the current outbreak first emerged (cheered on by Scotty from Marketing), the NSW government and businesses have …
There has been a lot of reaction to the release of the NSW “Roadmap to Freedom” so here are some links to coverage that I think is relevant to the event industry. Why check-in apps can’t become vaccine passports – AFR Vaccine passports will need much tougher security layers than existing check-in apps offer, say technology experts as the race to develop an appropriate system heats up. This is …
With the anticipation of the NSW road map announcement the events industry was waiting in the hope we may be able to stick a few events in before the year end. But the announcement didn’t provide any real clarity and had so many conditions you couldn’t but think it’s the opening you have when you don’t have an opening! Gary Fitz-Roy Given the talk about the Sydney Business Events …
The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) is delivering an important program of events for Q4, as part of its strategy responding to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and pathway to recovery. Claudia Sagripanti, EEAA Chief Executive said “In these turbulent times due to the pandemic, the EEAA recognises the critical importance of remaining connected with our members and the broader business events community. The series of free-of-charge Expert …
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has released a recovery roadmap that they want the Victorian Government to adopt. The framework calls for events and entertainment to start returning to normal once 70% fully vaccinated rates are achieved. Victoria is expected to reach 70% second dose around 10th November and 80% around 1st December. Launching the roadmap the Chamber Chief Executive Paul Guerra said, Paul Guerra “It is time to get …
I’m sure that most people involved in events in Sydney watched the premier’s presser this morning. Here is the gist of what the “Roadmap to freedom” looks like – I’ve picked out the information that is relevant to events. Activation Date Restrictions will ease on the Monday after NSW passes the 70 per cent double vaccination target. That milestone is expected to be reached in mid-October. Restrictions for events …
Over the last week Info Salons have advised clients they are closing their Australian operation. Info Salons was founded by Jo-Anne Kellaway in 1990 and pioneered event registration software and data capture as business events in Australia grew following the opening of the SCEC in 1988. Info Salons grew into Australia’s largest trade registration company and was bought in 2018 by the Freeman Group out of the USA. Kellaway …
Dr Jerry Schwartz, owner of one of Australia’s most popular family resorts, Paradise Resort Gold Coast, will make vaccinations mandatory for hotel staff to ensure staff and guests – particularly children – are protected. Dr Schwartz is the largest private owner of hotels in Australia and already his hotels that provide quarantine services for travellers require vaccination for staff members, but Paradise Resort Gold Coast will be the first …
A move to a more restricted Level 2 for regions outside of Auckland will make additional support crucial for the business events industry, says Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA). Under Level 2 from Wednesday 8 September, gatherings outside of Auckland will need to be under 50 persons in a defined space, down from 100 in previous Level 2 guidelines, mask wearing will be mandatory and all attendees will need …
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® has announced that CES® 2022, the world’s most influential technology event, will require in-person attendees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. CES 2022 will take place in Las Vegas on January 5-8, 2022. For those who may be unable to travel to Las Vegas, CTA will again create a digital event that will run in parallel with the in-person program. Digital audiences will have the opportunity to share the spirit of the in-person event. “Based on today’s science, we understand vaccines offer …
The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), the umbrella body and advocacy group representing the UK events sector, has today published its Shape of Events Report. The report was compiled using responses from over 300 professionals and organisations from across the UK events sector and authored by Richard Smith from Team Tourism Consulting and John Gallery, Chair of the BVEP’s Research Group. The report was sponsored by brand communications …
It’s time for a reset. The one thing we have learnt with covid over the last 18 months is how quickly things can change and the importance of being fluid. The focus needs to move beyond insurance schemes, which I believe are not the solution, and focus on the main game rather than grasping at band-aids. Last week Qantas set the agenda and we need to follow their path. …
This week we revisit the interview with Johnny Allen We start with Johnny’s career running music venues in Sydney and the 1973 Aquarius Festival in Nimbin. Then a year in New York and London as part of the arts and music scenes – especially the emerging punk movement (hanging out with The Ramones and the Sex Pistols among others). Back to Sydney and the thriving cabaret scene including the …
It has been another hell of a week with COVID cases spiralling in NSW and Victoria and a big push from industry groups calling on the state governments to actually come up with a plan for how events will restart. And because it is the “official” first day of spring (3 weeks before the rest of the world) I thought I would share a photo from Canberra’s Floriade, which …
Visions in Style owner, Michael Cartwright has developed a rapid antigen testing system for events and business. Covid-19 has absolutely devastated the meetings and events industry and restricted leading businesses and their teams by not allowing their staff to engage confidently and safely within the work place. And heaven forbid dealing with an active covid case in the work place or venue and then dealing with the ramifications and …
Sydney’s business events industry is calling for a NSW Government plan to safely restart its operations for fully vaccinated people and warns inaction threatens the survival of jobs across the city and regions. Representatives of Sydney’s business events industry have joined with the Committee for Sydney and Business Sydney as the Sydney Business Events Coalition to call on the NSW Government to pave a pathway for the return of …
The PM and Premiers are promising things will be very different when we reach 70% and 80% fully vaccinated. But how will we get there? Weddings are allowed again in NSW from today but with restrictions on numbers depending on where you live (11 at the most). Funerals are also very restricted and of course all venues are closed. Based on the stages we went through following previous lockdowns …
We can all remember waiting for each of the COVID restrictions to end and then we knew it was a four to five week lag before we got back to the manageable 1 per 2 square metre rule which allowed many events to happen. And some did. But now that’s a thing of the past. Even if we theoretically did get back to that position, there is no way …
This week Save Victorian Events released the top line results from our second detailed survey of the Event Industry. We had a very strong response to the survey from right across the industry. All of us in the event industry already know how difficult things are, so we don’t need a survey to remind us. Hence we were apprehensive about even sharing the results – as we’ve all already …
New Zealand’s Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) Conference 2021 will be going ahead, three weeks later than planned, in Hawke’s Bay from 1 to 3 November. BEIA Chief Executive, Lisa Hopkins says now more than ever, meeting face-to-face is important for the industry after a period of lockdown. “Our members are telling us they are keen to go ahead, and we have been fortunate to work with our partners …
Following the Victorian Premier’s presser yesterday the Victorian Chamber Chief Executive, Paul Guerra wrote to his members. Some of his comments are relevant to Victorian event industry business owners. Today’s announcement was never going to be easy with the number of active cases in the state. Victorians all have a role to play, but every business needs hope. Today we got a plan to have a plan when what …
This week started off with the promise that we would get a better idea of what will happen when NSW and Victoria get to 70% and 80% vaccination rates, but sadly that information was not forthcoming at today’s press conferences. The premiers keep talking about the “national plan” but I have already pointed out, that plan has no guidelines on how and when events can restart. The PM and …
The team at Sydney based Event Management Company, Lateral Events, have united over a common cause – to get vaccinated and to do their bit to get the events industry back on track. CEO, Simon Baggs, led the way and was the first of the team to be vaccinated. Whilst there was no company policy to mandate vaccines for staff, the communication lines have remained open between staff and …
Di Henry’s first parade involved 1000 sheep and a bullock train trundling through the Sydney CBD to promote the Royal Easter Show, and she brought out Robosauraus to the RES. From that she went on to Mardi Gras parades and then the 2000 Sydney Olympic torch relay followed by a dozen more Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games relays. Di spent 2012 in England organising events for the City of …
The industry have been so focused on various aspects of recovery, namely insurance and a road map to re-open. However, it’s important that we also maintain effort on a third pillar – reminding clients why events and exhibitions really deliver. We are pleased to release a new “sticker” we encourage the industry to adopt and use on all material from print to online. The new campaign is designed to …
Event Producers and suppliers work across business events, public events, private events, festivals and entertainment. They can be broadly split into two camps – those who work locally and those who work in multiple locations (including overseas). Although the majority of the producers and suppliers are based in Sydney and Melbourne there are plenty of local operators around the country along with many who produce national events from a …
It is a very challenging time in Australia’s Event Industry with two states in extended lockdown, many border closures, and a huge amount of uncertainty. Please complete the survey Today we are encouraging people and businesses from right across the Event Industry to complete this national survey to help quantify the difficult situation in our Event Industry: Our February survey was pivotal in starting to get the real situation …
Up until late June, there seemed to be a path back for the events industry, but now uncertainty prevails again despite the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier both stating that we need to push through whilst other states posture and take a different position. It will be a test to see if the PM has the backbone to back his position once vaccination rate targets are hit and …
For those of us living in NSW or Victoria some light relief was certainly needed and last night we could sit back and enjoy the somewhat kooky Paralympics Opening Ceremony. Once again the Tokyo Olympic Stadium featured eerily empty seats as the Paras opening played out for a television audience. Like the Olympics ceremonies this one also featured pre-recorded pieces and projection technology, because without masses of athletes and …
I’ve been following Ian Whitworth’s blog “Motivation for Sceptics” since he started it as “Kill all MBAs”, but long before that I followed the antics of his marketing stunts starting with the MEA conference in Hobart in 2007, which I reported at the time… Launching Scene Change in Hobart In a very cheeky move Hobart’s new AV company Scene Change managed to attract plenty of attention at the MEA …
To coincide with this week’s Tokyo Paralympics here is the second half of the interview with Sandy Hollway where he reflects on the highlights of the Sydney Olympics (including that heart stopping cauldron moment). Post Olympics, Sandy kept in touch with the event industry as a head of the judging panel for the Australian Event Awards and has maintained his passion for indigenous issues and indigenous arts in particular. …
So we can put our own situation into perspective here is a quick roundup of COVID news around the world thanks to The Guardian These reports are from Sunday 22nd August The UK reported 33,904 cases of Covid, with the weekly tally standing at 211,238, a 7% increase on the previous week. There were 111 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, with 655 over the past week, an 8% …
MORE than 80 per cent of people support both domestic and international vaccine passports to open a return more rapidly to business travel, according to polling results just released by the corporate arms of the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCM, Corporate Traveller, Flight Centre Business Travel, and Stage and Screen).Over 1,750 people across the LinkedIn channels of the four brands responded, with 81 per cent in favour of a …
What a week – COVID is now rampant throughout NSW, ACT and Victoria and we are still getting mixed messages from Gladys Berejiklian and Scott Morrison. Scott Morrison has issued an implicit warning to state and territory leaders that they must ease restrictions when vaccination rates reach 70% and 80%. He said today: “The national plan is a deal with Australians – we’ve said you’re persevering lockdowns, taking instructions, getting …
As founder of the National Events Alliance, Gary Fitz-Roy welcomes the recent meeting of BECA with Minister Tehan. Their language is now in line with how others in the industry have been talking for some time and how other associations are following suit. However the recovery of our industry still remains at the state level, not at the federal. The one thing not addressed, and remains unanswered, is the …
John O’Brien has a go at dissecting the Victorian Inquiry John has professional experience within many areas of AV (control, lighting, video, audio) and construction (planning, management, on the tools) but many of my jobs have relied more upon broader life skills than granular specialist knowledge. John O’Brien One Tuesday in early August 2021, I received several messages about the release of the following Victorian report: “Inquiry into the …
Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) today announced the difficult decision has been made to defer its annual conference ‘Evolve’ to 2022. The continuing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitated decisive leadership and action on MEA’s part. The primary factor for this decision is the uncertainty around border restrictions right across the country and the limitations it poses on travel to attend events in-person. MEA CEO Peter McDonald said, …
Yesterday, representatives of the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) met online with the Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment to plead for targeted support for businesses reliant upon income from business events. BECA Deputy Chair, Geoff Donaghy stated, “Survival of the complete visitor and events supply chain is our number one priority, along with maintaining their skilled workforce. If we are to be match fit for …
Libbie Ray left school at 15 to become an apprentice chef in her father’s restaurant. Today she is co-owner of AV24/7 and expanding the business in the time of COVID. Join Libbie on her journey from growing up on the Hawkesbury River, via restaurants and venues, to television studios and then into the event industry. At one stage Libbie decided to try her hand a sales – turns out …
Over the past few days I’ve been talking to a number of people in the industry about their planning for the rest of this year. The common story in Sydney and Melbourne is that due to uncertainly most events have now been postponed to 2022. And watching today’s pressers by the NSW and Vic state premiers I’m now convinced that events will not recommence this year in Sydney and …
Last year the Australian Government put out a 3 STEP FRAMEWORK FOR A COVIDSAFE AUSTRALIA. This framework spelt out how each industry sector would progress from Step 1 to 2 to 3 For example the section covering Entertainment & Amusement Venues stipulated that in step 1 all venues must remain closed. Step 2 some indoor venues may have up to 20 patrons while pubs, clubs, nightclubs, etc are to …
Sydney Showground has announced Darryl Jeffrey as its newly appointed General Manager following the retirement of Peter Thorpe in early July. Darryl Jeffrey As the venue’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Jeffrey has been with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) and Sydney Showground since 2012 and boasts over thirteen years’ experience within the event industry and nineteen years in the Australian Army, making the transition into the role …
University of Melbourne epidemiologist Antony Blakely has told the state parliament inquiry into the NSW government’s response to the pandemic that Sydney may need to stay in a form of lockdown until November. As reported in SMH “There’s no way NSW is going to be able to go back to a stage one [of restrictions] … any time between now and November at the earliest,” Professor Blakely says. “We’re …
There is a lot being written and reported about the vaccine rollout and how that will get us out of the current lockdowns. Gary Fitz-Roy thinks there are some fundamental points missed and he must have missed a page from the memo! Gary Fitz-Roy Let’s assume that the national vaccination target of 70 – 80% needs to be achieved before expos and major events can reopen and freely accept …
With the conclusion of the 2020ne Tokyo Olympics it seems like a good time to revisit the interview I did with Sandy Hollway During his career in the Australian Public Service, Sandy served in the DFAT in postings as diverse as Pakistan, Germany, Canada and USA. As PM Bob Hawke’s Chief of Staff he was at the centre of one of the most progressive times of Australian political life. …
The Tokyo Olympics showed large sporting events could safely be held in a pandemic and challenged policy makers to show why such events should not be held – rather than asking why they should, veteran Games administrator Sandy Holloway told The Australian Financial Review. The two-week tournament that wound up on Sunday after safely allowing competitors from over 200 countries to compete set a standard for assessing other events, the …
The Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony was even more downbeat then the opening. Which was disappointing because they actually had plenty to celebrate – they pulled off an event that was worth celebrating. The sporting events provided many memorable moments and a lift to the millions watching on TV in Japan and around the world. The success of these games was due to the athletes being protected within a very …
This week’s slew of information regarding lockdowns, vaccinations and much more took a bit of deciphering – so here is a summary. The key message of the week is that lockdowns will end when we get to a vaccination rate of 80% of over 16s, which I tried to unpick from watching one of those classic medical presentations with unintelligible slides Making sense of the COVID transition plan and …
Peter Jones shares his reaction to the publication of the Victorian Events Industry Enquiry Peter Jones Well, we knew it was coming and we knew what it was going to say but that doesn’t change the fact that it is now laid out for everyone to see. The harsh reality has really hit home. The report covers everything from border closures, restrictions on numbers, the potential use of vouchers, …
Venues NSW* is seeking government approval to require patrons to prove they have been vaccinated in order to attend events at their venues. Chairman Tony Shepherd told Ben Fordham on 2GB it’s a “sensible approach”.“Why should people who have been vaccinated be compromised by having to sit next to people who are unvaccinated?“I’m not forcing people to get vaccinated … if they want to watch the cricket they can …
Ever since the cancellation of Bluesfest in March the calls for COVID cancellation insurance for events has ramped up. The live music sector has been a leading voice but event industry associations have been pushing as well. The Victorian government inquiry in to the impact of COVID on tourism and events released their report this week and supported such a scheme. As discussed in Chapter 5, a major ongoing …
OK I’m going to try to unpick the federal government’s National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response We keep hearing about the transition from Phase A to Phase B happening at 70% vaccination and then to Phase C at 80% vaccination. First up what are those vaccination rates and how do they compare to overseas? Once again I defer to Dr Norman Swan. The rate referred to …
BECA supports Australia’s urgent COVID-19 vaccination rollout to #GiveBEaShot.BECA and its network of industry association members continue to advocate for business events to federal and state governments, seeking industry and business support.BECA formalises its relationship with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to enhance government engagement cut-through. The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) is supporting the call for the industry and broader community to get vaccinated as …
Today saw the final report of the Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 on Victoria’s tourism and events sectors tabled in parliament. Save Victorian Events worked really hard to get this Inquiry to happen, provided a huge amount of detailed information about our industry, and encouraged many event people to put in submissions and to testify at the hearings. We understand this is the first government inquiry …
In a move that has left many in the event industry questioning a double standard, Gary Fitz-Roy asks why the Federal Government has extended special funding for Qantas to the tune of $100 million while the event sector has been left holding losses from events cancelled due to border closures and staff resources continuing to exit the sector. Gary Fitz-Roy Qantas’ annual turnover pre covid was around $10.6 billion …
Born in the north of England Karen came to Australia as a ten pound Pom. Karen Bollinger takes to the stage for the AIME “Strictly Melbourne” event Karen remembers that her school reports mentioned that she talked too much in class, really. Studying German, French and Japanese at school certainly came in useful in her later corporate life. Following high school Karen went to Ryde Catering College with the …
Dull and boring are a couple of descriptors I’ve heard, however I want to go a little deeper. If I had to use one word it would be “sparse”. Normally what we see is a massed spectacle designed for television. This time we had a TV event with some elements presented live. As a TV event it was not only sparse, but slow as well, in fact it lacked …
I’ve previously blogged about events in Sydney not recommencing until after Christmas. Unfortunately today’s developments reinforce that view. First, yesterday’s statement by PM Scott Morrison that lockdowns would become a thing of the past once the vaccine rollout is complete, and that he believes the rollout will be essentially complete by the end of the year. As we know, until lockdowns become a thing of the past the event …
Until lockdowns “become a thing of the past” the event industry cannot plan ahead without the government providing cancellation insurance. PM Morrison said today that he believes the vaccine rollout will be essentially complete by the end of the year. “By the end of the year we will be in that position, where everybody who has had the opportunity will have had it,” he says. This means lockdowns will …
As expected the lockdown in Sydney is to be extended for another four weeks. I figured that now is a good time to reflect on how we got to this point. Not how Golden Gladys didn’t shut down Sydney’s eastern suburbs when this outbreak started spreading, but how the virus got there in the first place. As event managers we always work on risk analysis and contingency plans. So …
Arinex Incentives and Corporate Events Senior Account Manager Leonie Ferris-Tonge shares why you should consider a travel reward program to motivate your staff. Leonie Ferris-Tonge Staff are unlikely to talk about their cash bonuses However exciting it might be to get financially renumerated for a job well done, most people will not share that good news with people beyond their immediate family. Incentives are designed to positively impact the …
As we are back into lockdown I’ve taken the opportunity to get some more interviews completed. The new interviews will be dropped each four weeks with repeats from last year in between. Darryl Lovegrove is a singer and an entrepreneur. His singing career started in the school choir – he featured as a soloist on a recording made by the choir. Darryl went on to be a pop singer …
I’ve listened to and read a lot of commentary and concerns from within the event industry over the past year or so and I want to sum up the key points. NB I’m using “event industry” to describe business events (B2B), consumer events (B2C) and festivals. The event industry is always in the first round of shutdowns and the last to reopen. Next in line is travel and tourism. …
The experiments are both on humans. Experiment #1 commenced on Monday – Boris Johnson’s so called Freedom Day. ASE checked what this meant for the event industry in the UK. The UK Government guidelines for events and visitor attractions covers – indoor and outdoor attractions, performing arts venues, Indoor and outdoor events of any size Complete a health and safety risk assessment that includes risks from COVID-19Turn people with …
Entertainer James Bustar has compiled a heart rending video in which members of the arts community tell of the devastation of the pandemic on lives and livelihoods and the need for further government income support to be extended to the arts.In the emotion-charged 10-minute video, prominent artists from a wide range of disciplines speak of the loneliness and despair combined with deepening concern that the arts are being overlooked.They tell of having bookings and income in their gig-to-gig industry cut to …
The construction industry is up in arms because they have finally been shut down. Welcome to lockdown boys and be thankful that you do not work in sectors that have been affected far more seriously than you. The arts, events, entertainment and festivals sectors have been the first to be shut down and the last to reopen. Since 13th March 2020 these sectors have been shut down for longer …
Part two of the interview with Roslyn Mcleod looks a the Olympics and the 21st century
Over the past few weeks I’ve been observing the tradies working on building sites as I go for my morning walk. This morning those sites were quiet. Welcome to lockdown guys. Like all politicians Gladys Berejiklian loves donning the hi-viz and hard hat for a photo op, so it must have been galling for her to announce the shutdown of construction in Sydney, however… Ms Berejiklian announced on Saturday …
Hi Melbourne – we really didn’t want to stuff it up for you again, and we feel for you. And just putting it out there – I reckon the Sydney lockdown will tighten this weekend. “Dictator Dan” was decisive yesterday while “Gold Standard Gladys” is still dithering. However, the language at this morning’s presser from both the NSW Premier and Dr Chant is certainly pointing to a harder lockdown …
On ABC RN this morning medical epidemiologist Mike Toole was talking about the modelling done by the Burnett Institute on the Victorian second wave. There have now been a number of media stories covering this call for tighter shutdowns in Greater Sydney because the modelling predicts that unless an equivalent to Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions is introduced in Sydney we could be in lockdown until Christmas. NSW restrictions will …
Currently our political leaders are all telling us that they are “listening to the medical advice” before making decisions on lockdowns. But in the end the decision they make is a political one. If John Howard had sought military advice before committing to sending troops to Afghanistan they would have told him to look at the Russian experience in that country and our role in the Vietnam war. No, …
Roslyn Mcleod OAM started her first business providing tour guides for the 1971 Rotary International Convention in Sydney. That business developed through supplying tour guides and interpreters to then become a PCO. Roslyn Mcleod Arinex is now one of the foremost conference and destination management companies in Australia. Roslyn shares her school days in Sydney and Perth and how learning Latin and Japanese prepared her for that career. This …
Gary FitzRoy has had plenty to say about the situation we find ourselves in as an industry. He went on to create yet another industry association – the National Events Alliance. The NEA held a meet up at Sydney Showground last month and ASE took the opportunity to sit down with Gary for a chat.
You were right Trevor; July 2021 does still look a lot like March 2020 and that’s still having an impact on the events industry. Peter Jones We all knew it was coming but that doesn’t mean the pain is any less with the cancellation of the Grand Prix In fact, it ended up a double blow with the bikes gone at Phillip Island as well. The number of …
Once again this morning has seen wall to wall media conferences by state premiers and the federal treasurer. The big news is that the Sydney lockdown will continue for another week while the Melbourne lockdown will ease from midnight Thursday. Metropolitan Melbourne will be brought into line with regional Victoria, which means all COVIDSafe settings will apply statewide.Masks will continue to be required in indoor, public-facing settings unless an …
Business events might account for 79% of Victoria’s event industry in economic terms, but frustratingly today they again didn’t get a mention. Simon Thewlis The government trumpeted that 40,000 people are allowed at the football and 2,000 people are allowed at theatre productions. But no mention of business events despite the critical role they play in Victoria. Prior to Covid, 120,000 business events were happening in Victoria every year. …
National Event Alliance (NEA) are delighted to announce the appointment of Doug MacColl as the interim CEO following overwhelming positive feedback from their first Forum held recently in Sydney. Doug MacColl Doug was previously Finance and Transformation Director at Reed Exhibitions APAC, with many years in the Industry. In welcoming the appointment Doug said that “National Events Alliance are keen to give a voice to the 2,198 direct businesses …
We are saddened by the loss of every event – whether it is a conference for a not-for-profit group, a product launch, a community festival, or the Grand Prix. They are all important. They all contribute to our communities, and to what makes Victoria a great place. And, they all provide much needed income for Event Industry people and businesses. Simon Thewlis Sadly, Victoria has lost over 100,000 events …
Philip Carr was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this interview Philip talks about growing up in apartheid South Africa, how started in business with his mother and catering for President Nelson Mandela’s 79th birthday. Philip moved to Sydney in 1998 and had to start all over again to build, what is now a very successful event business. This wide ranging discussion goes into his philosophy of design …
How nice that Our Beloved Leader has released a National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response. Which looks like this Which looks very much like this one released in March 2020 This is what I had to say about the 3 STEP FRAMEWORK FOR A COVIDSAFE AUSTRALIA last March. So what is different? Well another step has been added. Apart from that they look very similar. This time …
Doug MacColl discovers that 100,000 people have lost their jobs in the events sector A Nine Newspapers investigation into inbound arrivals into Australia has highlighted, as a by-product, the shocking collapse of the events industry revealed by the decrease in the number of visitors into Australia for conferences, as questions swirl around the international border system. Doug MacColl Building on the reports in the Nine Newspapers, my own research …
Currently over half of Australia’s population is under lockdown restrictions of some sort. It appears that the only safe place to hold an event at the moment is Tasmania. Financially our industry is getting slammed. So I decided to have a look at where we currently sit. We are living in a three tiered economy and the events industry is on the bottom rung. The top rung is reserved …
In the second half of the Peter Jones interview we discuss some of the great events he has delivered – and the effect of COVID on his business and the overall events business
First held in 1823, the Sydney Royal Easter Show (SRES) is Australia’s largest annual ticketed event, attracting over 828,000 attendees on average. The RAS has a full time staff of 155 who not only run the SRES they also manage one of the largest event precincts in Australia. In addition they run Wine, Dairy & Fine Food competitions and the Australasian Animal Registry. This swells to over 500 paid employees …
In March 2020 the events industry was the first to be shut down when the 500 pax limit was put on events, followed by more limits until no events were viable. Gary FitzRoy People in our industry are now at breaking point. We, unlike tourism, have received very little mainstream media coverage. Look at Margy Osborne from the Tourism Task Force who has been on virtually every mainstream media …
The business events industry’s leadership convened at ICC Sydney earlier this month to prepare for the future of business events in Australia. The Business Events Industry Roundtable was jointly hosted by the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) and Tourism Australia. The workshop focused on building an understanding of the immediate objectives for the sector as well as obtaining business events industry insights to inform the Reimaging the Visitor …
Peter Jones is Melbourne born and bred; a dedicated Melbourne Football Club fan, despite the team having a miserable track record when it comes to winning. Peter’s career in events started when he worked on the Moomba festival when he was 16 – earning $25 per week. Peter Jones While at University his first job was with Life Be In It – touring around shopping centres with “Norm” Then …
At the recent National Events Alliance Meetup at Sydney Showground Gayle Dickerson shared insights into how business sees events coming back. ASE spoke to Gale about some of those issues About Gayle Dickerson Partner – Restructuring Services, KPMG Board Member – Turnaround Management Association (TMA) Gayle has over 20 years of experience in both the UK and Australia in corporate turnaround, insolvency, restructuring and turnaround advisory. Gayle is engaged …
The latest Victorian outbreak has started to have real bite and again the exhibition and event industry is left in disarray, with many on the brink of closure, yet there seems to be no recognition of the dire situation from our industry bodies, nor the Government, and I sound like a broken record wondering what it’s going take? Not only has the recent break out in Victoria specifically caused …
This week the Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, announced new grants for event organisers saying, “Event organisers have done it tough and they deserve this across-the-board support – from big companies with dozens of workers to individual contractors it will provide critical cash injections when they are needed most.” “Victorians love turning out to events and we are backing the sector and its workers to recover …
Media release from Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula Event organisers, hosts, suppliers, producers and cinema businesses will benefit from a new support package of grants announced by the Victorian Government today. The $20 million Victorian Events Support Package has been designed to support the events industry, acknowledging the heavy and ongoing impact of the May-June restrictions on the sector. Part of the more than $500 …
The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has announced that Independent Chair of the peak industry body, Dr Vanessa Findlay, has stepped down from the role after leading the business events industry’s advocacy and federal government lobbying efforts throughout the turbulent period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2020 lockdown I started a podcast – in 2021 we are revisiting those chats. Lena Malouf grew up in Canowindra in regional NSW and learned retail from her shopkeeper parents. Lena Malouf Engaged at 18, married at 19, then starting a business with three young children Lena had to be resourceful. We follow her career from opening a floristry business in Wollongong in 1957 to teaching at …
While training at the William Angliss Institute Anne failed egg boiling but managed to run a catering business on the side. Anne Jamieson Anne relives her career in hotels in Melbourne, Sydney and back to Melbourne – ranging from basic chores to senior sales roles. Following a couple of decades in hotels Anne joined the MCEC as Director of Sales in 2009. Then two years ago she was …
Event organisers are a responsive, take-it-in-your-stride type. Throughout the last 14 months we have found ways to continue meeting despite uncertainty and the imposition of last-minute restrictions. Now with industries picking up pace once more and events returning to normal, we are beginning to ask ourselves; what is normal anyway? Why return to the standard event when we can deliver so much more? We believe event planning needs to …
You don’t expect page 7 of the Sunday Herald Sun ($) and the back page of the Sunday Age to be scary reading in relation to events but yesterday they were. It is even in today’s papers and one of the hot topics on talkback radio. Our Events Minister Martin Pakula had to spend more time answering questions about this topic at the press conference yesterday than any other …
As Victorians enter week two of lockdown 4.0 I became aware of massive failure and a missed opportunity. The failure We have been told that contract tracing is the key to stopping the virus in its tracks. It is almost a year since NSW introduced a state-wide QR check-in system, with the other states and territories following soon after. Yet Victoria has only just managed to finalise their rollout …
The organisers of the Australian Event Awards are providing an opportunity for a State, Territory, venue, government bodies or partnerships thereof who wish to boost their region and promote their destination to the wider Australian events community, to become the ‘Destination Partner’ by hosting the culminating event of Australian Event Industry Month, the Australian Event Awards Ceremony. Partnering with the Event Awards as the Destination Partner demonstrates your commitment …
Trina Butler is Senior Director, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe Trina works with clients in Legal, Medical, Corporate, High Tech, Government and Association Markets in the US, South East Asia and Australia. At an industry function last week Trina shared her thoughts on where we were in 2020 and what we should be doing in 2021 Trina Butler February 2020 the bottom fell out. My self-worth is not solely but …
IN 2020 there were no evens to cover so I took the opportunity to have a chat with industry colleagues. In 2021 I’m revisiting those interviews. Andrea is a girl who likes to party. Fortunately she is the Managing Director of Onstage Entertainment so she gets to design the entertainment for fabulous parties – mostly for her clients, but sometimes for her own amusement. Andrea’s memories from school in …
The Victorian government’s announcement of $20m in Event Assistance is a modest, but long needed, step in the right direction. It is also a very welcome acknowledgement of our Event Industry – an industry that makes such a huge contribution to life in Victoria. It is a direct response to the extensive lobbying that has been done by Save Victorian Events and others in recent weeks. But it …
We all have memoires of the childhood story of the Little Engine That Could who pushed to get over the mountain and kept saying I think I can, I think I can. The train was very positive with the intention and eventually the little locomotive huffed and puffed and conquered the mountain and then the down run was far easier. The question for the exhibition and event industry is …
The Acting Premier of Victoria James Merlino has just announced a seven day ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown of Victoria. The lockdown covers “Hotels, clubs, TABs and the casino will be closed, indoor and outdoor entertainment venues, swimming pools, spas, saunas, indoor and outdoor springs, community venues, drive in cinemas, amusements parks, creative studios, art galleries and museums, tourism, tours, and transport, and auctions can only happen online.” Sources in Melbourne told …
How exhibitions drive economic recovery by enabling growth and recovery is the key theme for this year’s Global Exhibitions Day 2 June 2021 #GED21, which will be marked by the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) with a hybrid seminar featuring high-profiled speakers and networking drinks. Global Exhibitions Day is an annual world-wide campaign that was established by UFI, the Global Association for the Exhibition Industry and is …
In 2020 I did a series of interviews for a podcast series. The idea was to get to know the back story of people in our industry. This week we revisit my chat with Ian Stuart. Ian is well know as an MC and anchor of many industry events including a number of hypertheticals. Ian also hosts a weekly show on a Sydney community radio show. Ian Stuart Ian …
Someone has to come out and say this so it might as well be me. Time to say enough of the never-ending doom and gloom. Enough of the Victorian events industry in crisis to the point it will never recover and be wiped out. Enough of the poor whoa me, we are hard done by. Enough of let’s just blame the government for not handing out blank cheques. Enough …
The latest budget papers show that over the next year the Victorian government will give $10.2 million to Melbourne Convention Bureau (a division of the government owned Visit Victoria) in on-going funding and support. The only government support at all for Victoria’s $12 billion business event sector. By comparison, the government is giving $11.2 million to Puffing Billy to fund their on-going operation. In a normal year in Victoria …
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) welcomes the Victorian Government’s commitment to long-term investment in Victoria’s Business Events Program through the announcement of $42.913 million over four years, to support the Melbourne Convention Bureau and Business Events Victoria to acquire business events for the state. MCB Chief Executive Officer Julia Swanson said: “This commitment recognises the essential role business events play in the Victorian visitor economy, and their contribution to innovation, …
At Wednesday’s hearing of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Support for the Tourism and Events Sectors, we heard Norwest CEO Matt Jones talk with great pride about his audio crew who are in hotel quarantine in Tokyo. They are there to do the audio for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics – just as they have done for nearly every Olympic Games since Sydney. As Matt clearly …
Yet again the exhibition and event industry has been left wondering what they have to do to get recognition and any kind of acknowledgement from governments, both state and federal! Whilst tourism has come out fighting and beating the drum again, the exhibition industry needs to beat louder and harder as a sector for multiple reasons, as there is no hope of a silver bullet. We can fix ourselves …
To celebrate 20 years of publication in 2020 I set out to interview 20 interesting people in our industry and this year we are revisiting those interviews before adding some new ones. This week we revisit the proud recipient of a Ducktorate from Disneyland. Thomas Brown is the owner of event theming and décor company Events Fantastic. Follow his story from Disneyland to university in Perth, his start in …
Exactly one year ago today, we were advised that Australia had moved up to 12th place in the world for hosting international association conventions through the ICCA Statistics Report on country rankings. Without a clear pathway to the reopening of our international borders, business events as a catalyst to driving travel, innovation, trade, and the growth of industries cannot occur. If we are not in a position to host …
In March and April 2021, the Australian Event Awards Team reached out to the industry across the country for input about the Australian Event Awards for 2021, whether it should go ahead and what it should look like. A wide range of judges, partners, past entrants, and wider members of the community provided their input. The resounding messages received were: The Event Awards should go ahead in 2021 as …
Originally from Perth, David moved to Sydney with dreams of being a successful rock musician. When that didn’t eventuate he became a roadie and met Stevie Wonder on his first gig. From rock n roll to a career in corporate events David has delivered outstanding events across Australia. Throughout all this David has been a passionate surfer, and he shares how that passion keeps him focussed.
This week I’m back to reviewing the COVID situation – How it affects us personally and how it is affecting events. First up on the personal side. Our governments are promoting the vaccine rollout under sectors. With, as it should be, front line workers (healthcare, etc) the priority. However, anyone working the events sector must consider themselves to also be a front line worker, simply because anyone who is …
Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) CEO, Andrew Hiebl, expressed the key role that the health sector will play in the recovery of Australia’s business events industry at STR Insider, a pre AHICE event in Adelaide this week. Key insights from the AACB’s Forward Calendar of Business Events report highlight that ‘Health Care and Social Assistance’ represent one in three business events secured by convention bureaux, with more than 115,000 Australian health …
The tragic preventable death of 44 Israeli citizens during their religious celebrations is just another link in the long ugly chain of crowd crush disasters. The Lag B’Omer event where this tragedy occurred is designed to reveal the deepest meaning of the Jewish Kabbalistic mysticism. I have studied crowd management techniques for nearly fifty years and have discovered that there is a general pattern of neglect and non-compliance with …
The exhibition industry has been one of, if not the worst affected industries as a result of Covid. Unable to operate from March last year, and now battling to come back by dealing with the different state rules and venue openings that Victoria has, has now impacted the industry with another major blow by taking over industry purpose built facilities as vaccine centres. This is directly opposite to other …
The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA), calls for the Commonwealth Government to extend the money available under the Business Events Grants Program to the industry immediately. As an active member of the peak body for the events sector, the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), EEAA supports BECA’s pre-budget submission which calls for targeted support to add the rebuild of the Business Events industry. Claudia Sagripanti, EEAA …
Music industry charity Support Act is encouraging anyone working professionally in music across the arts and who is in financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to apply for one of their new MusicKeeper or CrewKeeper cash grants. Since announcing the creation of the new grants in March, which were made possible thanks to funding from the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts, Support Act …
In March 2020 our industry was shut down and so most of us who could still work, did so from home. Zoom meetings proliferated and so did webinars and podcasts. I decided it was time to get to know the back story to a few of my friends in the industry. While their work is mostly well known, how they got there was another story. A year on it …
NEA Emerge Meet Up is not about feeling dwelling on negativity, it’s about putting in place positive actions to rebuild and regrow along with taking on the challenges head on and putting solutions and plans in place. The Challenge of Change is long established and previously successful strategies, practices and ways of working have become marginalised and compromised, we need to emerge and meet the new era of exhibitions …
Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit, Business Events Australia, has today made a series of announcements to further bolster the Australian business events sector and drive demand for future business through continued funding for the Bid Fund Program and Boost Program, as well as releasing a new video series showcasing Australian innovation. Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said the business events sector contributed $36 billion …
The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) welcomed yesterday’s announcement by the Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, and thanked Tourism Australia for its continued commitment to the Business Events industry with the extension of the Bid Fund Program by $3m for an additional 12 months through 2021/22. The Bid Fund Program is designed to increase the conversion of bids for new international business events …
My name is Simon Thewlis. I’ve proudly been a member of the event industry in Victoria for 39 years – including 30 years as a business owner. I’ve produced a vast range of events from major public events, music events, charity and community events through to high end business events. And have worked across nearly every part of Victoria’s event industry. Today, I’m here representing Save Victorian Events. The …
At 10am this morning (Wednesday) Simon Thewlis from Save Victorian Events will be appearing, along with Tiny Good from ShowTech Australia and Howard Freeman from CrewCare, as the first witnesses at the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Support for the Tourism and Events Sectors. He will be outlining Save Victorian Events’ strategy for the future of Victoria’s Event Industry. The hearing can be viewed here Information about the Inquiry can …
Melbourne Convention Bureau has announced today a new funding initiative to encourage interstate organisations to hold their events in Australia’s event’s capital Melbourne. Under the National Business Events Program, a significant cash injection up to $25,000 may be offered to business event organisers to support costs for hosting their event in Melbourne, including accommodation, venue hire, transport and other event costs. What’s more, 50 per cent will be payable …
Professor Joe Goldblatt reviews The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. Professor Goldblatt is the author, co – author and editor of 39 of books in the field of events management. When I first experienced the author Priya Parker and her husband Anan Giridharadas at the virtual SXSW Festival in March of 2021 I was fascinated at the immeditately obvious chemistry between these two successful people. It almost appeared …
There is no question one of the biggest unspoken impacts of the pandemic was on health and mental well-being. Expertise Events family, staff, industry, and the communities we work with have all been impacted heavily by the pandemic. Today Expertise Events is proud to announce a partnership with the Black Dog Institute aimed at not only raising awareness of mental health issues but doing something practical within our community …
The cancellation of Bluesfest is devastating for so many in our industry. Sadly, it is just one of the many events cancelled due to the Brisbane lockdown. Please ask our governments to act: The Victorian lockdown a month earlier also saw a vast number of events cancelled – from festivals and community sporting events through to conferences and public events – causing huge losses. The Perth and Adelaide lockdowns …
It’s not just COVID. The industry is tearing itself apart as well. In scenes reminiscent of the shutdown of the 2020 Melbourne Grand Prix, last night television news bulletins were once again showing fans being turned away at the gate, this time Bluesfest. What is killing our industry is uncertainty. Following this week what organiser would take a risk on planning a festival or event this year? There are …
The National Events Alliance (NEA) today has released its logo, vision, mission and objectives for the future. The National Events Alliance is a new events alliance launched to proactively look after the events industry after over a year of serious struggle for the industry and its associated businesses. NEA has set out its vision to represent all sectors of the events industry who support and conduct exhibitions and events …
As JobKeeper ended on 28 March, the latest insights published by the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) highlight the difficult situation that the business events industry finds itself without the support of Government. While state, territory and local government-backed convention bureaux continue to strategically bid for and win new business events for their respective destinations over the medium to long term, the immediate future is not clear. The Snapshot Reports …
Report to members by Chris Porter, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council As Victorians prepare to embark on the Easter long weekend holiday, the events in southern Queensland and northern NSW are a stark reminder that the impacts of this pandemic continue to challenge our operations and reinforce the fragile nature of any recovery for our industry. These ongoing disruptions only serve to substantiate why the …
The revelation from BECA that only $8 million from the $50 million Business Events Grant Program has even been earmarked for distribution comes just days after the Federal Government announced an additional $135 million in support for our more glamorous cousins in the Arts. Only $8 million for a $35.7 billion industry that is one of the very hardest hit.Save Victorian Events’ survey back in February showed that 40% …
March 28 has now passed and so too has JobKeeper, the vital support mechanism that supported the Business Events Industry over the months that saw its revenue streams decimated by between 75-100%. What has not passed is the uncertainty, severe limitations and restrictions that are compromising our industry’s survival and pathway to recovery. The business conditions that saw the JobKeeper scheme being introduced have not altered for our sector, …
On the day Job Keeper is removed and Qld goes into lockdown again, we are already hearing about redundancies within our sector as independent Australian family businesses are hitting the wall, while the industry association is talking about skill shortages! Given what may eventuate in the next month, there could well be a large number of people seeking employment. Gary Fitz-Roy MD of Expertise Events said, “Unfortunately all too …
In 1996 the people of Australia were jubilant over having won the right to host the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Legacy volunteers from the Melbourne Summer Olympic Games of 1956 were particularly nostalgic as they anticipated the privilege of once again serving their country through this mega sports event. I met many of these veterans at a training session held in Sydney’s largest conference centre when I …
Yesterday, a group of event industry suppliers – led by Damian De Jong from Action Events – organised for 40 branded event vehicles to circle parliament house with horns blaring. They were there to show that their part of the event industry – which is involved with community events – has been completely forgotten by government.Needless to say, everyone in parliament knew the Event Industry was on their doorstep …
A large number of Events Industry people are driving their trucks and signwritten vehicles down to Parliament House, Spring Street Melbourne, this Thursday between 9am – 10:30am. We have been discussing the issues affecting our industry to our Local Members of Parliament and will be holding a press conference on the steps of Parliament at 10am on Thursday 18th March. We are inviting a number of members of Gov …
It’s now just on one year since Friday 13 March 2020 when not even the Village People could stop what was about to happen. And it wasn’t just the music that stopped – events of all shapes and sizes were mortally wounded. At 8:45am on that fateful day, the Grand Prix was cancelled and at 1:00pm the Prime Minister banned all events over 500 people. We all know the …
I bet most people in our industry can remember exactly where we were on Friday 13th March when the PM announced that our industry was about to be shut down. And most business owners and event producers spent the next week taking cancellations and trying to work out how long this would last. Of course on that weekend the rugby league matches went ahead as did the Hillsong conference …
The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) acknowledges the announcement from the Federal Government yesterday in relation to the changes to the Business Events Grant Program as part of the National Economic Recovery Plan. BECA’s feedback on Business Events Grant Program challenges have been considered and contributed to the announced extension and enhancements to the current program guidelines. The grant program was designed to assist those attending and participating in business events, but …
The Federal Government’s latest tourism package to support tourism and the flow onto restaurants, bars, taxis, supermarkets etc. is another on support package for that sector. Residents are being given restaurant vouchers and travel subsidies. Yet, the one sector that was shut FIRST, the Events & Exhibitions industry, has had no acknowledgement or support to allow the sector to rebuild after the end of March. Whilst various tourism bodies …
Even though business events – worth $35.7 billion per year – account for one third of the tourism sector, the Event Industry was once again left empty handed today.The federal government’s $1.2 billion Tourism Support Packages includes nothing for the now decimated business event sector.The only thing mentioned was a three month extension of the existing $50 million Business Event Grant program – that was announced many months ago …
This year, Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) celebrates its 25th anniversary. It also follows a year like no other. Peter King As one of Victoria’s largest physical assets, we are also a major contributor to the vibrancy of Melbourne. Every year we host a huge array of diverse events that drive enormous economic activity and visitation to the city. That is, until the global pandemic of course. I am …
I took a break since Christmas and like many in our industry I had to reassess what my businesses are doing. I had discussions with a few people about the future direction of specialevents.com.au and decided to revamp the site – and the content. I’m now going to focus on commentary, opinion, interviews and event reports which I’ve spelled out in this blog post. You can read press releases …
I started ASE in early 2000. It was a year of optimism for the event industry. We had survived the Y2K bug (that never was). We had celebrated the dawn of the 21st Century a year before the actual start of the new millennium, and in Sydney we were anticipating the 2000 Olympics. We are all familiar with the challenges our industry has faced since then. But nothing has …
In today’s announcement of business support Victoria’s decimated Event Industry missed out yet again.We saw another $24.9 million go to licensed venues – on top of the $165 million they have already received.We saw another $26 million go to tourism – on top of the $485 million they have already received.Yet the $10+ billion Event Industry has still not received any targeted support from the Victorian government – despite …
The Australian Open needs to happen as it is an event that encapsulates the tourism, hospitality and events industries here in Victoria which have been, and still are, severely depleted by the pandemic.
In 2020, the events industry quickly adapted to survive. Virtual interactions became the norm, from Zoom calls to full animated avatar driven worlds. Event and conference organisers mastered a new skillset by jumping on board with virtual technology. The Sports Tech World Series Conference (STWS), held in November 2020, took a bold step by converting its in-person event to wholly virtual. STWS is the world’s leading sports technology community …
Robyn Johnson’s announcement that she is leaving MEA got me to thinking about the number of industry associations most of us belong to. There are many producers and suppliers who work across many sectors. For example – stage technology companies provide AV, audio, lighting etc for business events, music events, sporting events, festivals, live theatre and private events. Many event producers work on business events along with private and …
How are regional events faring?
While city events get the most notice, regional events are often ignored. However events are for more important to the regional towns and cities than they are in capitals. ASE reached out to Vanessa Briody Co-Director of Oregional Collective and a member of the Australian Regional Events Alliance for a take on how they are faring. Vanessa Briody When and why AREA was formed? The Australian Regional Events Alliance (AREA) was …