Dear Colleagues

David Addison, AMM Branch Chair

If you aren’t able to attend the Conference we welcome any input beforehand to the various Special Interest Group sessions. There is a national focus on accreditation with the formation of a review panel for the MEA Meetings Manager Accreditation Program.

MEA New South Wales has taken the lead position in developing a strategy for benchmarking the needs of the MM/PCO sector. A Forum was held on 18 April 2008 to identify critical issues in our Meeting Managers / Professional Conference Organisers sector of the MEA membership as a follow-up to the MEA NSW MM Forum held on 18 June 2007 and the MM/PCO SIG at the 2007 National Conference in Hobart. It was organised as a MEA NSW Special Interest Group meeting facilitated by an external coach and reached some consensus on identifying a comprehensive list of issues which affect our industry.

MEA NSW members are involved in a stimulating and educational seminar program at the Australian Events Expo to be held after the Conference on 21 – 22 May 2008. Speakers from a wide range of industry segments will ensure that this year’s program will be informative and enlightening and seminar attendees can earn professional development points which go towards accreditation or recognition programs for MEA members. For more information on the seminars visit http://www.australianeventsexpo.com/

We look forward to your continued support of the PD educational events, our NSW networking events and YMEA.

Congratulations again to all the MEA NSW State Finalists and we wish you every success in the National Awards.

Kindest regards,

David Addison, AMM
Branch Chair

Last year in October over 150 NSW MEA members converged to the very PINK Summit Restaurant to show their support to this outstanding cause. As part of the commitment to NBCF, Meeting & Events Australia hosted an auction for the evening and guests had the opportunity to bid for items and buy raffle tickets which helped raise $8417. On 21 February, Anne Camenzind, Manager NSW MEA, Amanda Petrie, NSW Event Coordinator MEA, Shari Carr, Fosters Group and Steven McArthur, Summit Restaurant presented the cheque to Leonie Walton, NBCF - Manager, Corporate & Campaign Marketing.

MEA is calling for prizes to be donated for the raffle and auction for the October 08 event so please contact Amanda Petrie on apetrie@mea.org.au or 02 9929 5400 to discuss.

On Wednesday 16 April guests enjoyed ClubMEA drinks and canapés at Blue Sydney (a Taj Hotel) on Woolloomooloo Wharf in the Water Bar. Our next ClubMEA will be held at Sir Stamford at Circular Quay on Wednesday 18 June in The Bar. Keep warm and cozy in this elegant venue and ‘share stories’ from the conference with your industry peers and catch up with new and current contacts following on from the Australian Events Expo.

The first quarter 2008 PD calendar has kicked off well and in March MEA NSW, in conjunction with O2 Speakers, co-hosted our first breakfast meeting for the year at the Sydney Marriott Hotel, featuring Troy Hazard, a successful international speaker and recent Global President of the elite Entrepreneurs' Organisation, on “Master, Mentor, Manager, Mate”. The breakfast was a huge success and attracted an excellent morning crowd, providing guests with practical tools around how to balance the four key roles of an effective leader. If you were unable to attend, we have some good news click here to listen to the podcast of this seminar. Due to the popularity of this event, we look forward to co-hosting another breakfast seminar later this year so stay tuned for further details.

As May is a busy month with the National Conference, our next PD seminars are scheduled for June:

Business Creativity
Nigel Collin

Nigel Collin will be presenting on "Business Creativity" on Wednesday 4 June. This is a full day non-articulated seminar, being held at the new and creative CBD venue thinkPOD. This creative thinking Master Class is relevant for anyone who wants to develop creative ideas, solutions and a culture for their organisation that will continue to give it a competitive edge.Please be quick to book as numbers for this seminar are limited.

> Click HERE to Register Now

How to Awe them Not Bore them
Andrew Klein from Impact Entertainers

Andrew Klein will be presenting a half day morning seminar on "How to Awe them Not Bore them" on Wednesday 25 June at SCEC. Andrew will be talking about the the elements of a good presentation and how to make your pitch to a potential client stand out from your competition amongst other presentation tips and ideas.

Please keep an eye out for these PD registration forms through your email and feel free to contact us with any new PD topics, speaker requests or other ideas so we can continue to deliver high quality seminars pertinent to our industry.

“Behind the scenes” tours are always very popular with MEA members as they are unique opportunities to see great new ideas, technologies or venues, or for newcomers to the industry, to experience first hand what goes into creating a professional meeting or event. If your company has an interesting event, meeting or exhibition that you would like to showcase, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact Anne Camenzind or Amanda Petrie on (02) 9929 5400.

A large NSW contingent will be in Alice Springs for the MEA conference 9-12 May for a great professional development and social program.

The Welcome Reception at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station includes a Henley-on-Todd Regatta and the “Team NSW” representing us in the battle against the other state teams (no pressure!) are:

David Addison (Avanti Events); Leanne Zeid (ID Meetings & Events); Keith Wootton (AV1 Pty Ltd); El Kwang (Dockside Group); Philip Beeson (Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel); Nicole McEwen (Reed Travel Exhibitions); Tanya Taylor (Event Resources); Rachel Hurford (Office of Protocol & Special Events, NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet); Stephen Wood (Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre) and Matt Adamson (Historic Houses Trust).

Let’s wish them luck and hope they have their best running shoes on…

For those attending the conference don’t forget to pack your special NSW T shirt for the Casual Dinner at the Ooraminna Station Homestead. 

We look forward to sharing photos and stories post conference and celebrating with award finalists and winners at the June ClubMEA at Sir Stamford Circular Quay on 18 June.
 

The NSW YMEA was one that made us think beyond our everyday activities and into our Mind, Body and Style. Held at the stunning Level 1 of the Watershed with its breathtaking views of Darling Harbour, Young MEA members enjoyed delicious canapés, captivating conversation and an inspirational talk.

Guest presenter Bessie Bardot shared practical tips on how to define who you are in business and stand out from the rest, while doing what you love. Beginning with her inspiring story of how she took herself from a 20 year old divorcee with no qualifications working as a check-out-chick to award winning CEO of 4 successful companies, best selling author of 3 books, international TV & radio personality & media entrepreneur. The proof of the successful evening was evident with Bessie’s books flying out the door by the end of the evening and the positive feedback we received from the night.

“What a great night! YMEA events and the way they bring together so many passionate, energized young members in a room never cease to excite me. Fantastic company, conversation, nibbles and speaker…keenly awaiting the next YMEA event!”
Grace Harris, Event Coordinator at Great Southern E-vents.

MEA NSW is excited to welcome Georgie Duddy, event manager and co-director of Belle-Laide Events, as the new NSW YMEA Committee Exec Rep following the recent ‘retiring’ of Faye Langley, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

With the help of co-director Mark Taylor and working with a team of untraditional professionals, Georgie works on a range of events including product launches, gala dinners, staff incentives and team building, charity events, family days and high end private functions. Georgie’s goal with every project is to create and deliver work that is fresh, inspiring and most importantly, relevant. Working closely with the client, she discovers the real essence behind the event and communicates their clients business in a way that results in them standing out from the crowd. Georgie and the teams experience in a range of areas, from event management to hospitality, as well as PR, sales and marketing have helped with the 100 per cent return clientele from their first year of business, and assisted their growth as they continue into their third year.

Hollywood comes to Darling Harbour with the high-tech makeover of Centre Video Production (CVP) at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

CVP delivers state-of-the-art HD (high definition) videoconferencing and corporate, promotional and training video solutions tailored to your individual and corporate needs. Just imagine the impact your next event or presentation will have when you use a modern digital video to showcase your activities!

As one of only a handful of full-service production facilities in Australia with HD capabilities, CVP gives you the opportunity to hire equipment and facilities to independently produce your corporate video with your own film production crew.

Alternatively, CVP has got an experienced team of producers, directors, editors and production professionals on hand who will ensure that your digital creation is of the highest quality from start to finish. We use the latest editing machines and software as well as a high-tech routing system incorporated across three editing suites to create high-impact video content for awards ceremonies, conferences and exhibitions.

Event highlights videos, event broadcasting and webcasting are also easily achievable – and due to the location within the Centre, car parking and catering is easily taken care of.

So if you need a swift solution for effective digital video production, whether to simply hire state-of-the-art equipment and production facilities or for complete video creation from start to finish, contact Benjamin Smith on (02) 9282 5300 or visit the website at www.scec.com.au/cvp

The Rehabilitation Department at The Children's Hospital at Westmead is hosting The Emerald Ball (formally known as the St Patrick’s Day Charity Ball & Auction) which raises money for children who have a range of disabilities including: Acquired Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Limb Deficiency, Spinal Cord Injury / Disease, Spina Bifida and Connective Tissue Disorders.

They are looking for product donations for both silent and live auctions and invite all MEA members to consider attending the event being held at Star City Casino on 17 May. For more information on the event, ticket costs or how you can assist please contact Georgie Duddy or Mark Taylor from Belle-Laide Events on 02 9699 1717 or email: events@bellelaideevents.com.au

Josie Gruber
ADA NSW Centre for Professional Development
The Centre for Professional Development (CPD) is a subsidiary of the Australian Dental Association (NSW). Offering clinical training, lectures and conferences for dentists and staff, CPD has its own Clinical Training Centre - a modern facility available for hire and designed for clinical dentistry training. Our production department provides multimedia education including clinical videos, audio interviews and podcasts.

Simone Musgrave
APL
The APL Corporate Events division offer corporations, meeting professionals, conference organisers, charitable organisations and others an exciting "true" Texas Hold 'em Poker experience that everyone can enjoy!

Not only is APL Poker FUN, it also involves many of the skills demanded in the business World such as team interaction, verbal/visual communication and also helps to build individual confidence.

Brendan Maher
Albury Convention & Performing Arts Centre
Albury Convention & Performing Arts Centre is Albury’s only purpose built convention venue renowned for providing convention, exhibition, seminars and gala dinner organisers with the highest standard of personal service and event facilities.  With extensive state of the art facilities and equipment combined with the expertise of dedicated staff and qualified technicians, the venue is well equipped to service the requirements of any event.

Renato Fabbro
Amway Australia / New Zealand
Manage, design and deliver 6 x annual incentive events for Amway ANZ distributors (IBOs) and coordinate numerous marketing brand awareness events throughout the calendar.

Kelly Wighton
Australian Tourism Export Council
ATEC is the peak industry body representing Australia’s $22 billion tourism export sector. Our mission is to build better business relationships for our members and to further the issues important to the tourism export sector amongst key government and business leaders.

We are the largest membership-based organisation representing Australia's tourism export sector. Our 1150 plus members come from across the country and across the industry – including inbound tour operators, tourism product suppliers and service providers.

Jodie Laming
BT Financial Group
BT has been helping Australians create and manage their wealth since 1969. In 2002, BT was acquired by Westpac and the company now also manages Westpac's wealth management operations.

Erin Greeley
Club Swans
CLUB SWANS is the official social venue and associated with the Sydney Swans Ltd AFL Club. Our venue has just completed extensive renovations over four levels inclusive of two function/meeting areas of 220 and 500 respectively. Our venue is in Potts Point and well positioned to service the City and East for functions and events.

Kelly Coleman
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
The PBS Event team provide support to PBS client and non client facing business units and deliver innovative events for both clients and staff. Our aim is to create events that achieve growth strategy aspirations and reach the specific objectives of each business unit, whilst nurturing and enhancing client relationships.

Whatever the event, we work with our clients to understand their objectives, offer cost-effective solutions and advice, and manage every aspect of the event's delivery.

Michael Stockdale
Fine Wine Tours
Fine Wine Tours is a division of Harbour Travel Pty Limited which was established in 1987. It is owned and operated by Michael Stockdale who has over 35 years experience in the Travel and Tourism industries, and has qualifications in Small Business Management, Training and Teaching and Wine Studies. We offer arrangements for Conference/Convention accompanying persons programmes, Incentive and Rewards, Team Building Events, Corporate Events, Social Clubs and Groups of Friends.

Tania Baker
George P Johnson (Australia)
George P Johnson is the global leader in Experience Marketing. We create, produce and deliver the entire Event Experience. For over 20 years in Australia (formerly Peter Rix Management & Design Troupe) and 94 years globally, we have understood the value of delivering more than just the message, rather, a complete experience.

Public, private, personal, professional, any where, any time, any budget!

Diamand Mavrouvis
Hotbeat Productions Pty Ltd
Hotbeat Productions specialises in Brazilian & Latin American Entertainment.
Providing exciting & colourful entertainment, filled with the WOW factor, for all types of special events & corporate functions. Featuring our very own produced Brazilian Rio Carnaval Show  'Ritmo Latino', plus Samba dancers, Capoeira, Latin Bands & dancers, Batucada live carnival drummers, and much, much more!

Sjaan Kuiper
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia – NSW
Delivery of educational, professional development and networking events for professionals in the accounting industry.

Edith McIntosh
NSW Training Awards – NSW Department of Education and Training
Training Services is responsible for a number of events and conferences each year, particularly the NSW Training Award, the largest DET event for vocational education and training in NSW.

Julie Winterbottom
02 Speakers
O2 Speakers represents an elite group of individuals within the corporate speaking market. Combining our industry experience, resources and passion to bring you the worlds most highly sought after professional speakers. Our speakers come from a variety of different backgrounds, but you can’t miss them. They are people on a mission. People with unsettling ideas. People who talk loudly and honestly about their experiences. People who dream big, fall over and keep moving.

Glenn Turner
Oracle Attractions
We are an entertainment laser show company specialising in water curtains, laser graphic and animation effects, laser dance, and are exclusive providers of the Laserman Experience.

Adam Morgan-Monk
Shortlead.com.au
Shortlead.com.au is a strategic web portal that specialises in short lead meeting and event procurement for large businesses, corporates and government departments, using key venues located across Australia and New Zealand.

Gloria Scott
The Independent Theatre
Sydney's oldest extent Theatre, The Independent has recently undergone a $1.5 million refurbishment. The corporate market enjoy the state of art facilities offered in the Auditorium and the beautifully restored Seaborn Room is ideal for meetings, training or sit down dinners.

Marcus Fitzgerald
Triumph Leisure Solutions
TLS is a company with a proven track record in the delivery of high end events, exhibitions and attractions internationally.

A unique mix of imagination, knowledge and experience ensures our clients connect, communicate and entertain their target markets in a way that is enjoyable and memorable.