From the Chair: 1 December 2022

By Michael Firman

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Canberra to participate in an industry-led engagement with Senator the Hon Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, and with government departments of Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Tourism Research Australia (TRA), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Tourism Australia.

The industry delegation comprised of our very own industry associations Meetings & Events Australia (MEA), Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia (EEAA), the Professional Conference Organisers Association (PCOA), and the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB), together with the Australian Convention Centres Group.

This collaborative group of industry representation is the foundation of the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), led by industry stalwart BECA Chair, Dr Leo Jago OAM.

BECA was formed in 1994 to provide an umbrella structure for the key industry associations operating in the Australian business events sector, and MEA was one of its founding members. The goal was to represent the various communities and ecosystems of the events industry to government and relevant agencies on matters common to all sectors of the industry.

It’s a very noble cause, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. What I mean by that is, we haven’t always shared a common purpose or spoken with one voice when we did. When the pandemic hit in 2020, the events industry as a whole was the first to suffer, and most definitely one of the last to recover. Calls for support came from all corners of our industry, and with such a significant common purpose in the impacts of the pandemic, the role of BECA as a single voice came to the fore.

It became a very significant time for our industry, a time when collaboration and commitment was most needed, and amidst competing voices and industry profiles, the organisations that comprise BECA were united in working collaboratively to give the business events sector its own profile with government.

The journey to Canberra to meet with the Minister and the various government departments was quite the experience for a humble supplier like me, but I was proud to see the efforts of our industry representatives that lead to this moment, capped off by the polished performance of BECA Chair, Dr Leo Jago, who addressed the Minister on behalf of the industry.

Key items discussed with the Minister and federal departments included:

• Opportunities for collaboration between industry and Government
• Business Events Bid Fund Program expansion
• The need for research and data to best value the contribution of business events to the economy
• Workforce and skills needs to support post-pandemic recovery, and
• Improving Australia’s visa competitiveness.

It’s great to see a collaborative effort to get to this point, and the message seems to be getting through. But we all know the wheels of government turn slowly, and depending on the government of the day, those wheels can often spin without moving forward. The immediate focus of the new Labor government has been the cost of living and climate change. BECA hopes that the government can now turn its attention to the business of productivity and growth, particularly for the business events sector.

For me, it’s the workforce skills that can have a more direct impact to small business. Jobs & skills was an issue before COVID and is today impacting significantly on our industry’s ability to quickly respond to the extraordinary demands in our sector. MEA recognises the need for upskilling and training in our sector and has developed many programs to support our industry.

I see the need for governments to do more to help enable business provide their staff a career pathway through continuous education and professional development, as every organisation has unique needs for the ongoing development of their teams. If we can upskill our workforce with more responsive and effective training through industry delivered programs, this will surely lead to increased productivity and contribution to Australia’s economy.

To that end, MEA provides a range of education and business development programs delivered through MEA’s Registered Training Organisation (RTO) including two-day workshops that provide practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in the workplace for immediate impact.

If you would like more information regarding MEA’s Bespoke Training solutions that can be tailored to your organisation’s learning and development needs, contact the MEA Team at education@mea.org.au or call the MEA office on (02) 9929 5400 for more information.