From the Chair: 1 June 2022

In this week's #MEAExpress, MEA Chairman Michael Firman shares his thoughts on proper planning, booking in advance and the importance of upskilling staff.

Planning meetings and events can be an overwhelming task for those who are new to our industry. Even the most simplest of events can have unforeseen mishaps, scheduling conflicts or communication issues with partners, sponsors & suppliers that can ruin your event if not managed properly. While you cannot foresee all event-related problems, understanding common challenges faced in planning events is a good way to arm yourself to head-off any challenges that do arise.

It's often been said that the success of anything stems from good planning. The best way to make sure an event is a success is by making sure it is planned meticulously, comprehensively and accurately. And that means getting things moving well in advance and not leaving thing to the last minute.

Meticulous planning gives you more time to pay attention to the little things. By little things, I mean those details that seem small, but can have a major impact on the bottom line. For instance, you may forget to investigate the need for any special licenses, permits, insurances, etc. If you don’t pay attention to all the details, you will be unprepared for any mishap that arises. 

You know what they say, ‘Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance’, and a well planned event leads to preparedness. Perhaps then it is preparation that is more important than planning because with live events plans are regularly made and discarded in an agile manner when unforeseeable deviations occur in the original plan.

Ultimately, the success of any event relies on the team organising it. Staff inexperience, instability or poor culture will certainly have an impact. There is nothing worse for an event than an inexperienced, uninformed employee on the first line of contact with your client. Many people who are inexperienced fail to tackle unexpected issues and these unforeseen problems can end up ruining the event.

Many people who don’t have any event planning experience can overspend when they are organising events. Instead of planning before spending the money, they plan and spend as they go and therefore end up spending a lot more than the allotted budget. They realise their mistake after they have made all the preparations and by then, it is too late.

The message here is invest in your people. Employee development is essential to keeping staff engaged. Disengaged employees are less productive and are more prone to burnout, and less likely to pay attention to the detail when planning events. Investing in employee development creates opportunities for employees to feel excited about learning and growing in our industry.

As we continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic, demand for talent is at an all-time high. Many employers are struggling to fill the skills shortages within their event businesses. Employee retention is now more important than ever as success in service industries such as events is dependent on high-quality experience.

So investing in employee development is more important than ever in upskilling employees and maintaining their engagement. A focus on skills like effective communication, adaptability, and best practice helps to prime employees for whatever changes come their way. Staff feel more engaged when there’s a culture of learning and knowledge-sharing.

If you’re looking to invest in employee development, look no further than Evolve 2022. Under the theme of Building confidence through best practice the Evolve speaker program is packed with thought-provoking speakers and industry experts with relevant messages and insights to share.

Evolve is an opportunity to get staff engaged, provides learning opportunities, can be used for employee recognition and appreciation, and is great for expanding connections in the industry where employees can learn from their peers.

Evolve will take place over 29-30 June in Melbourne, proudly supported by major partners Melbourne Convention Bureau, Accor and EventsAIR. So if you’re looking to be professionally developed and culturally developed through a true Melbourne experience, Evolve 2022 won’t disappoint.