Update from the MEA CEO: The right words for right now are Smash Mouth’s
By Peter McDonald, MEA CEO
Our industry has been celebrating recently.
Last Thursday night the Queensland and Victoria state MEA Award presentation events were held. Being the same night it wouldn’t have been possible for me to get to both, but I’m genuinely disappointed that I was unable to get to either. All reports from Board members who were able to get along and represent MEA are that there was good vibe at each. I take heart that this was the case.
Last night the NSW MEA Award presentation was held, and I was able to get to this one. Very happy to say that it too had a great atmosphere. Special mention to the Be Challenged, Congress Australia, and ICC Sydney teams for the oomph they gave to ambience with their cheering. Witnessing someone’s genuine joy warms the soul.
Congratulations to all state and territory award winners. I look forward to their all coming together on the national stage at the 2021-2022 MEA Awards dinner on the evening of 8 June at The Star Gold Coast and getting myself another dose of smiling caused sore jaw.
Last Friday I was a privileged invitee to Arinex’s 50th anniversary celebration. Having heard the words shared at the lectern, having held up the bat to acknowledge a personal half-century, and with MEA approaching its own golden birthday in just 2 years’ time, I’m here to tell you that 50 years is no mean feat. It takes some mettle to stand the test of time.
I can vouch that lots of water goes under a bridge in 50 years, as the tide constantly rises and falls beneath it – sometimes to dangerous levels. I suggest many people would struggle to build an extensive list of businesses that have been around that long. So, on behalf of the national MEA community, I say take a well-deserved bow Ros McLeod, Nicole Walker and team. Ros specifically has been a great friend to MEA over many of those 50 years. The Australian events industry and indeed the MEA culture many have come to know and love have been built on the back of her and people like her. She was the second ever winner of MEA’s Outstanding Contribution Award back in 2007. Hats off to Arinex.
While I was enjoying a canape, beverage and chat I became aware that Victorian MEA member Wise Connections celebrated its 25th anniversary only 2 nights beforehand. I likewise applaud their notable milestone. Well done Sue Ryman-Kiernan and team. May there be many more, and it’s my hope that you will be the recipient of a similar public acknowledgement by the MEA CEO in 2048.
Having attended a couple of events recently, I was reminded of how confronting an event can be to someone who attends on their own. Someone walking into a buzzing room, knowing only a few people – or sometimes nobody at all – can be quite off putting for them. Even people whose DNA was created with a couple of extra doses of confidence need to take a deep breath before walking up to people who are mid-conversation to embed themselves in the function.
I got to thinking that event owners and organisers could do worse than make deliberate effort to ensure ‘freshmen’ or ‘soloists’ are buddied up with another 1 or 2 in the same situation – or even a stalwart – at the event beginning to mitigate any nerves and even forge some introductions. All industries thrive on networks, and ours is no different. I now plan to hold an informal ‘first timers’ gathering ahead of the opening of Evolve to be an ice breaker for those who’ll be coming knowing not many. If this is you, keep an eye on your inbox as the conference nears for more details.
In my own case, more of you will have seen my face than I have seen yours. If you see me at an event, please come and introduce yourself. It’s a big industry and even a couple of years back in, I find myself quite able to relate to how the newcomers I speak of may feel. Even in my role, there are more of you that I haven’t met than have. So my thought to ponder this week is what can we all do to pay back what was paid forward to ensure the continued collegiality of our community?
I can hand on heart say that one way to build a national network is to get to Evolve. It begins 3 weeks from today. If you haven’t yet booked, the bottom line is that you need to get cracking. To make it very simple, just click here to register. In 5 minutes’ time, you’ll be Gold Coast bound for June 7 & 8. Done.
Whilst one of my favourite songs – Kool and the Gang’s ‘Celebration’ – would be very appropriate for this week’s sign off, I’ve referenced it before so something different is needed for the 2023 annual playlist. When I think of our Award winners, Ros, Nicole, Sue and their teams, some of the lyrics of Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ from the Shrek movie soundtrack come to mind as equally applying to them:
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mould
Source:
Song – “All Star” [link to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLQ1cK9Edhc]
Artist – Smash Mouth
Album – “Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture”
Photo credit:
