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If you have read this column more than once you will know that I
am constantly on about relationships. I am passionate about them
– work ones, home ones… I am a strong believer in the fact that
the quality of your relationships reflects how smoothly your
life runs. At AIME recently I was reminded once again of the
unique quality of friendships that the incentive industry
spawns. This fact is constantly reinforced now that I am working
across a range of industries. In no other industry have I seen
such camaraderie amongst competitors. Maybe it’s because the
industry lends itself to food and wine and social events that
the environment encourages fruitful relationships. Whatever it
is, I count myself lucky to have had many such relationships
over the years, and to be constantly making new ones. For those
new to the industry, welcome. May you treasure the friendships
you forge in this industry as I do. By now many of you will know
that over the last few years the AustralAsian Incentive
Association became the Incentive Marketing Association and has
now been absorbed into the Australian Marketing Institute.
Within the Institute the incentives group boasts 80 members and
affords a great opportunity for those wanting to learn and to
network.
Recently having had another birthday (someone
suggested it was a good thing, as every birthday you have means
another year you’re alive) I was pondering my life to date and
remembered with fondness the birth of the Australian Incentive
Association in 1986. |
Great friendships were forged amongst competitors, buyers and
suppliers as we built an association in the early years with the
common goal to make the fledgling industry a professional one.
Many gave tirelessly of their time and energy; people like Nick
Reid, Jenny Dobbin, Ruth Ellis and John Hudson, my own mentor in
the industry.
Apart from some self indulgent reminiscing I was
also reminded that this group of people can pick up just where
we left off, should we run across each other anywhere in the
world. We have shared professional and personal pain; we have
referred business to each other and applauded when someone won
out over us. We may have even been drunk together once or twice.
Over the years many of these people have changed careers or
moved and lots of contacts have been lost. It has been suggested
to me that we get together again, on a purely social basis, with
no pressure to buy or sell. Chances are you’ll end up doing it
anyway. If you’re interested in building new relationships
through joining the Marketing Institute or rekindling old
friendships from the early days of the incentive industry please
contact Kevin Moloney of newly launched incentive house Hudson-Moloney
on
kevin.moloney@hudsonmoloney.com.au
Lynne Schinella is a director of Ripe, a company providing
communications training to the tourism industry. She can be
contacted on
lynne@ripestuff.com or (07) 3395 4333.
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