WHEN CORPORATE image is at
stake seek professional help

The Spanish artist Pablo Picasso was once asked if he could draw a small picture while sitting in a café. The great man made some squiggles on a napkin and handed it over, with the observation it could be bought for $10,000. When it was pointed out that he’d taken no more than a few seconds to complete the request he dryly observed: “Yes, and it took me 40 years’ of painting to get to this point”.
There is still a perception in corporate Australia that meeting and event management requires little more than booking a venue, selecting a speaker, sending out invitations and turning up onthe day. In some instances, an event can be managed in-house but when the corporate image of an organization is at stake, contracting the services of a professional simply adds up. It’s a bit like getting a haircut: you could hand over the scissors to your nearest and dearest and you may get a satisfactory result but it’s an option fraught with danger. The internet has made venue selection, accommodation and related services somewhat easier to access but this by no means is the complete picture. The professional event planner is an important source of added value which should be thoroughly canvassed when an appointment is being considered. There are instances where the event planner has greater buying power than the client through sheer booking volume but the real value lies in how that event planner can use the venue to ensure the company’s strategic objectives can be best realized. The event planner’s contribution should be viewed as an investment to ensure a positive outcome and companies briefing an event planner should ask what creative input would come with the appointment. Another important issue to consider is the effective use of technology to plan and manage your event. The days when a conference or similar business event could be planned using just Excel are long gone: event planners use customized and offer web-enabled technology that allows the smooth management of attendees, speakers, flights, accommodation, exhibitions, social functions, meals, transfers, financials and the many other details that the attendees come to expect from a function. Australian event planners are at the forefront of event management technology and put in place policies, protocols and procedures that ensure accurate reporting throughout the life of the event. Effective communication is the goal of any business event and it’s essential that the information as its lifeblood is effectively and judiciously managed.

For more information, contact Bryan Holliday at Event Planners Australia
at (02) 9241 1478. www.eventplanners.com.au

Houses of the Future
call Sydney Olympic Park home

Glass, cardboard, concrete, timber, steel and clay. These six unique houses have found their home at Sydney Olympic Park. They demonstrate new ways of providing affordable, environmental, sustainable, prefabricated housing in Australia that is both futuristic and innovative. The houses are located at Jacaranda Square, Sydney Olympic Park until 31 October 2005. Corporate events including product launches and cocktail parties can be held exclusively within the houses during this period. TAFE is also running educational seminars. To obtain further information please contact Alana.

Spotlight on… Telstra Stadium

KPMG National Graduate Induction

Telstra Stadium welcomed KPMG back for the second time, hosting their 2005 National Graduate Induction. Graduates were inspired from the moment they walked onto the Main Arena with motivating music playing through the PA. The Stadium’s enormous video screens displayed vision on the future direction of KPMG and was followed by an inspiring welcome address by KPMG’s CEO, Australia. Graduates then held their two-day program, utilizing the Stadium’s extensive conference facilities. The glitz and glam dinner had an Austin Powers theme with Austin himself and Dr Evil acting as MC for the night, while guests partied the night away! A “groooovy” time was had by all!