EEAA LAUNCHES SECTOR-BY-SECTOR WEBINAR SERIES

By Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia, 28 August, 2020

The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) will host a series of industry updates to address the current and future market conditions for the key sectors of the exhibition and business events industry.

Claudia Sagripanti, EEAA Chief Executive said, “We are launching a sector by sector webinar series to provide an open exchange for industry to discuss the key issues specific to Venues, Suppliers and Organisers/Association Organisers.”

“The current market conditions have created uncertainty with many companies experiencing impacted cash flow and decreased return on investment.  Our main focus for the sector specific webinar series is to draw out the deeper issues that need to be addressed and develop sector-specific strategies that will create momentum and aid in the return of in-person exhibitions and business events.” said Ms Sagripanti.

Each session will feature a panel of key sector representatives, moderated by EEAA Board Members including Spiro Anemogiannis, EEAA President and Managing Director, Informa Australia; Brian Thomas, Managing Director, Reed Exhibitions Australia and Claudia Sagripanti, EEAA Chief Executive.

Venue update: 10 September 2020, 12:00 -1:15 pm AEST

  • Simon Burgess – General Manager, Adelaide Convention Centre
  • Adrienne Readings – General Manager, Gold Coast Convention Centre
  • Peter Thorpe – General Manager, Sydney Showground
  • Malu Barrios – Director of Event Services, ICC Sydney

Supplier update: 24 September 2020, 12:00 – 1:15 pm AEST

  • Chris Schlueter – Chief Technology Officer, Sprintr by AV1
  • Jane Hamilton – Managing Director, Honeycomb Promotional Marketing Agency
  • Jim Delahunty – Chairman, ExpoNet

Organiser/Association Organiser update: 1 October 2020, 12:00pm – 1:15pm AEST

  • Domenic Genua – General Manager – Marketing, Events & Communication, Boating Industry Association
  • Marie Kinsella – Chief Executive Officer, International Exhibition and Conference Group
  • Bob Carroll – Managing Director, Australian Events

Key topics for discussion include:

  • COVIDSafe update and plans
    • State by State restrictions
    • Technology update post pandemic disruption
    • Resourcing
    • Government and commercial support

Each webinar will feature a live Question and Answer element and the opportunity for open and frank discussion.

The sessions are free of charge for EEAA Members, $50 for three sessions for Non-Members or $20 for one session. Registrations are available here.

“The sessions will provide important input into the next stages of the EEAA Rebuild Strategy, currently being developed to rebuild the business events sector and the industry’s ability to deliver events across Australia, restore buyer confidence amongst key audience groups and to engage and retain talent in the industry,” said Claudia Sagripanti.

The EEAA released the first phase of the industry-wide Rebuild Strategy in July with the #ExpoReady social media campaign, designed to instil confidence and to communicate to exhibitors, associated businesses and the consumer that exhibitions are ready to open their doors, and to do it safely. The campaign is focussed on those states that are in a position to host events.

The second phase – the COVID-19 Safe Operating Framework, was released last week. Organisers, venues and suppliers collaborated to launch the industry-wide framework outlining best-practice health and safety protocols that the industry can follow and incorporate with their own COVIDSafe plans to facilitate the safe return of business events.

The EEAA has lobbied extensively to various State and Federal Governments and consulted closely with the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) as well as a range of industry associations to plan a response and recovery framework for the exhibitions and business events industry. More details on the Rebuild Strategy will be released shortly.

“The business events sector contributes more than $35.7 billion to GDP, runs over 430,000 events annually and employs more than 229,000 people[1]. The sector is a major contributor to Australia both financially and for its ability to expand marketplaces by bringing together buyers and sellers and offering a platform for launching innovation and new product,” said Ms Sagripanti.

[1] Value of Business Events to Australia 2018/19, Ernst & Young, March 2020

 

Source: Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia