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Trevor Connell

Trevor came to the events industry in the early eighties from a background in theatre and photography. He has experience as an Event Manager, Technical Director and Lighting Designer and has worked on events as diverse as corporate functions and the Sydney Royal Easter Show and the Sydney Olympics Closing Night Harbour Spectacular.

Trevor was a founding member of the Australian chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) and served on the chapter executive for six years.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done an update and for good reason.  Like the rest of the event industry …

November 24, 2023

During 2020 and 2021 I did my best to keep readers up to date with how COVID-19 was impacting our industry. …

November 13, 2023

Well it depends on who you talk to. As you would expect the organisers, Destination NSW and the main venue all …

October 30, 2023

With a history of recognising excellence in the events industry, Meetings & Events Australia’s Awards Program has celebrated the achievements of …

October 16, 2023

So some observations. There are four streams – Tech & Innovation, Games, Music and Screen. From the point of view of …

October 11, 2023

Vale Rodd Craig In mid-2020 I had a call from Rodd Craig who shared his concern for the mental health of …

September 27, 2023

The 2023 Australian Event Awards were presented on Wednesday night in suburban Bankstown. 33 awards were presented. The major winners included Vivid …

September 15, 2023

I enjoy checking out reports and photos from the annual Burning Man Festival held in a normally barren desert. This year …

September 12, 2023

When the announcement came out about Australia and New Zealand winning the hosting rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup it …

August 18, 2023

The expert judging panel of the Australian Event Awards have named the best Events in Australia, together with a host of …

August 15, 2023

Sydney has secured the second edition of the FIFA Women’s Football Convention from 18 – 19 August 2023 to conclude the …

August 15, 2023

Business Events Industry Aotearoa welcomes the lifting of all New Zealand’s COVID-19 restrictions from today (15 August 2023). The New Zealand …

August 15, 2023

ASE was pleased to visit Wellington New Zealand as a hosted media for Meetings 2023 – first, some general observations For …

July 31, 2023

Meetings 2023 was hosted at the Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre. This venue is owned by the Wellington City Council and managed …

July 31, 2023

Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre is owned by the Wellington City Council and managed through Tākina Events, a partnership combining the Tākina …

July 31, 2023

Incentivise Live, the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence ANZ one-day conference in Sydney on Monday, August 7,will be asking some big …

July 28, 2023

After a week of connecting and doing business, the MEETINGS 2023 finale for 675 guests was all about celebrating, in true …

July 28, 2023

There is a lot being said in the mainstream media about Dan Andrews pulling the plug on the Melbourne Comm Games …

July 27, 2023

Wētā Workshop is an award-winning film effects company that service the world’s creative industries. Their crew have worked on many well-known …

July 27, 2023

Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu at the lower end of New Zealand’s South Island. It is a pristine area …

July 27, 2023

OK Helen Rosamond is not the first dodgy event manager to surface in Sydney (I reckon that would have been a …

July 25, 2023

Following the disruption of 2020 – 2021 (which is still being felt in 2022) is the Australian event industry back on …

June 19, 2023

At the recent MEA Evolve conference ASE caught up two members of the board to discuss the future of the event …

June 18, 2023

The 2023 MEA conference saw the welcome return of the MEA Awards with the qualifying period covering both 2021 and 2022. …

June 18, 2023

Welcome to this week’s update MEA Awards program The MEA awards program appears to be struggling to make a comeback after …

May 19, 2023

About 100 members gathered at Jones Bay Wharf for a cocktail function to celebrate the NSW state winners in the MEA …

May 19, 2023

One played out like a three act opera and the other was a three day party. The Coronation of King Charles …

May 15, 2023

The amalgamation has been announced of AACB, EEAA and the ACCG into the Australian Business Events Association. The current peak body, …

May 10, 2023

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is the second largest free public event in Australia (after Sydney NYE). But unlike …

April 18, 2023

I love arts festivals and I love Adelaide (I was born there) so it is fantastic to see another successful Mad …

March 27, 2023

What a weekend! – Sydney is alive again thanks to World Pride. And on Saturday night it was great to be …

February 27, 2023

I’ve now attended around 25 welcome functions for AIME and like all events there are a few simple things that make …

February 25, 2023

I asked ChatGPT to write a history of AIME – this is what came back. I’m interested in your thoughts, comments …

February 22, 2023

Let’s face it AIME has had its ups and downs over the previous 30 years (as I reflected in the lead …

February 21, 2023

Today I’m packing to head to Melbourne for AIME. I always try to get down on the Saturday to take in …

February 10, 2023

First up… Congratulations to two event industry figures named in the Australia Day honours list Anthony BASTIC AM – For significant …

February 3, 2023

This year AIME celebrates 30 years and I reckon I have attended around 25 of them. At that time of the …

February 2, 2023

Anthony BASTIC AM – For significant service to the special events industry. Anthony is best known as the creator (with Mary-Anne …

January 27, 2023

From the archive – first published in 2000 The Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games were hailed as the greatest Games …

January 27, 2023

Tasmanian motorsport lovers are shocked at the news of the cancellation of the Longford Grand Prix Expo less than two months …

January 23, 2023

This time last year we were all approaching 2022 with uncertainty. Could COVID still derail the event industry? Are lockdowns truly …

January 20, 2023

And so 2022 draws to a close. At the beginning of this year the event industry was still looking at an …

December 23, 2022

Events are back but is the industry at risk again? COVID? What COVID? Everyone in the industry knows that events are …

November 11, 2022

Everyone in the industry knows that events are going gangbusters at the moment. A combination of pent up demand and the …

November 11, 2022

I made a brief visit to Sydney CBD last weekend and felt quite a buzz. Following lockdowns and wet weather it …

November 4, 2022

Nicole Tingey has been elected Society for Incentive Travel Excellence Australia and New Zealand president, replacing Colette Baini who steps down after a two year term. Nicole was most recently SITE ANZ VP of Sponsorship, working with other board members to successfully deliver the inaugural SITE ANZ Conference in Sydney in 2022.

November 4, 2022

To me tourism falls into three broad categories – 1 visiting natural attractions, 2 visiting man-made attractions and 3 events. Yes …

October 21, 2022

Welcome to the wrap. Remember back in January I published an article looking at where the money from the Business Events …

October 14, 2022

Back in 2020 I declared that if anything, the overall government response to COVID proved once and for all that the …

October 14, 2022

It appears that many Australian event producers were pretty impressed by the funeral of QEII. I didn’t get to watch it …

September 30, 2022

Event industry coming to terms with snap public holiday. The snap public holiday to mark the “National Day of Mourning for …

September 16, 2022

Expertise Events has thrown its weight behind Lifeline Australia, announcing that they will raise awareness of mental health issues, create change …

September 12, 2022

Business Events Grants Program Back when we were investigating the Business Events Grants Program we raised the issue of who designed …

August 26, 2022

My favourite marketer has another great post this week and I think this line should be writ large on the wall …

August 24, 2022

Is there light at the end of the COVID tunnel? Positive news reports this week from the Chief Health Officer and …

August 5, 2022

First up – events are back and businesses are recruiting so I’ve introduced a jobs board with an introductory offer of …

July 22, 2022

The event industry is once again being affected by COVID as governments and unions call for working from home where possible, …

July 22, 2022

This week around 40 industry people got together for a Christmas in July dinner in Sydney. This ad-hoc group started with …

July 22, 2022

Geez COVID sucks! After catching COVID in Melbourne two weeks ago I’m finally coming good. Bloody crook for about three days …

July 15, 2022

Finally meeting in person again. Around 300 delegates attended the MEA Evolve conference at the Sofitel Melbourne. The conference kicked off …

July 13, 2022

Events are back and event management companies are busier than ever. Certainly there is an appetite for events and people are …

July 8, 2022

Back when the event industry was evolving in Australia a bunch of people got together to form the Australian chapter of …

June 24, 2022

This is and open invitation to Sydney based event professionals to meet for dinner, networking and some of fun. Not a …

June 24, 2022

I’ve attended nearly every MEA conference for over 25 years – that’s a lot of destinations, a lot of presentations, a …

June 23, 2022

It looks like the two biggest issues affecting the event industry are staffing and transport. We have talked about staffing issues …

June 16, 2022

The time an event starts, finishes, meals are served, acts perform – everything. And if you are running a roadshow or …

June 16, 2022

Remember back to March 2020 – when all venues were shut down and the event industry came to a halt. The initial …

June 15, 2022

Welcome to the mid-Weekly Wrap. Events are coming back and I’ve been busy – a good position to be in. So …

June 8, 2022

Last night I watched two and a half hours of spectacle (interspersed with commercial breaks every 5 mins). The Platinum Jubilee …

June 7, 2022

I had intended for this week’s update to go out this morning but WordPress had other ideas. My website is automatically …

May 27, 2022

No matter what the result is from tomorrow’s election there is much more the federal government can do to support the …

May 20, 2022

The industry was shocked this week to learn of the sudden death of Toby Travanner with tributes pouring in via his …

May 13, 2022

For a number of years now I have volunteered as a stage/venue manager at the National Folk Festival (NFF). I enjoy …

May 13, 2022

The event industry is in shock as news came out that one our favourite people died suddenly on Sunday. Toby Travanner …

May 10, 2022

Events are back and our industry is recovering but COVID is still rampant. In this week’s Coronacast Dr Norman Swan pointed …

May 6, 2022

Centrepiece is a new venue in the Melbourne tennis precinct. During the Australian Open it is the media centre, for the …

April 29, 2022

Music festivals are back Music festivals have bounced back over Easter with Bluesfest attracting over 100,000 punters, the Rabbits Eat Lettuce …

April 22, 2022

This week some interviews from AIME  where over 320 exhibitors and 350 buyers have connected, to deliver a total of 6,540 …

April 8, 2022

ESTA and PLASA announce the release of an updated Version 2.0 of the International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging (ICOPER), …

April 7, 2022

Silke Calder waited a long time for her first AIME to eventuate. From a home office, and with an all-female team, …

April 4, 2022

The MCB is a part of Visit Victoria, which in turn is the primary tourism and events company for the State …

April 4, 2022

Just a short post this week – I’m currently working on some interviews I did last week at AIME and will …

April 1, 2022

On Saturday night I was at the Small Business Champions Awards at The Star Event Centre. It was fantastic to see …

March 25, 2022

It was great to be in Melbourne again and to see so many people meeting, mingling, networking and partying. The show …

March 25, 2022

Two years on from the initial shutdown there is definitely a feeling that events are back. Get Local heralded the return …

March 18, 2022

As part of the Tourism Industry Reference Panel’s Interim Action Plan, the Queensland Government has launched a $7 million program dedicated …

March 18, 2022

Special events, business events, corporate events, sporting events, weather events, traffic events, military events, sales events – everything is an event …

March 18, 2022

This weekend marks the second anniversary of the event industry’s “Black Friday” when, on the 13th March 2020 PM Scott Morrison announced that venues would essentially be shut down indefinitely. The following week I wrote that the announcement would effectively shut down the whole event industry for at least six months. For most of us it was much longer.

March 11, 2022

Over the years I have attended hundreds of awards presentations and heard the stories of many recipients – some are inspiring, …

March 7, 2022

Greetings from soggy Sydney. On Wednesday night it was great to catch up with colleagues at Royal Randwick for the MEA …

March 4, 2022

‘Regional Australia – Paving the way for a stronger Visitor Economy’ Australian Regional Tourism and convention partner, City of Ballarat, is …

March 2, 2022

The big event for this month was Get Local when around 700 buyers and exhibitors got together at ICC Sydney and …

February 25, 2022

The buzz was evident as industry exhibitors and buyers got together over two days at ICC Sydney for Get Local last …

February 25, 2022

The timing of the rescheduled Get Local turned out to be on the mark – just days before NSW, Victoria and …

February 18, 2022

Over two days buyers and exhibitors gathered at the ICC Sydney – for some it was to showcase or check out …

February 18, 2022

ASE put a number of questions to Austrade regarding the BEGP – we thank them for their response. One important question …

February 11, 2022

This week I was back covering the Local Business Awards (via EventPix) – it was great to feel the vibe in …

February 4, 2022

Following on from our story on the Business Events Grants last week we have had a chat with Austrade and they …

February 4, 2022

Can we just ignore the government and the nightly TV headlines and agree that events are back? Industry events are locked …

January 28, 2022

The Australia Day Live concert was a joy to behold. Great talent on stage, on country, on water and in the …

January 28, 2022

Get Local is going ahead as planned on 15th, 16th February 2022 and co-owner Donna Kessler has a message for the …

January 21, 2022

Australia’s biggest summer sporting event has been getting plenty of coverage this week thanks to Novak. Meanwhile the Sydney Festival has …

January 14, 2022

The big issues affecting festivals at the moment will also impact expos and conferences – which usually do not kick in …

January 14, 2022

Although I live in western Sydney where gangland shootings are too common (the latest was about 2K from where I live) …

January 7, 2022

The Little Prince is a fantasy book written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and published in 1943 and is one of the best-selling and most …

January 6, 2022

As we say goodbye to 2021 we must ask “are we heading to freedom or disaster?” First an explanation about the …

December 22, 2021

OK, so they have been back in other states for quite some time now but NSW and Vic where the hardest …

November 19, 2021

This week I ask what our industry can learn from the demise of the professional photography industry association. James Bartold on …

November 12, 2021

I’ve been a long time member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP). This association has a lot in common …

November 12, 2021

NSW and Victoria reopening. Currently the vaccination rate in Australia’s two biggest states is lagging far behind the two most populous …

November 5, 2021

On the 10th September, following a number of phone calls to get access to an email address that worked,  I wrote …

November 5, 2021

Sunday 31 October marked the final night of the Australian Event Awards 12-day celebration of the best events and most innovative …

November 1, 2021

Over the past few weeks our focus has been on business recovery in NSW. Now the focus is on Victoria. Last …

October 30, 2021

The Victorian Government is backing the return of a packed calendar of crowd-pleasing public events in regional and rural areas in …

October 29, 2021

On Sunday the Victorian Premier, Dan Andrews announced the process for coming out of Victoria’s lockdown. The announcement was welcomed by …

October 26, 2021

The big news this week for businesses in NSW was the announcement of a $530m funding package for tourism and events …

October 22, 2021

Yesterday’s announcement by the NSW government promising to “turbocharge the recovery of tourism and events” has been generally welcomed by the …

October 21, 2021

A late wrap this week – I went out for lunch today for an actual face to face business meeting. The …

October 15, 2021

There has been a lot of chatter about bars and restaurants reopening in Sydney this week, but how are things looking …

October 15, 2021

There has been quite a bit of talk about a shortage of casual workers in hospitality (in particular, along with cleaners …

October 13, 2021

I don’t want to flood your inbox. Sometimes I post a number of stories in a day but I don’t send …

October 8, 2021

Over the past four months I’ve been critical of Gladys’ handling of the latest COVID outbreak in Sydney, which has since …

October 1, 2021

At the beginning of this year I took ASE in a new direction – no more press releases from companies that …

October 1, 2021

The NSW Government has announced that venues can reopen on Monday 11th October at one person per 4 sqm and that …

September 30, 2021

Once again the federal government has delivered a smackdown to workers in the events sector. Over the last three months many …

September 29, 2021

Talking to venue managers about the reopening in Sydney and a big concern is how to manage unvaccinated people wanting to …

September 28, 2021

Providing the public health risk of Covid-19 remains relatively stable over the next two weeks, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said …

September 27, 2021

The NSW Premier today announced the three stage roadmap to lifting restrictions. However, once again, the announcement was short on detail. …

September 27, 2021

Spare a thought for Melbourne’s best known event producer and AFL tragic. In the podcast I did with Peter Jones he …

September 24, 2021

While city events get the most notice, regional events are often ignored. However events are for more important to the regional …

September 24, 2021

Brett Bower has been involved in the event industry for a long time – both on the production side and performing …

September 24, 2021

I grew up in a country town of around 8,000 people; there was a small airport near the town. In 2001 …

September 21, 2021

Here is a summary of the Victorian Roadmap as it affects events and entertainment Hospitality Phase A: Hospitality businesses can offer …

September 20, 2021

A story of the pandemic roadmaps – with apologies to Charles Dickens Chapter I – The Period It was the best …

September 20, 2021

Today marks 12 weeks that Sydney has been in lockdown – 3 bloody months – now we know how Victorians feel. …

September 17, 2021

Now you might remember that the federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said it would be up to businesses to decide if they let unvaccinated …

September 15, 2021

The NSW Roadmap to Freedom for the fully vaccinated has a serious discrepancy regarding weddings and funerals To quote relevant sections …

September 13, 2021

The NSW Roadmap to Freedom was finally released this week and when you come down to it, despite the cries of …

September 10, 2021

There has been a lot of reaction to the release of the NSW “Roadmap to Freedom” so here are some links …

September 10, 2021

I’m sure that most people involved in events in Sydney watched the premier’s presser this morning. Here is the gist of …

September 9, 2021

It has been another hell of a week with COVID cases spiralling in NSW and Victoria and a big push from …

September 3, 2021

The PM and Premiers are promising things will be very different when we reach 70% and 80% fully vaccinated. But how …

September 3, 2021

Following the Victorian Premier’s presser yesterday the Victorian Chamber Chief Executive, Paul Guerra wrote to his members. Some of his comments …

September 2, 2021

This week started off with the promise that we would get a better idea of what will happen when NSW and …

September 1, 2021

Event Producers and suppliers work across business events, public events, private events, festivals and entertainment. They can be broadly split into …

August 27, 2021

For those of us living in NSW or Victoria some light relief was certainly needed and last night we could sit …

August 25, 2021

I’ve been following Ian Whitworth’s blog “Motivation for Sceptics” since he started it as “Kill all MBAs”, but long before that …

August 24, 2021

So we can put our own situation into perspective here is a quick roundup of COVID news around the world thanks …

August 23, 2021

What a week – COVID is now rampant throughout NSW, ACT and Victoria and we are still getting mixed messages from …

August 20, 2021

Over the past few days I’ve been talking to a number of people in the industry about their planning for the …

August 16, 2021

Last year the Australian Government put out a 3 STEP FRAMEWORK FOR A COVIDSAFE AUSTRALIA. This framework spelt out how each …

August 13, 2021

University of Melbourne epidemiologist Antony Blakely has told the state parliament inquiry into the NSW government’s response to the pandemic that …

August 10, 2021

The Tokyo Olympics showed large sporting events could safely be held in a pandemic and challenged policy makers to show why …

August 9, 2021

The Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony was even more downbeat then the opening.  Which was disappointing because they actually had plenty to …

August 9, 2021

This week’s slew of information regarding lockdowns, vaccinations and much more took a bit of deciphering – so here is a …

August 6, 2021

Venues NSW* is seeking government approval to require patrons to prove they have been vaccinated in order to attend events at …

August 4, 2021

Ever since the cancellation of Bluesfest in March the calls for COVID cancellation insurance for events has ramped up. The live …

August 4, 2021

OK I’m going to try to unpick the federal government’s National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response We keep hearing …

August 4, 2021

Dull and boring are a couple of descriptors I’ve heard, however I want to go a little deeper. If I had …

July 30, 2021

I’ve previously blogged about events in Sydney not recommencing until after Christmas. Unfortunately today’s developments reinforce that view. First, yesterday’s statement …

July 29, 2021

Until lockdowns “become a thing of the past” the event industry cannot plan ahead without the government providing cancellation insurance. PM …

July 28, 2021

As expected the lockdown in Sydney is to be extended for another four weeks. I figured that now is a good …

July 28, 2021

I’ve listened to and read a lot of commentary and concerns from within the event industry over the past year or …

July 26, 2021

The experiments are both on humans. Experiment #1 commenced on Monday – Boris Johnson’s so called Freedom Day. ASE checked what …

July 22, 2021

Entertainer James Bustar has compiled a heart rending video in which members of the arts community tell of the devastation of the pandemic on …

July 21, 2021

The construction industry is up in arms because they have finally been shut down. Welcome to lockdown boys and be thankful …

July 20, 2021

Part two of the interview with Roslyn Mcleod looks a the Olympics and the 21st century

July 20, 2021

Over the past few weeks I’ve been observing the tradies working on building sites as I go for my morning walk. …

July 19, 2021

Hi Melbourne – we really didn’t want to stuff it up for you again, and we feel for you. And just …

July 16, 2021

On ABC RN this morning medical epidemiologist Mike Toole was talking about the modelling done by the Burnett Institute on the …

July 14, 2021

Currently our political leaders are all telling us that they are “listening to the medical advice” before making decisions on lockdowns.  …

July 13, 2021

Once again this morning has seen wall to wall media conferences by state premiers and the federal treasurer. The big news …

July 7, 2021

How nice that Our Beloved Leader has released a National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response. Which looks like this …

July 5, 2021

Currently over half of Australia’s population is under lockdown restrictions of some sort. It appears that the only safe place to …

June 30, 2021

In the second half of the Peter Jones interview we discuss some of the great events he has delivered – and …

June 29, 2021

First held in 1823, the Sydney Royal Easter Show (SRES) is Australia’s largest annual ticketed event, attracting over 828,000 attendees on …

June 28, 2021

At the recent National Events Alliance Meetup at Sydney Showground Gayle Dickerson shared insights into how business sees events coming back. …

June 21, 2021

This week the Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, announced new grants for event organisers saying,  “Event organisers have …

June 17, 2021

Media release from Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula   Event organisers, hosts, suppliers, producers and cinema businesses will …

June 15, 2021

As Victorians enter week two of lockdown 4.0 I became aware of massive failure and a missed opportunity. The failure We …

June 4, 2021

The organisers of the Australian Event Awards are providing an opportunity for a State, Territory, venue, government bodies or partnerships thereof …

June 3, 2021

Trina Butler is Senior Director, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe Trina works with clients in Legal, Medical, Corporate, High Tech, Government and …

June 2, 2021

The Acting Premier of Victoria James Merlino has just announced a seven day ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown of Victoria. The lockdown covers “Hotels, …

May 27, 2021

In March and April 2021, the Australian Event Awards Team reached out to the industry across the country for input about …

May 11, 2021

This week I’m back to reviewing the COVID situation – How it affects us personally and how it is affecting events. …

May 7, 2021

Music industry charity Support Act is encouraging anyone working professionally in music across the arts and who is in financial difficulty …

May 4, 2021

There is no question one of the biggest unspoken impacts of the pandemic was on health and mental well-being. Expertise Events …

April 6, 2021

It’s not just COVID.  The industry is tearing itself apart as well. In scenes reminiscent of the shutdown of the 2020 …

April 1, 2021

Report to members by Chris Porter, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council As Victorians prepare to embark …

April 1, 2021

I bet most people in our industry can remember exactly where we were on Friday 13th March when the PM announced …

March 13, 2021

The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) ​acknowledges the announcement from the Federal Government yesterday in relation to the changes to the Business …

March 13, 2021

I took a break since Christmas and like many in our industry I had to reassess what my businesses are doing. …

March 8, 2021

I started ASE in early 2000. It was a year of optimism for the event industry. We had survived the Y2K …

February 23, 2021

Robyn Johnson’s announcement that she is leaving MEA got me to thinking about the number of industry associations most of us …

October 15, 2020

It is important for the business events industry to show the way when it comes to creating association conferences.  MEA had …

July 17, 2020

Security firms are in the spotlight again after being blamed for the latest COVID outbreak in Victoria. This should come as …

July 14, 2020

On the weekend I visited a few venues in Sydney.   First up, the MCA, where a steady flow of people …

July 1, 2020

It is important for the event industry to be at the forefront of event design, technology and presentation. It is also …

June 3, 2020

So far the federal government has only published a Three Step Framework for Recovery Now the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry …

June 3, 2020

Alan Joyce is proposing that Qantas can resume services with full aircraft.   Let’s extrapolate that option to the event industry. Joyce …

May 20, 2020
Trevor Connell, Author at Australasian Special Events