Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy. They are the only whales regularly hunted by man. To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale. As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod's side.
Type and hit ENTER
Be Yourself. Be Happy.
Stay Positive. Always.
Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy. They are the only whales regularly hunted by man. To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale. As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod's side.
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.
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.
Is there light at the end of the COVID tunnel? Positive news reports this week from the Chief Health Officer and …
August 5, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
First up – events are back and businesses are recruiting so I’ve introduced a jobs board with an introductory offer of …
July 22, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
The event industry is once again being affected by COVID as governments and unions call for working from home where possible, …
July 22, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Finally meeting in person again. Around 300 delegates attended the MEA Evolve conference at the Sofitel Melbourne. The conference kicked off …
July 13, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Events are back and event management companies are busier than ever. Certainly there is an appetite for events and people are …
July 8, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Back when the event industry was evolving in Australia a bunch of people got together to form the Australian chapter of …
June 24, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
This is and open invitation to Sydney based event professionals to meet for dinner, networking and some of fun. Not a …
June 24, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
It looks like the two biggest issues affecting the event industry are staffing and transport. We have talked about staffing issues …
June 16, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
The time an event starts, finishes, meals are served, acts perform – everything. And if you are running a roadshow or …
June 16, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Remember back to March 2020 – when all venues were shut down and the event industry came to a halt. The initial …
June 15, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Last night I watched two and a half hours of spectacle (interspersed with commercial breaks every 5 mins). The Platinum Jubilee …
June 7, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The industry was shocked this week to learn of the sudden death of Toby Travanner with tributes pouring in via his …
May 13, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The event industry is in shock as news came out that one our favourite people died suddenly on Sunday. Toby Travanner …
May 10, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Centrepiece is a new venue in the Melbourne tennis precinct. During the Australian Open it is the media centre, for the …
April 29, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The MCB is a part of Visit Victoria, which in turn is the primary tourism and events company for the State …
April 4, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Just a short post this week – I’m currently working on some interviews I did last week at AIME and will …
April 1, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
On Saturday night I was at the Small Business Champions Awards at The Star Event Centre. It was fantastic to see …
March 25, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
It was great to be in Melbourne again and to see so many people meeting, mingling, networking and partying. The show …
March 25, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Two years on from the initial shutdown there is definitely a feeling that events are back. Get Local heralded the return …
March 18, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Special events, business events, corporate events, sporting events, weather events, traffic events, military events, sales events – everything is an event …
March 18, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Over the years I have attended hundreds of awards presentations and heard the stories of many recipients – some are inspiring, …
March 7, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Greetings from soggy Sydney. On Wednesday night it was great to catch up with colleagues at Royal Randwick for the MEA …
March 4, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
‘Regional Australia – Paving the way for a stronger Visitor Economy’ Australian Regional Tourism and convention partner, City of Ballarat, is …
March 2, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
The big event for this month was Get Local when around 700 buyers and exhibitors got together at ICC Sydney and …
February 25, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
The buzz was evident as industry exhibitors and buyers got together over two days at ICC Sydney for Get Local last …
February 25, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
The timing of the rescheduled Get Local turned out to be on the mark – just days before NSW, Victoria and …
February 18, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Over two days buyers and exhibitors gathered at the ICC Sydney – for some it was to showcase or check out …
February 18, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
ASE put a number of questions to Austrade regarding the BEGP – we thank them for their response. One important question …
February 11, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
This week I was back covering the Local Business Awards (via EventPix) – it was great to feel the vibe in …
February 4, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Following on from our story on the Business Events Grants last week we have had a chat with Austrade and they …
February 4, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Can we just ignore the government and the nightly TV headlines and agree that events are back? Industry events are locked …
January 28, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
The Australia Day Live concert was a joy to behold. Great talent on stage, on country, on water and in the …
January 28, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The big issues affecting festivals at the moment will also impact expos and conferences – which usually do not kick in …
January 14, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
Although I live in western Sydney where gangland shootings are too common (the latest was about 2K from where I live) …
January 7, 2022
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
As we say goodbye to 2021 we must ask “are we heading to freedom or disaster?” First an explanation about the …
December 22, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
OK, so they have been back in other states for quite some time now but NSW and Vic where the hardest …
November 19, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
This week I ask what our industry can learn from the demise of the professional photography industry association. James Bartold on …
November 12, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
On the 10th September, following a number of phone calls to get access to an email address that worked, I wrote …
November 5, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Over the past few weeks our focus has been on business recovery in NSW. Now the focus is on Victoria. Last …
October 30, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The big news this week for businesses in NSW was the announcement of a $530m funding package for tourism and events …
October 22, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
A late wrap this week – I went out for lunch today for an actual face to face business meeting. The …
October 15, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
There has been a lot of chatter about bars and restaurants reopening in Sydney this week, but how are things looking …
October 15, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
There has been quite a bit of talk about a shortage of casual workers in hospitality (in particular, along with cleaners …
October 13, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
At the beginning of this year I took ASE in a new direction – no more press releases from companies that …
October 1, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
The NSW Government has announced that venues can reopen on Monday 11th October at one person per 4 sqm and that …
September 30, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Once again the federal government has delivered a smackdown to workers in the events sector. Over the last three months many …
September 29, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Talking to venue managers about the reopening in Sydney and a big concern is how to manage unvaccinated people wanting to …
September 28, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The NSW Premier today announced the three stage roadmap to lifting restrictions. However, once again, the announcement was short on detail. …
September 27, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
While city events get the most notice, regional events are often ignored. However events are for more important to the regional …
September 24, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Brett Bower has been involved in the event industry for a long time – both on the production side and performing …
September 24, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Here is a summary of the Victorian Roadmap as it affects events and entertainment Hospitality Phase A: Hospitality businesses can offer …
September 20, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
A story of the pandemic roadmaps – with apologies to Charles Dickens Chapter I – The Period It was the best …
September 20, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Today marks 12 weeks that Sydney has been in lockdown – 3 bloody months – now we know how Victorians feel. …
September 17, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The NSW Roadmap to Freedom for the fully vaccinated has a serious discrepancy regarding weddings and funerals To quote relevant sections …
September 13, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
The NSW Roadmap to Freedom was finally released this week and when you come down to it, despite the cries of …
September 10, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
There has been a lot of reaction to the release of the NSW “Roadmap to Freedom” so here are some links …
September 10, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
It has been another hell of a week with COVID cases spiralling in NSW and Victoria and a big push from …
September 3, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
The PM and Premiers are promising things will be very different when we reach 70% and 80% fully vaccinated. But how …
September 3, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
This week started off with the promise that we would get a better idea of what will happen when NSW and …
September 1, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Event Producers and suppliers work across business events, public events, private events, festivals and entertainment. They can be broadly split into …
August 27, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
For those of us living in NSW or Victoria some light relief was certainly needed and last night we could sit …
August 25, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
So we can put our own situation into perspective here is a quick roundup of COVID news around the world thanks …
August 23, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
What a week – COVID is now rampant throughout NSW, ACT and Victoria and we are still getting mixed messages from …
August 20, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Last year the Australian Government put out a 3 STEP FRAMEWORK FOR A COVIDSAFE AUSTRALIA. This framework spelt out how each …
August 13, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The Tokyo Olympics showed large sporting events could safely be held in a pandemic and challenged policy makers to show why …
August 9, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
The Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony was even more downbeat then the opening. Which was disappointing because they actually had plenty to …
August 9, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
This week’s slew of information regarding lockdowns, vaccinations and much more took a bit of deciphering – so here is a …
August 6, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Venues NSW* is seeking government approval to require patrons to prove they have been vaccinated in order to attend events at …
August 4, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Ever since the cancellation of Bluesfest in March the calls for COVID cancellation insurance for events has ramped up. The live …
August 4, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Until lockdowns “become a thing of the past” the event industry cannot plan ahead without the government providing cancellation insurance. PM …
July 28, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
As expected the lockdown in Sydney is to be extended for another four weeks. I figured that now is a good …
July 28, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The experiments are both on humans. Experiment #1 commenced on Monday – Boris Johnson’s so called Freedom Day. ASE checked what …
July 22, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The construction industry is up in arms because they have finally been shut down. Welcome to lockdown boys and be thankful …
July 20, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Part two of the interview with Roslyn Mcleod looks a the Olympics and the 21st century
July 20, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Hi Melbourne – we really didn’t want to stuff it up for you again, and we feel for you. And just …
July 16, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
On ABC RN this morning medical epidemiologist Mike Toole was talking about the modelling done by the Burnett Institute on the …
July 14, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Currently our political leaders are all telling us that they are “listening to the medical advice” before making decisions on lockdowns. …
July 13, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Once again this morning has seen wall to wall media conferences by state premiers and the federal treasurer. The big news …
July 7, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
In the second half of the Peter Jones interview we discuss some of the great events he has delivered – and …
June 29, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
At the recent National Events Alliance Meetup at Sydney Showground Gayle Dickerson shared insights into how business sees events coming back. …
June 21, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
The organisers of the Australian Event Awards are providing an opportunity for a State, Territory, venue, government bodies or partnerships thereof …
June 3, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Trina Butler is Senior Director, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe Trina works with clients in Legal, Medical, Corporate, High Tech, Government and …
June 2, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
In March and April 2021, the Australian Event Awards Team reached out to the industry across the country for input about …
May 11, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
This week I’m back to reviewing the COVID situation – How it affects us personally and how it is affecting events. …
May 7, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
Music industry charity Support Act is encouraging anyone working professionally in music across the arts and who is in financial difficulty …
May 4, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Report to members by Chris Porter, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council As Victorians prepare to embark …
April 1, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
I bet most people in our industry can remember exactly where we were on Friday 13th March when the PM announced …
March 13, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
I took a break since Christmas and like many in our industry I had to reassess what my businesses are doing. …
March 8, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
I started ASE in early 2000. It was a year of optimism for the event industry. We had survived the Y2K …
February 23, 2021
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
It is important for the business events industry to show the way when it comes to creating association conferences. MEA had …
July 17, 2020
Posted by Trevor Connell
Security firms are in the spotlight again after being blamed for the latest COVID outbreak in Victoria. This should come as …
July 14, 2020
Posted by Trevor Connell
On the weekend I visited a few venues in Sydney. First up, the MCA, where a steady flow of people …
July 1, 2020
Posted by Trevor Connell
It is important for the event industry to be at the forefront of event design, technology and presentation. It is also …
June 3, 2020
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
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
Posted by Trevor Connell
Copyright Australasian Special Events 2000 - 2021
Trevor Connell | Australasian Special Events
Thanks for subscribing!
The mid-Weekly Wrap
Welcome to the mid-Weekly Wrap. Events are coming back and I’ve been busy – a good position to be in. So …