Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) acknowledges the creation of the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) as a new body in the greater Australian events industry. 

MEA recognises that ABEA will seek to replace the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) and the Exhibition & Events Association of Australasia Ltd (EEAA) as individual entities, as well as the Australian Convention Centres Group (ACCG). 

For many years MEA has collaborated with the AACB, EEAA, ACCG and the Professional Conference Organisers Association (PCOA) under the umbrella of the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) to achieve a single voice, and common advocacy and research objectives for its business events members. 

As a founding BECA member, MEA has been party to work and discussion from which the premise of ABEA originated. 

Pre and post its 2022 Director elections and on an ongoing basis, the MEA Board has considered the appropriateness of participating in the establishment of the new organisation. The precipice of Board discussion has always been benefit to the collective MEA membership if it were to do so. 

The new association’s mandate will be contained to business events. 

Since its inception almost 50 years ago in 1975, MEA has existed to service and support the full latitude of businesses and individuals who constitute the Australian events industry, in both unity and totality. Our membership traverses those who own/operate/produce/rollout events, are venues at which events are held, or are suppliers to the industry – for business and non-business events. It is not unusual for an events business to deliver events of both descriptions. MEA provides a community and one place of belonging across both spaces; one equally for the individuals in the industry workforce and for businesses of any size that constitute it.  

Our members are involved in delivering and enabling conferences, exhibitions, meetings, festivals, community, government, education, entertainment, social, personal, sporting and global events to name just some. 

The Board determined that dissolution of MEA would result in insufficient representation and service of the entire national events industry. Business events and non-business events both contribute substantially to Australia’s visitor economy. 

It is MEA’s position that its continued independent existence and operation will befit and advantage the Australian events industry most fully. 

Operating the only events industry based Registered Training Organisation (RTO) since 2007, MEA will continue to educate the sector through delivery of its SIT50316 Diploma of Event Management and bespoke training services. It offers education by the industry, for the industry. MEA’s practitioner led learning programs are holistic, and skill students and participants on both principle and practical terms to deliver events of every nature.  Servicing its members’ interests will always be MEA’s priority objective. MEA will continue to be a voice for the complete industry. Where common objectives exist that would result in gain for its members, as it has for many years via BECA, MEA will continue to cooperate with and work alongside other industry bodies, including ABEA, to ensure a consistency of message through a united voice in advocacy to government, as well as for research purposes.