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.
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PJSE
Following the disruption of 2020 – 2021 (which is still being felt in 2022) is the Australian event industry back on track? The formation of the Australian Business Events Association without MEA and the PCOA feels like a lost opportunity. Would a broader association that embraced the entire event industry be more successful, or even possible given the fractious nature of the industry associations? The MEA Evolve conference felt …
June 19, 2023
I’ve now attended around 25 welcome functions for AIME and like all events there are a few simple things that make the successful ones stand out. Arrival – a few visual clues for the guests that they have arrived, usually in the form of colourful signage and walk around entertainers. Entry into the venue – do not line up waitstaff with drinks at the entrance. It might look good …
February 25, 2023
Event industry coming to terms with snap public holiday. The snap public holiday to mark the “National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen” – yes that is what the holiday is officially known as – is having a severe impact on the event industry. Events planned for next Thursday will now incur unbudgeted costs for staff penalty rates. ASE ran a quick check with some venues and …
September 16, 2022
I was very fortunate to be involved with three events attended by Her Majesty the Queen and have vivid memories of some memorable moments from behind the scenes, which no one would know actually happened. The first event was the official reception before the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. We were briefed by the Palace organising team to please have a waiter on standby with G&T in …
September 13, 2022
Just a short post this week – I’m currently working on some interviews I did last week at AIME and will have them posted next week. It has been great to attend a few events this week including the ADMA Global Forum where the focus was on data (ADMA is the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising), how data is collected and used along with the permissions required. The …
April 1, 2022
The timing of the rescheduled Get Local turned out to be on the mark – just days before NSW, Victoria and ACT announced the end to most restrictions – especially those affecting events. Get Local gets the industry back together Over two days buyers and exhibitors gathered at the ICC Sydney – for some it was to showcase or check out products and services and for many it was …
February 18, 2022
I’m often asked what elements make a truly memorable event for everyone who attends – Is it a superstar performer, amazing AV, great food and wine, a beautiful setting or lots of famous people. There is some truth with all of those elements but we were recently involved in an event that had none of them. In fact it didn’t need any as it was designed around two key …
February 14, 2022
Get Local is going ahead as planned on 15th, 16th February 2022 and co-owner Donna Kessler has a message for the industry. “We as an industry need to change the language. If we cancel this event it sends the wrong message. We need to demonstrate how to run a safe event to encourage others to do so. COVID is here to stay, distractions will continue to occur, and we …
January 21, 2022
“Australian Open is more important than any one player” – Rafael Nadal Couldn’t have said it any better myself. OK, it is all done and dusted and we know who has left the building. Now one of Melbourne’s major events can finally get underway. As part of the ongoing discussion over the last week, one of the surprising areas has been the supposed irreparable damage to Victorian’s ongoing Major …
January 17, 2022
PJSE Archives | Australasian Special Events
What the x!?! is the events industry (real question)
Peter Jones responds to the formation of the ABEA Back in 2020 – 21 the events industry was in chaos, especially in Victoria which suffered the longest lockdowns in Australia, I was part of the Business Events Advisory Group who met regularly with the Victorian Tourism and Major Events Minister, who at one stage asked us “Exactly what the X!?! is the events industry?” He explained that he had …