The sky is virtually the limit for Biz

Does this sound like the perfect business event? No suffocating crowds, no hours of trying to locate a venue, no show-bags filled with hoards of branded stress balls and pen lights, and you can even bypass the awkward disjointed conversations with Bill, or was it Larry? As Maria Mourikis finds out, the new trend this event season is virtual events, direct to your browser.

Virtual events are taking the business industry by storm. Not only are they cost effective, but they present a total hassle-free environment for easy to access conferences and business events.

A virtual event in its most basic form is a function held entirely online. Utilising the ever-developing Internet environment, these events can range from interactive and impressive trade shows to expos, product launches and conferences.

Virtual events can be accessed from anywhere in the world, provided you have Internet connection and software compatibility. They can also be entirely cost free for the attendees allowing for a much larger more diverse attendance.

According to a 2007 survey compiled by Silicon Valley market research and consulting firm The FactPoint Group, 42% of the last 200 virtual events held in 2007 were attended by international guests.

Don Best, director of marketing at Unisfair a virtual events company, also reports in the survey that he has had approximately 500 people come to virtual exhibition booths, resulting in 100 live interactions.

"At a physical show, you have so much to do and you’re kind of afraid actually to go into a booth, even though you might be interested, because you’ve got the booth vultures hanging over you," he says. Virtual events break down that barrier and allow people to feel uninhibited and get the most from your event.

Californian based company Unisfair has been recognised as the leader in creating and producing virtual events by the New York Times last year. Powering over 400 virtual events since inception, Unisfair has worked with enterprise clients including Cisco Systems, National Instruments, IBM, and Quest Software; and for media clients including Nielsen, Tech Target, CMP, Rogers Publishing and Penton Media.

As part of their website Unisfair has created a virtual event showcase of the possibilities available in the virtual event environment for event producers. On entry patrons are greeted by video message that gives a brief overview of the event. The showcase includes a main exhibition hall and several smaller virtual halls. Here participants find specific information about different benefits and options relating to virtual events.

One particular great feature of the site is the “add to briefcase option”. Each member is given a virtual briefcase in which they can add files that they wish to download and access later.

There are also options to have live interaction with staff through chat windows. This feature gives the virtual event a customer friendly face and allows users to easily access personalised information.

Earlier this year Nokia initiated a similar virtual event to launch their newest products in the N Series. Held alongside the Mobile Phone World Congress 2008, Nokia used this virtual event to access an audience that would not be able to attend the actual conference.

The web event was opened on February 11th and has maintained forums and blog roll discussions on topics relevant to the event, to date.

The event included a live presentation and unveiling of the phones. There were also a number of videos which showcased the “making of” and design process as well as live demos by product managers and interview style Q&A sessions.

The most impressive part of this event was its interactivity. During the event users were able to access a blog roll, chat live with each other and post messages on forums. Within these avenues event producers and product developers conversed with the patrons ensuring no question was left unanswered.

The Australian Fitness First website have also utilised this virtual event technology, however for a different purpose; recruitment. As part of their company website they have a careers expo constantly running and available for those interested in positions available within Fitness First Australia. This virtual event is split into two sections an education and training site and company and industry site.

On the company/ Industry site patrons are welcomed by a professional well branded home page. Here they have the options to watch videos, download PDF brochures, browse the company websites and apply for positions in real time.

On the education page patrons have the option to either browse or specifically search through a list of fitness and relevant education facilities ranging from tertiary studies to short courses run by the company.

This site is highly informative and contains options to upload your personal details to be considered for a position almost instantly.

The virtual event is hosted by digital initiative Virtual Careers Expo by marketing firm EOC Group Pty Ltd. Relatively new in the industry, creator and producer Roy Wright aims to help organizations engage with different age groups and generations via the internet, in Australia.

"There has been a lot written and said about skills and candidate shortages and the ’ Battle for Talent’. In my view, the real battle ahead is how do we get new Generations looking at the variety and diversity of career options available and presenting it in a way they want to receive it?" He says.

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Sex and the City movie lines up brand partners

The ’Sex and the City’ movie looks set to be an advertising fest that will rival the most recent James Bond outing, with brands including Mercedes-Benz, Coty fragrances and Skyy vodka all signed up as sponsors of the film.

The New York Times reports that a total of eight brands have signed up, including the jeweller H Stern; Glaceau Vitaminwater, a Coca-Cola brand; and Bag Borrow or Steal, an online service for renting designer handbags and jewellery.

This compares with the recent James Bond films, where secret agent 007 is seen to ask for drinks by brand name.

In the 2006 film ’Casino Royale’, Bond uses numerous Sony Vaio laptops to help save the world, makes calls on Sony Ericsson phones and there is even a scene featuring Sony’s Blu-Ray technology. The film was produced by Sony Corporation.

In the ’Sex and the City’ movie, which is due out in May, some brands will get mentioned in dialogue while others will be seen on screen. Sponsors will be allowed to use ’Sex and the City’ tie-ins for competitions, in advertising and other marketing efforts.

Chris Carlisle, who is president of marketing at the film’s distributor New Line Cinema has dubbed the movie as "the Super Bowl for women" in reference to America’s premium sporting event and its ability to attract hundreds of millions of dollars worth of advertising.

Carlisle told the New York Times: "So we want to align only with those brand that make sense, that match up with the ’Sex and the City’ brand and extend our footprint, not duplicate it."

The film reunites the four characters, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, from the long running HBO ’Sex and the City’ television series, based on Candace Bushnell’s columns.

The ’Sex and the City’ movie begins with Carrie organising a spectacular wedding to her on/off boyfriend Big. However, things do not go to plan and she once again turns to her friends for support, shopping and brunch dates.

The film arrives as US networks attempt to repeat the success of the series with two new shows, one of which is created by Bushnell and the other by Darren Star, who created the ’Sex and the City’ TV show.

Bushnell is behind ’Lipstick Jungle’ for NBC, which is based on her novel, and Star has created ’Cashmere Mafia’ for ABC. The two shows both tell the story of attractive, rich Manhattan businesswomen trying to balance their careers and families.

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Prince Harry’s charity tight with cash

PRINCE Harry’s $2.4 million charity has given just $182,000 to the AIDS orphans it was set up to support, it has been revealed.

Sentebale – the charity the prince founded in honour of his late mother – has distributed less than a 10th of the money it has raised and has almost $1.3 million still sitting in a bank account.

Yet $543,000 has been spent on staffing costs, with one official paid more than $195,000, according to the first accounts filed to the Charity Commission.

Aides admitted Harry was "bitterly disappointed" by the charity’s performance and said he desperately wanted the money to help orphans he met in the southern African country of Lesotho.

But officials also stressed that any new charity needed to take time establishing its organisation and operation before handing out money.

Sentebale – which means "forget me not" – has raised $2.5 million since it was launched two years ago.

It received $325,000 from last year’s Concert for Diana and $1.6 million from the British Red Cross’s Lesotho fund.

But only $182,000 has been paid out to support children in Lesotho

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Marketing & Communications Manager, Indooroopilly, Brisbane

Salary $50-55k

Molescan is Australia’s largest and leading skin cancer group having provided advice, scanning and treatment of skin cancer by qualified doctors for over 10 years.

The role requires an organised marketing professional to undertake marketing activities for varied aspects of the business including patients, doctors, Molescan’s Mobile Skin Cancer Scanning Service and Molescan Skin Cancer Foundation.

The successful candidate will be flexible, possess excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to handle multiple projects and tasks. A can-do approach and willingness to roll up your sleeves is essential.

Applicants will have a marketing or relevant degree, including the following skills:
- Strategic campaign development and implementation
- Event management
- Campaign advertising
- Media management and liaison
- Brand management
- Website management
- Partnership strategies
- Materials production
- Manage budgets

This role is ideal for someone wanting a challenge and will provide interesting and varied work. Experience in the health industry will be looked upon favorably.

Please send CV to sara.fingleton@molescan.com.au or phone 07 3363 1004 for more information

Marketing Manager, Sydney

Salary $60-85k

2 amazing opportunities have just become available to join a world leader in beauty products, within their Marketing teams to commence almost immediately.

You will be responsible for driving all aspects of consumer marketing development including product ranging, pricing, sourcing strategies and product packaging.

To succeed in these roles, you will be tertiary qualified in Marketing or a related business discipline and have at least 2-3 years experience in a consumer marketing environment. Your enthusiasm, can-do attitude and passion for the beauty industry will complement your strong interpersonal and influencing skills. These roles won’t last long – call today.

Please send your résumé to Vicki Neil quoting Ref. No. M4.48 to: vickijobs@newtonconsulting.com.au or call 02 9956 7655

Marketing Co-ordinator, Melbourne- Inner

Salary $55k plus bonus

The client is a leading professional body within the financial services industry. They are extremely active in their market and subsequently have a large and dynamic marketing team offering a lot of career opportunities. This is medium sized business based in an extremely handy CBD location.

Working for this leading association you will be managing the Direct Mail campaigns to attract an audience for their annual calendar of events. Your week will include copy writing, creative briefing, mail house management and campaign analysis to name a few.

Working within a close and fun team of five, you will have the ideal mix of autonomy and support that you need at this crucial stage of your career. This is a role that will utilise your current direct marketing and campaign management experience.

The Successful Applicantshould have:

At least 12 months experience within a direct mail, marketing campaign management role or

Great time management skills with the demonstrated ability to work to deadlines

This is a highly varied role within a great environment. Offering an opportunity to further develop your campaign management/event marketing experience and further develop your career within the highly sought after financial services industry

For a confidential discussion about this role please contact Michael Viner quoting reference number A270701 on + 61 3 9607 5673

Member Services & Events Manager – part time, Canberra

Salary $55-60k

The team at the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) – the peak body for the ICT industry in Australia – is looking for a smart, technology savvy team player with a can do attitude.

Working with the ACT team you will be involved in the planning and the execution of a wide variety of local events for our members. This will include running small events, working with external events coordinators to ensure profitable and relevant events that reach out to our current and future members. Through these events you will interact with the member base, always looking for opportunities to further develop relationships including identifying sponsorship opportunities.

The role will also involve identifying future member organisations in ACT and engaging with these companies to demonstrate the benefits and value of AIIA membership. This goes hand in hand with the sales administration that is required, including keeping the Microsoft CRM system fully updated.

Finally you will be responsible for the smooth running of the local committee, including taking and circulating minutes, following up on action points and working with a team of extremely committed senior level & executive volunteers.

In order to be successful in this role you will be confident, an articulate communicator who takes the initiative and has an ability to be self motivated.

Most importantly you must have demonstrated knowledge of the MS Office suite, the ability and desire to work with senior decision makers as well as a commitment to exceptional customer service.

AIIA leads the ICT industry in Australia and we are looking for someone to add value and share in the excitement of the future journey.

For further information please visit our website www.aiia.com.au For a scope of work please email membership@aiia.com.au

March 20^th – April 2^nd – Sydney Royal Easter Show

March 23^rd – Art in the Sand Festival, Mandurah

March 28^th – 30^th – Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo, Sydney

Mar 29^th – Jack Johnson Concert, Perth

March 30^th – Neighbour Day

April 1^st – Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships 2008, Scarborough

April 2^nd – 6^th – Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

April 4^th – Celine Dion Concert, Perth

April 5^th – 6^th – International Rugby Sevens Adelaide 2008

April 10^th – 12^th – Taste Sydney

April 13^th – All Australian Car Day, Waroona

April 14^th – 20^th – Heritage Week 2008

April 16^th – May 10^th – Cracker Comedy Festival, Sydney

April 18^th – 20^th – Art Melbourne

April 20^th- Stamford Hotels & Resorts ‘Key to Successful Meetings and Events’, Sydney

April 27^th – Bride Tasmania Exhibition, Hobart

FRESH AIR FOR THE INDUSTRY

It can often seem like events simply come and go. It is rare when one hears of a corporate event that not only meets its essential criteria, but it seeks to surpass any traditional notion we may harbour of what is deemed safe and deliverable. Hannaford’s Events have recently achieved this.

Hannaford’s Events has just delivered a money-can’t-buy experience for a UK client, held on Freshwater Beach in Sydney. The reason this event was so unique is it’s the first time the Warringah Council has permitted a private event to take place on a public, residential beach such as Freshwater (formerly Harbord).

The evening commenced at sunset with guests enjoying pre-dinner drinks on the white sands. Barefooted guests sipped bubbly and spoke of the seemingly barren surrounds as the sky darkened and waves crashed.

Unexpectedly, a character clothed in a white top hat and coat tails appeared from the water surrounded by white wash, making his way up the beach performing Wagners’ Nessun Dorma.

Following his entrance, gold hands surfaced from the sand around us and ‘sand nymphs’ coated in gold body paint arose and began dancing seductively to choreographed perfection.

Nick of Hannaford’s later explained they custom built the sand holes and lined them with reflective foil as insulation for the nymphs, in which they remained for 45 minutes before their performances commenced.

Later guests were taken over the sand dunes to where a large clear-span marquee was revealed, overflowing with impressive lighting states and opulent centerpieces. Over two kilometers of bud lights were also installed internally through the roof of the marquee, which continued the run over the beach to create a fallen stars effect.

Hannaford’s pride themselves on being a company that offer the expertise to deliver “lavish gala dinners, public festivals, theatrical extravaganzas and special effect spectaculars”. Further to this, they offer the “experience and versatility to make it happen with stunning results,” says Nick Hannaford.

Delivering this event was not all smooth-sailing however. Among other things, local residents made formal complaints, held silent protests against the private event and even attempted to switch off a generator, admits Hannaford, citing some significant lessons learned in the pre-production process.

But, after receiving a firm no from every other council on Sydney’s Eastern seaboard, Hannaford wasn’t going to give up and it is important to recognise the pioneers of this industry. Hannaford’s certainly delivers something many others couldn’t.

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THE EVENT HEADS OF THE FUTURE – By Jon Hopwood

There is no doubt that live events around the world are the media of the moment. The Year of the Rat and lucky number eight is hailing the start of the Beijing Olympics at 8am on 8/8/2008. Despite usual controversy, all eyes of the world will be on this mega event, soaking up the grandeur of the opening ceremony and the highs and lows of the competition, writes Jon Hopwood

Hard on the tail of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and prior to that the ground breaking 2000 Sydney Olympics, Australia is staking its claim on the world stage as a leader in the origination, development and delivery of successful events.

The recent launch of a new approach to Business Events in Australia at AIME 2008 is testament to Australia’s commitment to attracting event organisers from all over the world to engage and inspire their people in our beautiful country.

A National Business Events study in 2003 showed that expenditure in Australia on business events alone was in excess of $17 billion, generating 116,000 jobs.

In 2006, Victoria alone attracted over 324,000 international visitors to major events, staying a total of 12.4 million nights and generating an estimated daily expenditure of $3.3million across the state, according to VECCI.

Business events, including exhibitions, meetings and conferences contribute $1.2billion in economic activity, attract 5.4million delegates and support 22,600 jobs each year according to the Victorian Events Industry Council.

This business activity is also coupled with a shift in consumer expectations. More and more we are seeking ‘experiences’ as part of our leisure time and also in the way we consume products and services day to day.

The exponential rise in ‘brand experiences’ is testament to the response from large companies who want to build relationships with their customers and key community stakeholders by providing more community activities and cultural celebrations.

The power of ‘live’ has led to a significant shift in marketing spend away from traditional communications forms such as television advertising. As our TV media fragments and we are able to zap between increasing numbers of channels as well as ‘edit’ the ads through technologies such as Foxtel’s iQ, the effectiveness of advertising may be diminishing as live communications activity increases.

When such a phenomena takes place in any industry, especially when associated with a shift in expenditure, the quality of the ‘players’ falls under scrutiny. Is the industry really qualified to deliver the goods in a burgeoning market for a broad range of event management solutions?

Possibly not, and as a result, the sector is going through a ‘professionalisation’ that has never been seen before in the industry.

Traditional ‘on the job’ training is still prevalent but increasingly graduates and individuals shaping a career in this industry are seeking formal qualifications, either from short adult education courses right through to TAFE and university programs.

The industry is also perceived as a great place to be and work. The organisational and creative aspects of event management as well as the entrepreneurial nature of many elements of the sector appeal to the up and coming ‘Gen Y’ers’ who want to be their own boss, travel the world and not be tied to a traditional 9-to-5 office environment.

Idealistic as this may be, demand for tertiary education in event management is overtaking hospitality, tourism and marketing as the course of choice across many Australian institutions.

The traditional die-hards amongst you may ask: why do we need more education? We have done very well without it so far. Fair comment based on the current way we operate, but the events industry is changing, growing, and becoming even more professional and commercially astute.

It is more important than ever that events professionals feel they have access to world class training and development as befits our world class industry.

The MEA has established itself as a Registered Training Organisation in response to their member’s needs, and there’s an increasing number of other training and continuing professional development (CPD) solutions, which can support the industry on this journey of growth and learning

Whilst education is important, it is also worth noting that the events industry comes with a long heritage of practical experience. We are great believers in the notion of showing action rather than just discussing theories and the role of education in our sector must reflect this.

We need to achieve the right blend of strategic and commercial training requirements along with the ‘doing’ and ensuring our industry has the practical and creative skills to get the job done, and done well.

Then we can look positively towards a future where our industry is leading the charge on innovative communication solutions for clients, customers and audiences, whilst still remaining true to our heritage of rolling up our sleeves and ‘making it happen’

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