The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) has released its 2016 Report Card to members, showing off the association’s key achievements for the year that was.

Chief Executive, Joyce DiMascio, said that the Association’s tight focus on the programs and initiatives that mattered most to members had driven its success in recent years.

“Our Members are our top priority. From our advocacy and representation work to the networking and professional development opportunities we provide, everything we do is to support the growth of our members and the broader exhibition and event community,” she said.

It comes as the EEAA welcomes a new industry-specific training opportunities for its Members in 2017, launched by Sydney TAFE and the College of Event Management.

EEAA Chief Executive, Joyce DiMascio, has confirmed that Sydney TAFE’s ‘Excelling in Exhibitions’, a bespoke five-part program developed in partnership with the EEAA, was being run again in 2017 after being well-received and supported by Members in its first year.

“The ‘Excelling in Exhibitions’ series was the first nationally recognised and tailored training program to be developed specifically for individuals seeking to gain the knowledge and skills that will equip them in their work in the exhibition industry. The series will be repeated in 2017, with a new course in marketing and social media management.

Developed in collaboration with the EEAA, the course content is designed to help develop and improve sales and communication skills for events and exhibition professionals in the era of digital disruption.

But back to the EEAA 2016 Report Card.

Key highlights from the year include:

• Attendance of high-level government, business and industry leaders at EEAA events, including Federal Minister, the Hon. Richard Colbeck, Minister for Tourism and International Education, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment, James Pearson, CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jonathan O’Dea, NSW Parliamentary Secretary, Trade and Investment, Major Events and Tourism and the Hon. Steve Ciobo, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.
• New partnership with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry that will position the industry alongside Australia’s other major economic drivers. This partnership has created more political access for the EEAA and its Board. By working with ACCI, the EEAA is taking the exhibition industry onto a bigger industry advocacy stage. We are part of a powerful business lobby connecting over 300,000 businesses. This gives the EEAA and its Members stronger inroads to Governments and industry across Australia.
• Successfully representing the Perth Convention Bureau to the WA Government to reverse their decision to cut funding.
• The EEAA supported the establishment of Skills IQ (formerly Service Skills Australia) and has advocated for reforms to course content to try to ensure more specific curriculum content related to our sector.
• EEAA was honoured to be involved in various forums throughout the year representing the interests of the exhibition and event industry and alongside high-level government and business leaders, including  Austrade Chief Executive Officer, Bruce Gosper, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development and the Shadow Minister for Tourism, and Jonathan O’Dea, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Investment, Major Events and Tourism.
• The major strategic investment of the Association was to create a new online platform that reflects the vitality, diversity and importance of the events industry, and offers new benefits and more profiling opportunities for EEAA Members. It received positive feedback from Members when the site was introduced in December 2016. The website was developed with input from Members to ensure the new services proposed would be of value.
• The EEAA Member Events Calendar is gaining momentum as a valuable reference tool and popular resource with government agencies such as Austrade and Destination NSW, who requested copies to share with their communities and teams.
• EEAA ran a special PR campaign around the closure of Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island (SEC@GI) and the opening of the new International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney).
• EEAA ran a series of Risk and Counter Terrorism training workshops presented by Craig Sheridan APM and supported by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry with funding through the Biz Better Program and special sponsorship from Perth Convention Bureau to deliver training in Perth.

2016 also saw a number of ‘firsts’ for the Association.

“Last year, we partnered with Sydney TAFE to design and deliver the industry’s first nationally accredited training program for the exhibition sector. It was well-received and supported by member and will run again in 2017, with additional course content.

“We were also proud to support the inaugural Global Exhibitions Day (#GED16) with our annual Leaders Forum and Annual General Meeting events in June.

“Another ‘first’ was the privilege of holding our annual conference and awards nights at the new International Convention Centre Sydney as official test events for the venue.

“And, we also welcomed Tourism Australia as the first Platinum Partner of the EEAA Young Stars Program – a most valued development which will help EEAA continue to develop opportunities for our younger Members.”

The Association’s strong membership is testament to its success and recognition of its influential role as a voice for the sector.

“We are strong, we are focussed and we are delivering results. Join us!”