PCOA Conference 2015 NOW IS THE TIME
Held over three days (29 November to 1 December 2015) at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the PCOA Conference brought together close to 200 Professional Conference Organisers (PCO's) and in-house meeting planners from across Australia.
The conference theme 'NOW IS THE TIME' provided a focus for the presentations and workshops to challenge and inspire delegates to look at new and better ways to 'do what they do' in their professional and personal lives.
Over the three days there were over 30 sessions including keynote speakers delivering content for seasoned conference organiser business owners and senior mangers right through to those new to the industry attending with an unquenchable thirst for 'insider knowledge' that was freely shared in and outside of the sessions.
With help from official mobile technology partner DoubleDutch the printed conference handbook was supported by their incredible mobile app that showed strong engagement from delegates right from the start. With photo sharing, likes, comments and the race to reach the top ten in the leader-board the social aspects of the app created a foundation for delegates to move into more public discussion relating to content from workshops, presentations and keynotes.
The social program included a cocktail function at the nearby Adelaide Oval which provided a gentle reminder to the New Zealand delegates of the score board untouched from Australia's early win the night before. Two prestigious Lifetime Membership Awards were presented at the event to a humbled Francis Child MD of The Association Specialists (and NSW PCO Association Councillor from 2011 to 2015), in recognition of Commitment and Service to the Business Events Sector in Australia and one to much deserved recipient, Jenifer Dwyer-Slee, Director of Sales & Marketing, National Convention Centre Canberra, in recognition of her Support, Encouragement and Mentoring to the Business Events Sector in Australia.
As with many conferences, the sponsors and exhibitors help make it possible to stage the event and providing ample opportunities for all those vying for some time with the delegates is important. Many of the 60 exhbiting organisations commented on how open and relaxed the exhibition format was, which can be partly attributed to how the organisers actively encourage exhibitors to have their staff attend sessions throughout the conference and mingle with the delegates at the breaks.
The PCO Association (now in its ninth year) continues its growth with a 10% increase in membership for 2015 and announced that the 2016 conference will be held in Brisbane. Conference organisers and suppliers interested in the organisation should visit the PCOA website http://pco.asn.au
See you in Brisbane?