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Meetings and gatherings
in an endless variety of forms are the cornerstones
to life in a democracy.
It is an activity that
predates the establishment of formal institutions -
the corroboree in Australia, indaba in Africa or pow
wow in America were all central to the organisation
of community life on their respective continents.
From these relatively informal occasions,
parliamentary democracy developed - a highly structured
environment with strict rules for attendance and the
handling of debate. Parliamentary buildings often become
the symbol of the state and their location an abbreviation
of government itself.
In recent years there has been much
talk of "empowerment" of workers and the establishment
of regular forums where feedback on how their organisations
should operate. There are many examples where companies
that have taken this consultative approach have become
market leaders.
Meetings take many forms and it
is incumbent on the person or persons who convene them
to ensure that they are relevant and productive.
Corporate meetings are held to inform
shareholders of progress; reward top performers with
peer recognition; sales seminars; strategic planning;
team building and training.
Each of these activities has a different
objective and need to be tackled in equally different
ways to ensure the participants are getting the most
of the occasion. For example, if an event is being held
away from home over several days, providing a complimentary
10 minutes' telephone time to call home a day will invariably
increase the enthusiasm level of the participants.
Association meetings are the glue
that binds people of similar professional interests.
An association meeting requires a relevant business
program but also plenty of time for networking and furthering
common interests in an informal environment. Thus, the
social events need to be developed to maximise these
opportunities. It also allows companies keen to gain
the attention of delegates the chance to host private
functions for key clients.
Governments are also important
generators of events, using them to announce policy
and bring disparate views to the discussion stage. Non
government organisations use the forums created by meetings
to hammer home their message, usually to government.
Meeting planners need to be sensitive to the issues
surrounding their meetings. In recent years organisations
involved in world trade have been the target of fierce
and sometimes violent demonstration by anti-globalisation
forces.
Meetings, whatever their size or
subject, are important and the ways in which they are
organised and managed can have impact well beyond the
actual event.
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