From the desk of Emma Bowyer

We have dedicated this year to growth and investment in our people, our footprint, and our clients with some exciting new undertakings.

Our offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have all been refreshed and everybody is back working in these offices, including some highly talented new team members.

In 2023 we have been open for business in Sydney for 57 years, in Melbourne for 17, and in Brisbane for 16. And that’s been continuous operations for those periods of time.

We have also recently deepened relationships in key destinations, securing a Destination Gold Coast BE Gold Membership and finalising plans to join Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) – the official association of the New Zealand conference industry.

Why would we join BEIA? In major news, we’re putting the Australasia meaning back into our name, this week announcing the opening of our Christchurch New Zealand office.

Experienced business events specialist Karen Hamilton has assumed the new role of Director New Zealand. She will be joining myself and ICMSA’s fellow Directors at our first twice-yearly Directors’ Meeting in 2023 which we are holding next week in Christchurch.

What we realised during the turbulent pandemic period has been the vital role we’ve played in assisting our clients in maintaining connection with their key stakeholders and their audience, be that remotely, in-person or through a combination of both.

We believe that the lessons we have learnt offer further opportunities for the industry and sector-specific disciplines.

Virtual meetings demonstrated the ability to expand the reach of an event to a wider audience, with participation from individuals who had never attended an in-person Conference before because of time, financial or personal constraints.

These people should not be forgotten as we transition back to in-person.

We also saw new event stakeholders dipping their toes in the conference waters as virtual opportunities increased.

It is our ambition to nurture these newer relationships for the benefit of the industry and our clients and transition our key learnings during the pandemic into new areas, sectors and places.

It’s one exciting year ahead!

Emma Bowyer

ICMSA expands footprint by opening New Zealand office

ICMS Australasia has expanded its geographic footprint and opened an office in Christchurch New Zealand.

Experienced business events specialist Karen Hamilton has assumed the new role of Director New Zealand.

She joins ICMSA owner and managing director, Emma Bowyer, and fellow Directors at the company’s first Directors’ Meeting in 2023 in Christchurch in late March.

Ms Bowyer said it had been a long-held goal for the company to move beyond Australia and, with confirmed future business in New Zealand, now was the right time.

Click here to read more.

Want to run a meeting in New Zealand?

If you’ve rotated your national meeting around Australia and are looking to head further afield, then have you considered New Zealand?

With ICMSA’s Christchurch office just opened, led by long-time New Zealand meeting and event planner Karen Hamilton, we’d love to help.

The current favourable exchange rate gives Australian groups more bang for their buck, particularly with venues already more affordable than many cities in Australia.

Coupled with the new convention centre infrastructure in Christchurch and Wellington there are great opportunities for Australian-based associations.

So if now is the right time to meet in NZ and potentially grow your Kiwi supporter base, contact Emma Bowyer in the first instance on [email protected].

New business wins for ICMSA

ICMSA is off to a strong start for the year with a flurry of new business wins including the inaugural International Conference on Quantum Energy (ICQE) in Melbourne in December and the OptoElectronics and Communications Conference (OECC) in mid-2024.

OECC is being underwritten by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and ICMSA has worked with more than 17 clients from the IEEE in the past.

Appointment by the CSIRO to manage ICQE puts ICMSA as the PCO of choice in delivering major meetings in the renewables and energy sector following the success of the International Meeting on Lithium Batteries in 2022 and an anticipated record-breaking World Mining Congress in Brisbane in June 2023.

New appointments for ICMSA

ICMSA has welcomed two new staff members in the first quarter of 2023, with Maria Cabrejas assuming the role of Operations Manager Sponsorship and Exhibitions in Sydney, and Tyger Falvey-Henderson hitting the ground running as Brisbane-based Event Assistant.

Maria has a 20-year background in exhibition and event project management spanning three continents including a role as Collections Manager at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York, while Tyger gained experience in conference and event operations at one of Brisbane’s largest hotels before joining ICMSA.

Delegate boosting through video

Not everybody wants to be on the silver screen but incorporating video into your welcome message can pay dividends with the potential to increase delegate attendance.

Fresh off her latest shoot, ICMSA Creative Director, Lili Lin, believes a welcome message on video can amplify messaging and help to create real buzz about an event.

“It can give a personality to the event more than what a simple message from the Conference Chair can do. And the price of shooting a video has gone down significantly in recent years,” she explains.

A welcome video for the Association of School Business Administrators’ 2023 Conference (Melbourne – 24-7 September 2023) has seen delegate registrations rising significantly since its release.

The Director’s Cut: Fallon Beatty, Director Sponsorship & Exhibitions

In the fourth in our series on ICMSA Directors, we catch up with Fallon Beatty on her role, why she loves the sector, and how, even after two decades, she still has such a passion for business events.

The Director Sponsorships & Exhibitions leads the team who brings sponsors and exhibitors to a Conference, and it is that revenue that can elevate an entire program to next level success.

Getting to that point – all the nice-to-haves that can come with additional revenue – is a collaborative effort that starts with the conference committee. And there is where Fallon’s expertise comes to the fore.

Click here to read all about Fallon and her role at ICMSA.

Out and About

And we thought the pre-Christmas period was busy. ICMSA staff hit the ground running in early 2023 for business (and a little bit of pleasure), attending meetings and events around the country.

Sofia Figuera Lairet from our Sydney office was in Melbourne as a Hosted Buyer at the AIME industry exhibition where she caught up with Emma Bowyer and some of the Melbourne ICMSA team.

The following week Emma and ICMSA Director Sponsorship & Exhibitions, Fallon Beatty, caught up with the Brisbane ICMSA girls on the Gold Coast.

And courtesy of the ICC Sydney, Emma and ICMSA Director Business Strategy, Selina Moscatt, enjoyed an intimate night with Sting on the Sydney leg of his Australian tour.

ICMSA staffers may also have been spotted at the Australian Open and events at The Langham Sydney and the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.

We certainly love our supportive partner suppliers.

When Experience Matters

ICMS Australasia manages projects from concept through to final audit, providing expertise in attracting delegates, sponsors and exhibitors; budget and cash flow control, business and scientific program development; information, presentation, communication and staging technology, creation and delivery of social and recreational activities and accommodation. From idea generation to post event evaluation we provide expertise, creativity and a healthy respect for the financial bottom line.

If you are interested in bidding for an event or need help with an event already confirmed, pick up the phone or send us an email.

Our experience will matter.

Please feel free to call or email Emma Bowyer now.