INDUSTRY NEWS
Federal Budget
a disappointment
ICESAP
launches
new agency
accreditation
scheme
A new agency accreditation scheme has
been launched in Australia and New
Zealand by the Incentive, Conference
& Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP),
aimed at bringing a benchmarking system
to the meetings industry.
ICESAP president Nigel Gaunt says it
is “a foundation to build on in terms of
getting a stronger industry and a stronger
agency business model”.
The scheme will assess an agency’s
policies, processes, management and
staff competencies, as well as conduct
a third party probity and due diligence
check on company directors.
“The ICESAP accreditation provides the
industry with a consistent set of standards
to follow and provides a strong foundation
for raising the quality and professionalism of
organisations in the industry,” said Gaunt.
“It also enables end users to more
confidently navigate through the process
of researching, appointing and managing
event agencies.”
Gaunt is confident that once clients start
asking for ICESAP accreditation “it will
send a strong signal” to other agency
businesses that they need to become
agency accredited.
“If we don’t have a strong agency business
model more and more big clients will try
and shop direct and bypass agencies.
This is trying to preserve and enhance
the agency role.”
Industry groups have slammed the 2017-18
Federal Budget saying it has “handcuffed”
Tourism Australia and jeopardised the
growth of Australia’s visitor economy.
The Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) labelled
it a “disappointment to the visitor economy”.
“As the national economy continues to
transition from the end of the mining boom
to a diversified services-based economy,
investing in tourism and transport as the
key growth areas of the future should
have been a no-brainer,” said TTF chief
executive Margy Osmond.
“However, instead of recognising the
tourism sector as the next super-growth
sector, the Government has ripped $35
million out of Tourism Australia over the
next four years, and in the process put at
immediate risk tourism jobs right across
the country – jobs that are dependent on
the hundreds of thousands of visitors that
come to our shores off the back of Tourism
Australia’s destination marketing.”
The Association of Australian Convention
Bureaux (AACB) also expressed its
disappointment with the Government’s
decision to not invest in a national
convention bid fund.
AACB CEO Andrew Hiebl said the
industry will continue to advocate for the
establishment of a bid fund to help entice
more international conventions to Australia.
“Governments invest in and support
business events because they recognise the
high yield and long-term benefits accruing
from growth in the visitor and knowledge-
based economies,” said Hiebl.
“It’s vital that public servants in Canberra
who play a direct role in shaping
Australia’s economic policy understand and
acknowledge these benefits.”
GEMS trifecta for PCO
of the Year award
Robyn Gardner from GEMS Event
Management Australia was named the 2016
Professional Conference Organiser of the
Year at the National Meetings and Events
Australia (MEA) Awards in Sydney.
This is the third consecutive year a GEMS
Event Management Australia employee has
won the award.
“The commitment and passion Robyn
applies to her work is evident to both
the GEMS team and our clients, and this
award is appropriate recognition of that
commitment and passion,” said GEMS
managing director Julie McGraw.
“To also have a team member from GEMS
Event Management Australia win the award
for an unprecedented third consecutive year
is great recognition for the company and
how hard we work to provide a top-quality
service to all of our clients.”
6 Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 3, 2017 www.cimmagazine.com