‘Meetings Matrix’ mainframe revealed for 17th Annual Meetings and Events Industry Conference

An innovative and integrated program has been revealed for the 17th Annual Meetings and Events Industry Conference - The Meetings Matrix - to be held 2-4 May, 2004 at Crown Promenade, Melbourne, Australia.

Delegates will discover their own personal Meetings Matrix - made up of an interconnected web of people, products and partners - and learn how to use it, expand it, and how to stay cutting-edge.

“This conference is essential for anyone involved in planning, servicing, bidding for or managing meetings, incentives or special events – however large or small,” said Program Chair Suzanne Hart.

Serving as the ‘mainframe’ of the conference, The Meetings Matrix program will deliver intelligence and practical knowledge for everyone within the complex meetings and events industry web - the minders (strategic planners and thinkers), the grinders (operational and administrative staff) and the finders (sales and marketing).

“The Minders stream focuses on leadership, forming strategic alliances, and partnerships within the meetings matrix. A highlight for the Minders will be a session analysing successful international meetings industry partnerships – and how the alliances were established, and continue to flourish,” she said.

On the agenda for Grinders and Finders will be a network of sessions including the latest in meetings industry technology, maximising living and working in the matrix, team development, and a seminar offering strategies for successfully partnering sales and operations.

Emphasising the interconnectedness of the Matrix, there will be several crossover sessions for delegates in each Matrix sector, including a unique forum, The Passion Process.

“If there is a burning meetings industry issue you want to discuss, The Passion Process is your chance to gather your colleagues and do something about it. Some simple guidelines, and roving facilitators, will be on hand to help participants develop solid outcomes, and most importantly, facilitate action plans,” Ms Hart said.

Another session sure to inspire and entertain will be The Matrix Hypothetical, a panel discussion where industry leaders will join a hypothetical panel - playing a completely different role to their day-to-day job and industry sector.

“The topic will be challenging, the facilitator will be confronting and the panellists might just be squirming. This is one panel session not to be missed,” said Ms Hart. The Meetings Matrix is presented by The Meetings Industry Association of Australia (MIAA).