Business View Oceania | Volume 3, Issue 8

49 50 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 customer service and day-to-day administrative duties. These four teams work across a 12-month planning period to deliver events that promise a great range for consumers and high investment returns for exhibitors. Exhibitions and Events Australia also works to educate their exhibitors and support them to remain relevant in such a competitive industry. Ford shares some insight on her exhibitor education. “A lot of businesses are not forward planning. They’ve got the business now, but they might not have the business in six months’ time. Our events are not just about generating sales while they are on, they also fill a pipeline of future business for months.” The future for Exhibitions and Events Australia depends largely on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects. Given that events can only be run in accordance with ever-changing health regulations and restrictions, planning ahead has proven difficult. Ford explains further. “We have learned throughout the COVID process to date that you can set up a great plan, then things suddenly change and your strategy unravels. So, you make another set of plans, then something else happens, and so on. We’ve realised that that we can only plan in advance so far, or we just end up redoing the work again and again. My current priority is simply keeping my staff in jobs, remaining relevant, keeping my brands alive and contributing to the continued success of the events industry where I can.” Goals for Exhibitions and Events Australia following the eventual control of COVID-19 are centred around sustainable building practices and smart technology. Market innovations, changes in architecture and shifting trends in interior design are always a priority when sourcing new and existing exhibitors, but Ford predicts that community interest in smart technology and environmentally friendly products, services and operations will only grow. Exhibitions and Events Australia, and its sister company Exhibitions and Events New Zealand, will continue to develop the events industry with their exciting, innovative, and vibrant events, Ford summarises. “What drives us is creating thriving marketplaces. Exhibitions are the only marketplace that allows buyers and sellers to connect all under the one roof. They are the only form of marketing that engages Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch. That’s why we are still around, why we love what we do, and why we will continue to succeed.” EXHI B I T IONS AND EVENTS AUSTRAL I A