Leverage the importance of word of mouth by encouraging your members to volunteer their voices. Also: Dreamforce is big this year. Really big.

Coordinated member marketing may be big and flashy, but the word-of-mouth variety still has its role.

And if you can convince members to do this job for you, it can be a massive leg up. Tony Rossell, senior vice president of Marketing General, highlights the value of treating your most fervent supporters as volunteers who can help market your association’s membership in a more formalized way.

“Some members may be more than happy to focus on engagement—helping new members get involved in the association,” Rossell writes on the Membership Marketing Blog. “Other members might be great at following up with their friends and colleagues to get them to renew.”

Of course, the hard part of this might be answering why they should be involved in this way, but Rossell’s piece smartly highlights this point as well—by suggesting it’s important to focus on the value that the association has brought to the member, or, as he puts it, help them “get in touch with their own story of how membership has influenced their life and success.”

Read Rossell’s post for more insights.

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and was written by Ernie Smith. 

4 job training programs that will deliver more value to your association members.How long does it take you to get up to speed at a new job?

Think about the terminology you have to learn, the names of colleagues that you have to memorize, and the campaigns you need to become familiar with. What about company policies and goals? There may even be a few new skills to learn, too.

It’s a lot of work and can be challenging to say the least, even for those of us who have been in an industry for years. Just imagine how difficult it is for new college graduates (many of whom are millennials and their successors, gen z) who have little to no real-life experience. That’s if they get a job at all, which is nowhere near guaranteed. Because let’s face it, colleges don’t always teach the skills that today’s workplace needs.

That’s a major disadvantage for new jobseekers, but a huge opportunity for associations. Want to provide more value for younger members? Give them the job training they didn’t get in college and help them get a career-boosting job.

An insightful new whitepaper, The 2016 Association Role in the New Education Paradigm, coauthored by Elizabeth Weaver Engel and Shelly Alcorn, explores this subject in detail. It even identifies job training as one of the biggest opportunities for associations today.

Associations and the Job Skills Gap

The whitepaper describes the opportunity as a skills gap between education and employment. The gap stems in part from the fact that most of today’s college degree programs focus on abstract abilities like “critical thinking” instead of the actionable job skills that employers want. As a result, large portions of new graduates are having trouble landing jobs.

For millennials and gen z, your current and future audiences, this skills gap is a major problem that your association can solve. You have access to your industry and its top employers. You know exactly what skills and technical competencies companies and managers are looking for. If you can bridge the skills gap by providing applicable job training that helps new graduates successfully break into your industry, then you’ll gain your next generation of members.

Here are four ways you can deliver value to your members through job training.

4 Ways Associations Can Deliver Value by Bridging the Skills Gap

Method #1) Develop a Certification Program

Certification programs qualify someone to perform a job or task. Most associations develop and implement certification programs based on their industry knowledge. According to the whitepaper, certification programs are also typically more flexible than traditional postsecondary degrees. This is because associations understand that members don’t want to put their lives on hold for education, so they design programs around members’ full-time positions to make participation easier.

Additionally, certifications need to be flexible so they can be regularly updated to reflect current industry standards and professional skills, which are constantly changing. This is one of your association’s competitive advantages. You can adapt your programs faster than a university can.

One association featured in the whitepaper, the National Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (NALPN), has developed just this type of program. NALPN created multiple certificate programs to fit different nursing fields, including IV Therapy and Gerontology. Each program helps members advance their careers in that specific field. NALPN’s certification programs fill a need for both associations and members.

As stated in the Alcorn’s whitepaper, “Industry-based certifications address several problems that postsecondary credentials currently face: relevance, accountability, consistency, and portability.” Develop your own certification program using the same principles and ensure that it meets your members’ needs by teaching the skills they need to succeed in your industry.

Method #2) Create a Precertification Program

According to Engel and Alcorn’s whitepaper, in additional to certifications associations can create precertification programs to help develop their members’ professional abilities. Usually, these precertification courses determine your members’ eligibility to get a full certification and teach the skills necessary for that certification.

Some exams, certificates, and programs require precertification. For example, before you can become a community association manager (a professional who manages a homeowners association or condominium complex), you have to complete the Community Manager Preparation Course. Only after the precertification are you eligible to earn the Community Management Preparation Certificate.

You can develop your association’s precertification program to more accurately prepare candidates for a formal certification. You can even provide the option for members to work with a one-on-one certification expert so they receive a personalized experience focusing on their specific strengths and weaknesses.

Method #3) Implement an Educational Program

Educational programs are a form of professional development that teach your members the skills they need to perform better at work. Often, they fulfill specific needs that universities don’t address, such as industry software competencies. For example, an accountant might come to an association for a deep dive into Excel so they can use the program to complete job tasks more efficiently.

Educational programs should be run by people who understand what abilities are needed in your field and should provide excellent experiences that help your members grow and advance their careers. Specific learning areas can consist of learning and understanding anything from individual skills like SEO optimization or EXCEL to developing organization-wide strategies.

Your association can administer these programs at your own events or by using your membership management software. To make your educational programs more widespread you can also partner with third parties such as universities or businesses to train students or staff. For example, The American Heart Association partners with schools to teach students how to perform CPR.

Method #4) Establish Credentialing Programs

Credentialing programs, another job training tool mentioned in the whitepaper, vary between industries and organizations. Typically, they provide the individual skills your members need to be successful and may also seek to instill a deep understanding of the abilities needed in your members’ career path.

Some credentialing programs are designed to meet licensing requirements and determine competencies, others may ensure that professionals understand industry regulations. A few examples of professional credentials include everything from academic credentials like a degree and to the mastery of a specific skill.

Credentials can also be stepping stones to full certifications. You could have your members complete three separate credentials to earn a certificate, for example. The HR Certification Institute (HRCI) used this technique. They have a certification path that “includes a total of seven credentials designed to fit different types of experiences, career stages, and locations around the world.”

Your credentialing programs should provide value to members and show future employers that your members have the skills needed to succeed. If your association uses credentials as part of a larger certification program, then you can also consider giving self-motivated learners the ability to create their own educational pathway by completing credentials in any order.

Providing Value to Members Through Job Training Takeaway

Your association has the power to revolutionize the gap between education and employers by providing graduates with the valuable skills and certifications that companies are seeking.

Your main advantage is that you’re already a part of the world of employers. You know what they’re looking for in new hires. This allows you to directly address the employment gap by identifying the specific skills new professionals in your industry need. You can then develop programs that provide value by teaching members the top job skills they need to enter the workforce.

By creating these types of professional development programs, you help millennials and gen z start successful careers. That, in turn, demonstrates your association’s value and motivates younger members to join.

This article was originally sourced from Association Universe and was written by Julie Dietz.

The benefits from volunteering are mutual, with new research highlighting that volunteering in middle age and senior years is linked to enhanced mental health, writes Sharyn Broer.

We’ve known for a very long time just how valuable volunteering is and I’m delighted to see this anecdotal feedback being mirrored in the findings of a recently published study.

The longitudinal research published by the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) found there was a positive association between volunteering and good mental health and emotional wellbeing, particularly for volunteers over the age of 40.

The BMJ study examined data relating to questions asked annually of 5,000 British households between 1991 and 2008, and the answers people gave about volunteering, happiness and their general wellbeing.

What was interesting is that while everyone who volunteered scored better on a mental wellbeing scale, it was from the age of 40 that mental health and wellbeing improved significantly and then went on to peak at the age of 76 to 80.

We often think of people turning to volunteering as they transition between employment and retirement – normally in their late fifties and sixties – but I was pleased to see that the academic research highlighted the benefits for people in a younger age bracket.

Recently published research that was conducted on behalf of our national organisation, the Australian Meals on Wheels Association (AMOWA), also found that volunteering contributed significantly to a person’s health and wellbeing.

More than 600 people contributed to that study and reported that volunteering gave them ‘a sense of belonging’, ‘a sense of purpose’ and that it fostered friendships.

They were also very keen to tell us how they see volunteering with Meals on Wheels as a ‘two way street’ with the overwhelming majority saying they would remember the many positive experiences of their volunteering for a very long time.

Some of the less obvious benefits they talked about were around picking up new skills, either in the kitchen, in their work in the administration of the organisation or in dealing with customer engagement.

As one of our volunteers said: “Volunteer work opened the door to paid work. I learned new skills, upgraded existing ones and learnt to socialise in an office again … my confidence returned.”

They also understood and really appreciated the difference that they make in allowing someone to remain as independent as they can be in their own homes, for as long as they can be.

Our volunteers also reported being very proud of the link they are able to provide in keeping a friendly eye on a client’s welfare and letting family or caregivers know if a little more support might be required.

Quite apart from the altruistic benefits, our volunteers say being part of the Meals on Wheels team is genuinely engaging and they never really know what life story is behind the next door.

“I have met many interesting people who keep me motivated and remind me that age is not a barrier to enjoying life and that much can still be achieved,” said one volunteer.

This article was originally sourced from Community Care Review. 

The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has adapted a US code of conduct for the local market to help marketers manage their media agency relationships in the wake of local and international revelations on transparency.

The new code has been adapted from the one released by the US-based marketer association, ANA, four months ago, after a damning report found “non transparent practices” were “pervasive” in the media agency sector.

Earlier this year the AANA came under fire for its failure to take action over marketer concerns they are being overcharged in areas such as digital media, after the move by the ANA and its UK equivalent ISBA, with one marketing consultant claiming it faced a conflict of interest because it allows media agencies to be members of the association.

However the AANA says while it consulted some members, including Foxtel, to gain insights from their experiences, media agency members were not included.

In its notes to advertisers in the new code the AANA writes that “transparency in the Australian media market is not where it should be”.

It goes on: “A significant concern is to ensure that media agencies and all parties in the transactional chain are motivated only to make recommendations on spend that deliver the best outcome for the brand owner.

“The ability to ‘follow the money’ is crucial for advertisers seeking greater transparency. Media is traditionally the single largest marketing expense for a brand owner but understanding how the rationale for allocating an advertiser’s investment has been arrived at has become more unclear. The introduction of programmatic trading desks further exacerbates the problem.”

Now the AANA has partnered with law firm Bird & Bird to provide “capability training” on drawing up a contract, while the association has also launched a localised 52-page example media contract to help marketers navigate the complex space.

The AANA says the local version has been altered to reference Australian laws, but also to include: “the concept of operating procedures, to include engagement protocols, planning processes, briefing and approval processes, performance review etc”.

It also includes references to non-cash rebates, a requirement that the agency must not make a media placement without the written approval of the client and a dispute resolution clause, “so that (except for interlocutory relief) the parties must attempt to settle any dispute in accordance with the procedure set out in the agreement”.

AANA chair, Matt Tapper, said in a statement: “The template has been written to equip advertisers with a starting point to each element of the contract negotiation. We believe that appropriately detailed contractual agreements together with capability training are the keys to achieving transparency in media buying and ensure that media buying dollars are spent with the sole objective of securing the best outcome for the brands they are promoting.”

Sunita Gloster, the AANA’s CEO added, in the statement: “The dealings agencies undertake with third party media and technology vendors, and the media owners themselves, are much more complex today than a few years ago so these initiatives are very timely.

“Individual brand owners, as the buyers of the services, must always take primary responsibility for carrying out their own due diligence and our role is to look to ways to help them by providing guidance and tools to do so.”

The introductory paragraph for the AANA contract states there is “no obligation” for members to use the contract template.

Australia is the only country globally where a major media agency group has admitted it runs value banks – free or bonus inventory given to media agencies by media vendors in exchange for putting a certain amount of business their way.

In March 2015 GroupM admitted its agency, Mediacom, had not only operated value banks but that it had charged four clients for advertising inventory that should have been passed on at no additional cost.

The guidance advises marketers to ask whether their agencies use value banks, and whether they “gain financially” from using them, whether they can be audited, and how it affects their pricing.

It also advises them to ask whether any other parts of the group, locally or overseas, will benefit from their ad dollars, whether they “benefit” from the ad tech platforms they use – an allusion to kickbacks from some suppliers to agencies – and whether marketers are willing to get assurances from tech vendors about the agency’s answers.

The AANA has also recruited audit firms Ebiquity and Firm Decisions, which were behind part of the US transparency report, to provide capability training for members.

In the guidance notes the AANA also highlights the dangers advertisers face if they squeeze profit margins for their agencies.

“Those advertisers who increase their demands of agencies while pressuring agency margin structures through reduced fees and extended-term negotiations should understand the impact this subsequently places on the agency’s ability to deliver quality services. This includes developing the systems and skill set to be truly agnostic about its media buy recommendations, which should also be considered in contract negotiations,” it states.

The guidelines also outline certain elements of reasonable behaviour required from clients to make the relationship run smoothly, such as timely payment of invoices, feedback structures and how limiting their non-compete contracts should be.

The information will also be made available to non-members of the AANA.

The article was originally sourced from Mumbrella and was written by Alex Hayes. 

Conference Innovators, one of New Zealand’s leading professional conference organising companies (PCOs), is about to expand its operation and open a new office in central Wellington. With existing offices in Auckland and Christchurch, the Conference Innovators (CI) team manages conference and convention work throughout New Zealand and Australia for a range of clients representing business, industry and government agencies as well as health and education sector providers. According to Director Tracey Thomas, a Wellington office will enable the company to expand its client base and business by having a strong, dedicated and ongoing presence in the capital.

“The Wellington office will complement our Auckland and Christchurch operations. We have numerous Wellington-based clients and undertake a lot of work in the city with members of our team and our conference clients hosting conferences there every year. Whilst this is easy - we can, and do, work anywhere - it will be great to have a permanent base in Wellington. It will enable us to expand our stable of conferences and liaise with industry personnel and clients more readily on an ongoing basis,” Mr Thomas says.

Raewyn Tse will be leading the Conference Innovators Cuba Street office. Raewyn has a long history of working within the Wellington conference and event market sector and has worked closely with the CI team over the past 8 years.

Her most recent role was as Senior Sales Development Manager for Positively Wellington Venues (PWV). Raewyn has held a number of key positions for PWV and has extensive knowledge of the industry and the region, Raewyn has established strong relationships with contacts, clients and industry representatives in Wellington and throughout Australasia. She brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, expertise and enthusiasm to her new role.

“We are really excited by the imminent opening of the office and especially pleased to have Raewyn at the helm. Her personality and skill will bring a whole new dimension to the conference activity we manage in the region, now and in the future,” Mr Thomas says.

Raewyn is looking forward to continuing to work closely with organisations like Business Events Wellington, the Australasian Society of Association Executives and Tourism New Zealand to secure and deliver successful and memorable business events with the invaluable support and backing of the Conference Innovators name and reputation.

Conference Innovators was founded in 1994 by highly respected conference planner extraordinaire Megan O’Brien. From humble beginnings, the company has established a formidable reputation for delivering professional conferences, conventions, symposia, seminars, trade shows, meetings and exhibitions for New Zealand, as well as international companies, organisations and government departments. CI established an Auckland office in 2007.

The original mission statement; to provide clients with a professional, high quality, personalised service has not changed over the past 20+ years and the return of many repeat clients year after year is testimony to the success of the CI team in delivering on their promise to create exceptional events.  

Media Statement for Immediate Release

The decision to open a Wellington office has been in the planning phase for some time and Tracey Thomas says the timing is ideal now to implement the expansion strategy.

“We pride ourselves on our reputation as New Zealand’s leading conference organising company and the many enduring relationships we have with our clients. Opening an office in Wellington is further commitment to our promise to deliver exceptional service to that loyal and valued clientele. We look forward to working alongside Raewyn as we expand our business and have every confidence that our existing clients as well as new ones will welcome the CI presence in the central city.”

The office at 43 Cuba Street will open Monday 31 October.

For further information contact:

Tracey Thomas

021 344443

tracey@conference.co.nz

Raewyn Tse

021 911 053

raewyn@conference.co.nz

Wellington office contact details:

43 Cuba Street

Wellington 6011

+64 4 894 3939

Business travel is so overrated! The glamour wears off all too soon as endless hours on planes and in hotel rooms equates to less time with family, fatigue and a propensity for sickness. However, it has provided me with the opportunity to connect with colleagues, listen to wonderful presentations and reflect on purpose in life, work and priorities.

My current travel schedule is an abstract analogy to how far AuSAE has come in the past few years and the potential for ongoing improvement.

Highlights have included the success of our two conference and exhibitions (ACE in Canberra and LINC in Auckland), our ongoing networking lunches and workshops, the reintroduction of our monthly webinars and our commitment to leverage relationships for mutually beneficial outcomes.

The AuSAE Leadership and Mentoring program was launched in mid-October and is delivered in partnership with Art of Mentoring. After 14 months of planning, testing and promotion, 20 mentoring pairs kicked off a program which I hope will be enduring and beneficial for all concerned.

So, what’s in store for the future? How do we decide which products and services to develop next? It’s all about value. Value to you, the people we represent, value for AuSAE and value to anyone we might partner with.

Our purpose is clear. It’s about connecting you with great people and great ideas, contributing to your success and therefore the success of your organisation and enhancing the value and recognition of the association sector. So, look out for a couple of new initiatives in the coming months including AuSAE publishing the first book specifically for Associations in Australia and New Zealand – The Future of Associations written by Omer Soker.

And getting back to the travel analogy, AuSAE is a plane on the verge of taking off. AuSAE flight 747 has fuel, passengers, crew and cargo. It’s speeding along the runway and the wheels are about to leave the ground. Safe travels everyone. I hope you’ll stay on board with us for the ride…

Brendon Ward

Chief Executive Officer

Australasian Society of Association Executives

The Sugar By Half campaign, of which the ADA is a key supporter, aims to begin tackling Australia's full-blown love affair with sugar by encouraging people to reduce their consumption by half by swapping out sugary foods and drinks for healthier alternatives such as fruit, dairy, nuts and lean meat.

It is, notes Matthew Hopcraft, an ADA member who is the founder of Sugarless Smiles and the dental advisor to the campaign, a pressing issue that needs urgent attention.

“One in two Aussie kids have tooth decay, and decay rates have increased by more than 50% since 1996. Sugar is one of the main reasons. Sugar is absolutely everywhere. People need to realise that it’s not just about soft drinks, cakes and lollies. Processed and packaged foods are full of hidden sugar, and that is contributing to our poor health. For example, a breakfast of cereal and low fat yoghurt could easily contain more than 9 teaspoons of sugar – already well over the daily limit.”

A failure to begin making these important changes in diet and lifestyle could have severe implications for the ongoing health of the average Aussie who consumes far in excess of the six teaspoons a day recommended by the World Health Organization.

In fact, most Australians consume about 16 teaspoons of added sugar a day with children and teenagers taking in more than 20, leading to a growth in tooth decay, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

To highlight the severity of the issue and the urgent need for change, Sugar By Half is launching today, World Obesity Day, with a vital message that cutting the amount of sugar in your diet can have profound benefits for your oral and overall health.

One of the most obvious advantages of reduced sugar consumption in a country where 50% of 12-year-olds have tooth decay in their adult teeth and an estimated one million days of work are lost each year to poor oral health, is reducing the incidence of tooth decay.

Sugary foods and drinks are far and away the biggest dietary contributor to tooth decay, and their reduction in a person's diet can make a significant difference to their oral health.

This is why it's important that dentists begin conversations with their patients about the importance of cutting their sugar intake by half.

To help in this endeavour, there will be a particular emphasis by the ADA on the oral health benefits of reducing sugar intake including practical ways of instituting a healthier diet which will be shared along the benefits for a person's oral health via the ADA's Healthy Teeth Facebook page. For more information, go to Sugar By Half and visit the ADA's Your Dental Health for fact sheets on the benefits of reducing dietary sugar intake and tips on brushing, flossing and other key oral health messages.

This article was originally sourced from ADA. 

Volunteering Australia (VA) has secured Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) as its new chief patron. VA president Tim Jackson said the VA board was delighted the governor general had accepted the role of chief patron.

“It is an absolute honour for VA to be accepted for patronage by his excellency and to be recognised as an organisation with national significance,” Jackson said.

“This is an endorsement of the importance of volunteering and recognition that volunteering makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy and society.

“We are excited about working with the governor general to advance volunteering in the Australian community, while continuing to acknowledge and celebrate the generous service of our nation’s volunteers.”

The governor general is currently patron of more than 150 charities and not-for-profit organisations.

VA thanked former patron Margaret Bell for her service to VA. Bell is the founding president of Volunteering Australia and the past world president of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) She is currently the president of the Chain Reaction Foundation and CEO of the Mt Druitt Learning Ground.

“It is with great regret that VA has accepted Margaret Bell’s resignation as VA’s patron. VA expresses its deepest thanks to Margaret for her significant contribution to VA, as well as her ongoing commitment to strengthening volunteering in Australia,” Jackson said.

Outgoing CEO of VA, Brett Williamson told Pro Bono Australia News that from the organisation’s perspective it is delighted the governor general had taken on the newly created position of chief patron which was a great reflection on what volunteering means to the wellbeing of the nation.

“We will be looking now at inviting and appointing other patrons or ambassadors… looking at various leaders and well respected people within the community across a broad range of activities to become our ambassadors,” Williamson said.

In September Williamson, who has held the position for three years, advised of his intention to resign as CEO of VA, effective 1 December 2016, to return home to Queensland to spend time with his family on a permanent basis.

Williamson said at the time he had “mixed feelings” about the move, but it had been an “absolute privilege to be part of a team so totally committed to growing volunteering and civic participation in Australia”.

He said Thursday an announcement about his replacement is expected soon.

“It’s been a very exhaustive process and great candidates and I know the selection panel has been meeting regularly and hopefully we will make an announcement certainly before the the World Volunteering Conference which is being held in Mexico in early November.”

This article was originally sourced from Probono Australia and was written by Lina Caneva.

Dunedin will host the world’s leading researchers responsible for the care of natural history collections in 2018, the first time such an event will be held in the Southern Hemisphere. The inaugural conference for both the Society of the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) and the Taxonomic Database Working Group (TDWG) will take place at the Otago Museum and neighbouring University of Otago, reflecting the city’s first-class knowledge in this field.

Robert Morris, Director of Collections, Research & Education at Otago Museum and the man behind the bid, said getting both groups together and hosting an event of this scale was a real coup for the museum and the city: “We expect around 300 people, possibly more. It's a bit of an unknown because SPNHC is predominantly a North American and European association, but we sold it to them as they have never been to this part of the world before. It's the first time the two bodies will hold a conference together, perhaps as a parallel conference with shared events. One focuses on the data and standards and one deals with the practice of looking after natural history collections so there is a lot of overlap, it makes sense to work together.”

Morris said the drawcard for New Zealand was a mix of its local knowledge together with its renowned natural beauty and reputation as a popular tourist destination. The event, themed ‘Collections & Data in an Unstable World’ will incorporate three to four days of conference, plus workshops and field trips. These will make the most of Dunedin’s unique features including the Royal Albatross Centre, and Orokonui Ecosanctuary, home to native flora, fauna and endangered species.

“New Zealand is quite unique, we have very few native land mammals, a large number of marine animals, and amazing ornithology from kakapo to ancient moas. Both TDWG and SPNHC are interested in seeing how different countries deal with, research and interpret their natural history collections. It is always good to see what other people are doing,” he notes.

“We have had very positive feedback about the choice of host city. A number of delegates said ‘New Zealand's on my bucket list and we can tick it off when we come to the conference’.

“There were questions about what the weather is like in winter here in August, they had heard it was pretty bad, but I said ‘it’s nothing like New York!’ That did make me laugh, you’d think people working in natural sciences would have a better idea of the weather in this part of the world.”

Weather aside, Morris says the other main concern in luring the event to the Southern Hemisphere was how many delegates would have sufficient funds to attend. Those fears were allayed with the help of Tourism New Zealand, which provided strategic marketing support and funding for the bid under its Conference Assistance Programme. “They did a fantastic job, creating a beautiful booklet and presentation. The Conference Committee had never seen anything like it before and were very impressed. One city took it as reference for their next bid,” Morris says. “Tourism New Zealand provided information about flight times and costs to New Zealand and compared it with travelling from North America to Europe, and that showed it wasn't hugely different. That helped a lot. As part of the proposal, a PCO also helped us work out an estimate of costs, which was very important for the organising bodies. Plus, Tourism New Zealand largely covered the expenses of travelling to present the bid in Berlin. It was an enormous help.”

Apart from the estimated economic benefit to the city of $630,000, Morris is positive about the wider outcomes of hosting the conference. “Our work is about drawing upon our natural science collections to inform us about species distribution in space and time and how such research might inform climate change and environmental management practices in the future. Contributing to the complex picture of our ecology, how it has changed over time and how it might be sustained in the future is important for all of us.

“It’s likely that, by hosting this conference, we could end up with an Oceania chapter for both bodies. That's a possible outcome and one we’re very keen to pursue. Talking with colleagues in Australia, there's a real opportunity to build information and collaborate across the pond.

The real strength is getting to know more people working in the industry and the facility to share knowledge in a more immediate way. We have shared concerns like rising seas, and islands at risk of flooding in the Pacific. If this leads to collaboration and assistance on issues like that, it's a really good thing,” he says.

“This conference exposes the university research and activity to the wider world as well, plus there’s the opportunity to learn from the experts coming from abroad. We're really looking forward to the networking. It's a great opportunity to showcase New Zealand and this part of the world and it will have benefits all round, really.”

If you would like to find out more about Tourism New Zealand, please visit www.businessevents.newzealand.com

Simon Sinek, one of the most sought after leadership thinkers and consultants around the globe will headline the ‘Start with Why’ Leadership Forum in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland in March 2017.

Sinek first came into popularity after his Ted talk ‘How Great Leaders Inspire Action’ literally swept across the world. Currently, his talk sits at number three on the list of the twenty most popular TED talks of all time.

“I try to find, celebrate and teach leaders how to build platforms that will inspire others.”

— Simon Sinek

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Simon Sinek share his strategies on how to influence positive change, increase employee engagement and grow key leadership competencies.

Simon's one-day program will be supported by Peter Docker, a contributing partner of "Start with Why” since 2011. Docker is passionate about enabling others to be extraordinary. He helps to harness the power of “why” to create extraordinary and sustainable high-performing cultures. His presentation will focus on the implementation of “Start with Why” for your leadership team and your business.

DOWNLOAD AGENDA

Dates:

Melbourne: 3 March, 2017

Sydney: 7 March, 2017

Auckland: 9 March, 2017

Timing:

09:00 – 12:00 Leadership Presentation with Simon Sinek

13:30 – 16:00 Implementation Workshop with Peter Docker

Early Bird rates available until 16 December 2016

Special Rates for AuSAE members:

Early Bird Rate: $895

AuSAE Rate: $795

Group Rate (10 or more): $695

Start with Why Platinum Ticket: $1295

(limited tickets available)

• Reserved front of house seating, an intimate VIP lunch including Q&A with Simon Sinek, access to VIP lounge area and a copy of Simon’s latest book, Together is Better.

To register for the ‘Start with Why’ Leadership Forum

MORE INFO | REGISTER NOW | PLATINUM TICKETS