The annual general meeting of trade body, Eventia, held on Monday 2nd July at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London, saw the election of a new Chair to lead the association over the next 12 months.
Simon Hughes, Managing Partner of MCHA Ltd takes over from Rob Allen, Executive Chairman of TRO as the new Chair of Eventia. Commenting on his election, Simon said:
“I’m delighted to be picking up the baton from Rob and would like to thank him for handing over the association in such good order. The industry has had a tough couple of years, but what sustains Eventia is the commitment of all the Board, the dedication of our management team and the enthusiasm and support of all our members and partners.
Working with them all over the last year has been really rewarding. I’m looking forward to continuing that work and making sure that as the authoritative voice for the events industry in all its variety, Eventia continues to lead the way forward for the benefit of our members.”
The AGM witnessed several further changes to the Eventia Board.
Standing down from the Board were:
Alan Newton, Grass Roots
Karen Rice, Banks Sadler
Mark Sale, SmartAviation
Mark Saxby, Universal WorldEvents
Mike Jackson, Touch Worldwide
Re-elected to the Board were:
Brian Kirsch, Event Assured
Rick Stainton, Smyle
Matt Storey, Gallowglass
Andrew Wright, FAB!
Newly-elected to the Board were:
Rachel Ley, RLC Productions
Graham McIntosh, Universal WorldEvents
Kirstie McNulty, ExCel London
Co-opted onto the Board were:
Chad Lion-Cachet, Sportsworld Group
Rich Rowley, XL Events
Rory Sloan, RPM
Martin Richardson, MCI
The following continue to serve on the Board:
Rob Allen, TRO
Alison Ayling, DeVere Hotels Resorts Venues
Dale Parmenter, drpgroup
Emma Cashmore, Axis Marketing Travel Ltd
Paul Hussey, BSI Meetings & Events
Simon Hughes, MCHA Ltd
Sarah Wright, Sarah Wright Consulting (CAPS Advisor)
From which the Executive Team will consist of:
Simon Hughes, MCHA Ltd – Chairman
Rob Allen, TRO – Immediate Past Chairman
Dale Parmenter, drpgroup – Vice Chairman
Tracy Johnson, Eventia, Marketing Services Director
Rob Allen now assumes the position of Immediate Past Chairman and sums up his time on the Board as follows: “2011/12 has been a good year for Eventia. We have successfully achieved all of the key objectives we had set out to hit this year and I feel confident that I am handing over an association in good shape to a very capable new Chairman. I am grateful to everyone who has supported Eventia this year, but especially to two sets of colleagues: firstly, to my fellow Board members who have given their valuable time and experience to the association; and secondly, to the Eventia office team who have somehow managed to handle and deliver everything which the association has thrown at them in this very busy year!”.
The AGM ended with a presentation in which plans to consult the Eventia membership about a possible merger with the IVCA (the International Visual Communications Association) were set out. In response to industry concerns expressed at the first Eventia Senior Advisory Council held in 2010 about the number of trade associations trying to represent the sector, Eventia have been actively examining options to create a larger and more authoritative trade body to better represent the fast changing communication industry involved in the production of film and video, interactive media, meetings, experiential and live events.
Simon Hughes commented: “We’ve spent a considerable amount of time and effort looking for the right kind of fit for the best interest of all our members. This is a really exciting opportunity and we’re now at a point where we want to involve our membership in a consultation process to ensure that we deliver a new and compelling offer for everyone that improves and extends the excellent member benefits and services that Eventia and IVCA already provide. This merger will only happen if everyone involved clearly understands the many opportunities that it will create and are prepared to support the creation of a much stronger voice for these increasingly integrated business sectors.”
The initial consultation period designed to gauge membership feedback will take place over the next eight weeks and if supported a formal proposal will be produced for both Eventia and IVCA members to review and vote on in the autumn.
