An Introduction

Welcome to our new Newsletter layout and design. We're still working on a few tweaks and amendments to how the functionality of this will work going forward, especially the menus, but we hope you like the design and, in particular, the fact that it is now optimised for all mobile devices including phones and tablets - so have a go at reading it on your devices - it makes it so much easier to catch up on news whilst on the go or travelling.

Having sold out of delegate spaces at our 2015 Sydney conference and also out of exhibition space at the accompanying exhibition, plus having had record numbers of people registering for our February / March 2015 Diploma intake, we couldn't have gotten off to a better start to this year. And that doesn't even include hosting another awesome conference over in Perth in February with an exhibition that the exhibitors deemed our most successful ever. At the time of writing we have over 100 students currently enrolled in our Diploma programs around the country, which includes public programs plus in-house programs with organisations like Monash University where we currently have 11 students studying for the EAN Advanced Diploma in Executive Office Management. With all our latest Diploma programs now underway, we've already put the next intake dates up on the website to accommodate those people who weren't quite ready for this intake but who know they want to commence later in the year. All our next round of Diplomas will commence around the country in August. And we've also added updated dates for all our short courses through until spring. Our Canberra and Brisbane conference programs are now finalised, with the Canberra brochure already on the website taking registrations and the Brisbane brochure expected to be uploaded any day now, so please give them your consideration when you can. With the same topics and themes as this year's incredibly popular Sydney conference, we know these will both be very popular as well. We have also confirmed dates for the Melbourne conference as the 17th & 18th November, once again at Sofitel, and those who want to register at the Advance Notice Rate for that conference will be able to do so within the next week or so.

In last year's conference series the opening session included a series nine of short videos that we used to highlight how we believe the role of the EA has changed. Focussing on the notion of the EA being the Manager of the Executive’s Office, the videos were essentially edited shorts from interviews we conducted with a number of our senior members. Now that conference series is over we have combined the videos back into one 15 minute feature. That is now archived on the website in the Videos section under Member Resources. This is a full Member only area but Associate Members who want to experience what the video entails can see the first segment by clicking on the article link below. Networking functions have been a little slow to get off the ground this year but we have had four amazing events already, the first alongside our Peth conference, the second hosted by Altogether perfect in Melbourne, then our largest event in some time hosted by The Star in Sydney where we had some 200 EAs and PAs in attendance - including over 40 Associate Members which was great to see. Finally, we had over 100 EAs and PAs join us at our Networking drinks alongside the recent Sydney conference where with delegates, speakers, and exhibitors we had some 350 people in attendance in total.

Around the country we also have a host of other Networking functions in the pipeline – have a look at the separate article below for more details.

Last month we wrote about the incredible pace at which 2015 had kicked off. So far we are seeing no signs of that pace and energy abating - which is an absolutely fantastic situation given how much doom and gloom certain sections of the media like to peddle. So we are all pumped for the rest of the year - and we trust you will be too to enjoy all our many different experiences with us! Please enjoy this month's edition of The Assistant.

Know what it takes to be the best - and how to demonstrate the great worth and value you deliver for your business

With the Sydney 2015 conference just passed, a sold out event that saw us have to extend the room we use to accommodate a few extra people, we wanted to update you on what this conference is about and why we think it is resonating with so many people. Whilst still one of our typical thought leadership style programs, this year we have sought to combine key areas of debate and discussion as well as key areas of learning and development that we have uncovered or touched on during the last 9 years of hosting these conferences. Still focussed around the key role of EAs an PAs in managing the office of the executive, the program includes two days of great plenary sessions, with no break-outs, and a range of amazing speakers plus two amazing executive panel discussions and two great interactive EA / PA panels sessions and workshops. Being a great EA that can Partner with an executive to enable them to be their most productive and effective is no easy task, and breaking that down into key traits, actions and ways of working is also not easy. But we believe we have put together two days of amazing sessions which does just that.

Read below to see why you should register to attend one of these conferences in a city near you.

• Improve your strategic focus to ensure that your actions and deeds have the correct prioritisation
• Act and think like a General Manager - emulate them in attitude and breadth of knowledge if not in depth of knowledge
• Emulate the great executives and corporate leaders - know what it takes to spot what really matters, what doesn't and, more importantly, what might matter in the future
• Learn why it is important for you to become a facilitator, a corporate barometer, an alliance builder and a tension alleviator
• Make your executive's goals yours and understand their true business imperatives
• Discover Why great EAs are perceived as leaders by all those they work with
• Examine Areas where you can add increased value for your executive
• Executive Office Management - celebrate what it means for EAs and PAs to be taking on the mantle of Manager of their Executive's Offices
• Challenge historical perceptions and replace them with clearly understood role parameters
• Align your KPIs with those of your executive to ensure unity of purpose and deed
• Remove subjectivity in any assessment of your role and replace it with objectivity
• Learn how to make the rationalisation of your EA and PA roles work for your assistants, for your executives and for your organisation

and the winner is...
congratulations to our passport program winners from both the sydney and perth conferences. select one of the options below and see the winners list yourself.

Last year we included a series of short videos in the opening session of our conference series. These were created to help highlight the role of modern EAs and PAs and focussed on a few key areas where the role has evolved and how, in our opinion, what you do today is to effectively manage the office of your executive. Now whilst we aren't proposing a name change to fit your new role, we are advocating for better understanding around the role and around key changes in the nature of the role, and not just within EA and PA circles, but importantly also among all management and executive teams as well as among HR and recruitment professionals.

Featuring 4 of our senior members in Sydney, we interviewed each person separately, asking them a series of similar questions. From the resulting short reels we then edited these into 9 short videos that all flow from each other. As mentioned in the introduction to this month's newsletter, in the last conference these were all shown separately so we could add commentary between each one. For your benefit now, however, we have put them all together into one reel so that they flow and are consistent and so you can watch them all uninterrupted. The full video is only available for full Members and can be found under Videos under Member Resources. We know that the delegates at the conferences all really loved this video so we hope you do too.

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Online Hub to Connect Industry

The regional Victorian business events industry now has an online 'go to' resource to help them grow their economies through events.

Business Events Victoria has launched 'BEVHub' which will assist conference venues, accommodation providers, tour operators, local councils, regional tourism organisations and services providers in regional Victoria to maximise their appeal as a business events destination and attract business events to their region. BEVHub, which can be found at www.bevhub.com.au, will provide tips, advice and ideas to attract business events to an area, guest bloggers on topics of interest, and a networking platform for industry members. There are dedicated sections for event organisers as well as the wider industry, and the latest news and information is delivered directly via email. Executive Officer of Business Events Victoria, Chris Porter, said that BEVHub will help to create connections within the regional Victorian business events industry and provide a fast and easy way for the industry to gain valuable information.

"Our members are spread right across Victoria, so an online hub of current information that can be accessed from anywhere at anytime is an ideal way for the industry to stay connected with us and with each other. BEVHub is a very valuable tool for the business events industry, and we have plans to grow and enhance the hub over time." - Chris Porter - Executive Officer of Business Events Victoria

"I encourage anyone involved in the business events industry in regional Victoria to register and browse the information that is available. We would also love to hear your suggestions for blog topics, or if you feel you have something to contribute in the way of a guest blog. This really is a community tool and we look forward to it becoming the 'go to' tool for the industry", he said. Those involved in the regional Victorian business events industry are encouraged to log into BEVHub and register by simply submitting an email address.

For further information on BEVHub or Business Events Victoria, please visit www.businesseventsvictoria.com or call 8662 5428.

This short Avery Event Branding Solutions video shows how to use the Avery Event Branding Solutions range for your events and conferences:

You may know that you can contact Cliftons to arrange venue space for meetings, conferences, training and other events. But did you know that you can rely on Cliftons for much more than 'just' room hire?

Cliftons offers you event coordination support services to make your life that much easier! Including:

Online Training & Event Management System

• Online platform to help you manage and monitor your event registrations
• Post-event validation surveys

Event Catering

• Flexible catering for breakfast, lunch, breaks and post-event networking
• Dietary requirements catered for
• Signature catering service "Cliftons Fresh" with food prepared daily

Printing and Resource Management

• Printing and collating of course material
• Delivery and storage of resources

Accommodation bookings

• Cliftons has preferred rates with a number of hotel groups
• Assistance with short term and long term hotel stays within a moment's stroll from Cliftons venues

Contact Cliftons today to see how they can help you manage your events stress-free!

With over 50 Centres combined across Australia, AMF & Kingpin Bowling are great value entertainment that's hours of fun for everyone. You'll be blown away by state of the art sound systems, awesome amusements and arcade games, M9 Laser Skirmish*, delicious food and great value bowling packages.

From team building to product launches, conferences or a great night out, our bowling lounges have everything you need to create a truly memorable event for your staff, colleagues or friends. At an AMF or Kingpin Bowling centre, every function package delivers a complete experience: an incredible atmosphere, great entertainment, and food and beverages to suit every taste. Bowling is a powerful way to build staff morale and team spirit, and your AMF or Kingpin Bowling function will roll on regardless of the weather.

Visit www.amfbowling.com.au and www.kingpinbowling.com.au for more details.

* M9 Laser Skirmish at selected centres only

Making Life Easier for Executive Assistants when managing corporate travel.

Executive Assistants are integral parts of an organisations corporate travel management. Their roles range from booking the travel to managing contracts and relationships with suppliers (airlines and hotels) and Travel Management Companies (TMC's). EA's are therefore key stakeholders in the corporate travel management process. Executive Assistants often feel a considerable amount of pressure in performing this duty. Their travellers are often very demanding, with very particular requirements, preferences and expectations. They are usually time poor, juggling multiple duties and responsibilities, and in the direct line of fire when things go wrong.

So how can you as an EA reduce the stress involved with this part of your job? Please see following:

6 tips to "making life easier" when it comes to managing corporate travel

Don't DIY

Don't try and do it yourself. Do you really want to spend all of your time trawling airlines and hotel websites looking for that elusive "best price" when you could delegate this function to a travel consultant you know you can trust, at a fee that is considerably lower than the cost to the business of doing it yourself. DIY gets even worse when you need to change something, which with corporate travel is estimated as happening 40% of the time. Lengthy hold times and operators unfamiliar with your situation make this a very inefficient process. And that's just the flight, what about then also having to call the hotel and possible car hire company to make those changes as well? Retail based online bookings sites are fraught with danger also. There are hidden booking fees, no policy enforcement, don't provide access to all possible airlines and hotels and again making changes is very difficult. It's just not worth the time and hassle when you can simply have one person to contact to do it all for you.

A good consultant you can trust

In this day and age technology plays a big part of managing business travel, from Online Booking Tools (OBT), traveller tracking, reporting to mobile applications and integrated Expense Management Systems. But nothing will ever replace a good consultant. TMC's have experienced consultants whose entire professional lives have often been dedicated to the travel industry. You need to find a TMC that doesn't employ inexperienced "booking processors" who have been employed to simply act in a robotic fashion in a impersonalised call centre. A good consultant knows you on a personal level, they know you and your traveler's preferences, policies and special requirements and is someone you can trust to get the job done right. They are flexible, proactive and understand that your travel plans can change at any time. They are engaged with your business and prepared to go the extra mile to ensure they deliver an amazing travel experience to you and your travellers.

A good Online Booking Tool

Technology has become a great enabler in managing corporate travel. Speicalised Online Booking Tool's (OBT) are readily available through TMC's and often the preferred booking method. They are filled with benefits including providing consolidated access to an enormous range of airlines, hotels and car rental providers, holding your traveller profiles and forms of payment preloaded and help to manage compliance with travel policy. However not all OBT's are created equal. Look for an OBT which is tailored to the Australian market as the differences can be considerable. They should be fast, simple and easy to use. OBT's empower you to make immediate choices with all the information you need in one place, and fully supported by your consultants when you need help.

Get your travellers using Mobile App's

Mobile app's don't just make your life easier, they make your travellers life easier too. Paper itineraries are consuming for you to produce and quickly become redundant when travel plans change, which they often do.

Get involved in the selection of a TMC

Leverage your relationships in the organisation to get involved with the procurement and finance teams when it comes to the selection of a Travel Management Company (TMC). Encourage them to apply a solid weighting to the quality of consultants and Account Manager. These are the people you work with on a daily basis and make an enormous difference to the efficiency of your travel programme (and your job satisfaction).

Love your suppliers

Actively develop good relations with suppliers such as airline and hotel reps. They can help pull in favours when things go wrong such as waivering a fare rule or hotel cancellation fee. These can be life savers when it comes to averting a crisis and help you look like a hero within your organisation. TMC's also foster good relationships with airlines and hotel sales reps so if you don’t have time to manage these relationships yourself, call on your TMC to do this for you.

A fundamental decision underpinning any successful event is the selection of the perfect venue. The implications of this single decision are so far reaching, potentially affecting aspects such as guest attendance (which may dwindle due to the selection of an inconvenient location), and the overall look and feel of the event (venue costs are typically hefty and can thus limit the budget remaining for other event components such as decor and entertainment).

That being said, the pressure of finding the ideal venue can be a daunting task, which is why the team at Funktionality have curated a list of considerations to help ease the process:

Type of Event

Having a clear understanding of the type of event you will be hosting should be key when selecting an appropriate venue. Will it be a conference? Sit-down gala dinner? Cocktail party? Each will have different venue requirements and should thus be catered to accordingly.

Consider your preferred date (or dates)

Make sure you do some research to ensure the date does not coincide with any major events as this could affect attendance. Oftentimes, venue costs are contingent on the time of year and can thus fluctuate wildly - please bear this in mind.

The necessities

It may be worthwhile compiling a list of compulsory attributes your venue needs to have before you begin sourcing - examples include specific locations, air conditioning, and relevant space for smokers. Make sure you have a clear understanding in your mind of what you can be flexible with and what is an absolute must have.

Venue packages

Most venues offer inclusive packages to make their space appear more appealing. Make sure you get clarity upfront about what's included - catering, AV, décor - so you are able to discern the value of the package and compare it to other quotes you receive.

Time

As you are aware, venue sourcing can be a very time-consuming and stressful task so make sure you contemplate how much time you are able to dedicate to it. Consider using venue sourcing agencies to assist you, or companies that provide venue sourcing as part of their services (such as our own). With a team of experienced Event Managers who are abreast of the latest event spaces, Funktionality are able to decipher the contracts and negotiate the best possible package with minimal fuss for you.

For further information, feel free to contact the Funktionality team on:
P: 02 9557 8105    E: info@funktionality.com.au    W: www.funktionality.com.au

Launch of New Website Solution to Boost Conferences in Regional Areas

The Conference Shop - a new free website service that can save meeting planners up to 15 hours of research - has been launched with the aim of making it easy for corporate Australia to plan a meeting in regional destinations that are often overlooked.

Launched by experienced conference industry figure, Carla Offord, who previously ran Southern Highlands Corporate Events, The Conference Shop is a one-stop-shop destinational marketing service that showcases regional areas and allows event organisers to do all their planning and research for events from one simple, easy to use portal. The website www.theconferenceshop.com.au covers venues and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) operators in the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, Southern Highlands, Canberra, Wollongong, NSW South Coast and the Far South Coast. Greater Sydney areas such a Macarthur, the Hawkesbury and western suburbs and Sydney’s Beaches from Manly to Palm Beach and Bondi to Cronulla are also included. There are plans to span all regional NSW by the end of 2015, with expansion to interstate regions also on the drawing board.

The free, regional conferencing solution allows conference organisers to select a region and add suppliers they like to a wish list before receiving all the suppliers’ details in a checklist format in their inbox. Organisers then contact each supplier directly, maintaining control of their event at all times. The seemless and streamlined process saves an estimated 10 to 15 hours of planning and research. Based in Bowral in the Southern Highlands of NSW, The Conference Shop Director, Carla Offord, said the site was launched to meet a strong demand from regions and conference organisers for a better representation of regional MICE product.

"We found there was no dedicated space for regional areas to showcase their wares and little knowledge amongst conference organisers of product outside Sydney so The Conference Shop aims to address those issues," - Carla Offord - The Conference Shop Director

Time-poor event organisers don't want to spend hours online trawling through multiple websites to find the perfect destination, especially if they don’t know much about regional venues in the first place but The Conference Shop simplifies the research process by offering corporate Australia a snapshot of each region's appeal for conferences in one place. We visit every region on our books and know the venues and suppliers so we can help with any inquiry. Ms Offord said The Conference Shop would also run a monthly famil program throughout 2015, covering all regions, starting with the Blue Mountains in March. Visit www.theconferenceshop.com.au or call 02 4861 5973.

Having knowledge of digital trends could be just what you need to set yourself apart from the crowd and make your skills even more invaluable in the workplace. There are very few jobs these days that don't require some level of digital know-how, and enhancing your skills in this area could be just what you need to be a more effective executive assistant (EA). Digital knowledge is no longer just desirable, it's crucial, Hays explains, not least because it impacts every business and consumer across the globe. Managing Director of Hays in Australia and New Zealand Nick Deligiannis explained how more companies are moving their operations online, so it's a trend that simply can't be ignored.

"Even today's senior manager needs digital expertise to be able to locate knowledge, assess how valid it is, and then work with others to determine what to do with it. Companies are under pressure to find employees who are already clued up in these areas, or to train the existing workforce to make sure they are up to date with all the latest trends."
Nick Deligiannis - Managing Director, Hays Australia / New Zealand

Developing talent is essential to driving digital strategies forward and giving businesses the best possible chance of being able to compete in the ever-expanding marketplace. The growth of tablets has been one of the trends that's affected people in EA roles, as Gartner recently identified that shipments of mobile devices are on the rise. It's estimated that 2.4 billion tablets will be shipped worldwide this year, marking a rise of 4.2 per cent from 2013 levels, showing the need for workers to be connected, even while on the move. Hays stressed how the digital world may open up new opportunities, but it's up to employees to make sure they are prepared for when they arise - and that employees are on the same page. One of the biggest benefits of this trend is that it means businesses can reach a greater number of potential customers without it taking too much time or effort. This has the potential to make companies more efficient, but once again, it's also down to workers within the organisation to ensure this will be the case. The recruitment firm explained how individuals need to do whatever they can to expand their skills base and make themselves invaluable to their employers - something EAs can certainly look into.

"All jobs now have a digital element, whether that's creating an app rather than a PowerPoint presentation for your next talk, generating leads on social media or producing digital content."
Nick Deligiannis - Managing Director, Hays Australia / New Zealand

The world of technology is fast-paced and always changing, so workers need to make sure they are constantly updating their skills and investing in talents likely to be of most value in the workplace. Mr Deligiannis stressed that managers are most impressed by staff who are opened to the prospect of change, regardless of which department they might be working in.

Book the Melbourne Parkview Hotel for your next meeting or conference and receive 2x Gold Class Movie tickets

Too many distractions in the office - when you hold a meeting or conference - Get away from it all at the Melbourne Parkview Hotel where conferencing is made easy. With 11 function rooms to choose from accommodating 10 to 200 people, there is unquestionably a room to suit your event needs. The Melbourne Parkview hotel has 11 rooms to choose from, along with a range of other areas that can accommodate a variety of functions - from a small meeting to a product launch, dinner or residential conference. The Hotel is ideally situated on St Kilda Road's iconic tree-lined boulevard, between the Central Business District and St Kilda. It is easily accessible by public transport or there is ample onsite parking. With fantastic views of the Melbourne city skyline at night and with the added bonus of your delegates being able to step out onto the balconies that overlook the Albert Ground it is a perfect venue.

Conference day packages start from $60 per person which includes room hire with all-day catering and buffet lunch, stationery, whiteboard, flipchart stand, paper and markers and complimentary WiFi.

With a professional approach to your needs, The Melbourne Parkview Hotel staff will ensure that your conference or event is tailored to your requirements offering great service, on-site parking and great value to ensure you achieve a successful conference or event within your budget. For more information contact Julie Corner at juliec@viewhotels.com.au or visit viewhotels.com.au