Following on the heels of the first Executive PA Summit in Brisbane in October, EAs in Sydney and Melbourne got to participate in this new event format for Australia and New Zealand – here’s how it went…
Originally designed for busy c-suite executives looking to keep current, get the best insights available, network and have intelligent meetings with relevant suppliers, one day professional development and matched meetings events have proven to be extremely popular in the USA and the UK.
So, Executive PA Media adapted the idea for EAs who work to similar time constraints as executive directors. The concept was brought over from the UK and its unique format has been tested and, now, approved by EAs in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The Executive PA Summit took place at Rydges Sydney Central on Tuesday, 6th February and at Rydges Melbourne on Thursday, 8th February. Guests arrived for an early breakfast, then, at 8.30am, a packed day of professional development and targeted meetings kicked off.
Inspiring presenters included Lynne Schinella, Steve Samartino, Jackie Furey and Kate Christie, and there were interesting briefings from industry experts on corporate event technology, employee engagement matters and the latest recruitment trends – perfect for assistants looking to recruit or keep their resumes current.
Alongside the seminar programme, each delegate took part in a series of one-to-one targeted meetings, which everyone agreed is a more intelligent way to build business relationships with potential suppliers.
Executive PA Media chairman Russell Peacock said: “Both delegates and suppliers are extremely enthusiastic about the format and, as far as we know, we’re the only organisation running these types of events in Australia and New Zealand.”
He adds: “Even though the Summits are free for EAs to attend we invite world class speakers to present and this is a key element to the success of these events. The second important element is that, although we use some very neat technology to match everyone up for seminars and meetings, we put that technology back in the cupboard so that people can concentrate on what humans do best, which is talk with other people and build relationships.”
For more information on the Executive PA Summits, and to register interest to attend, please visit executivepa.com.
