Oh to be a Conference Organiser...or not

This Post was first written in 2017...and now here we are in 2021, and we find ourselves in a situation that for Conference Organisers is quite simply a nightmare. And for some it will be unsustainable. But we know you are a special bunch, well equipped to handle stress, and this is reposted in acknowledgement of your resilience. We look forward to 2022 with some hope for a more normal return to you doing what you do best.

Oh to be a Conference organiser....or not.

We have provided a lot of conference gifts over the years, and have noticed Conference Organisers possess certain personality traits. We find them to be highly organised, with myopic attention to detail, and we suspect they require the negotiation skills of a politician. They need all those skills..and more! Clearly to co-ordinate the simple logistics of hundreds or even thousands of people, in a tight timetable of work scheduling plus meals and recreational options for the delegates, (and often their partners) is simply a minefield. Add into the mix that they are often are working for and reporting to a committee, from which they need concise instructions and speedy decisions, and things get a whole lot harder. And that's all before they start needing to provide a high quality experience on a limited budget. I reckon they can keep their jobs, and I'll stick to mine!

The most recent conference we provided conference gifts for, presented more than a few challenges. The conference was for a large number of professionals from around the world, meeting in Auckland. The committee had decided fairly late in the piece that as well as the usual Speaker's Gifts that they wished to give all the delegates gifts, and they wanted different gifts for men and women.

So we were faced with providing hundreds of gifts within a matter of weeks. Its probably easy if you are happy to source from Asia, but that's not what we are about. So where do you find a large volume of quality 'his and hers' NZ made gifts suitable for high calibre professional recipients. And those gifts need to be top quality, small, light and not overly expensive.....

The manufacturing scene in NZ is not what it was, but we still have some fantastic suppliers, and we knew exactly who might be able to help. While the time-

frame was extremely tight (and pretty stressful), we knew we could depend on these guys to deliver. And they did.

The gifts were gorgeous. Custom made little stylized Silver Fern cufflinks for the men, while the women received Sterling Silver earrings in the same stylized design, in little velvet boxes. By the time they were beautifully wrapped to reflect the colour theme of the conference, we were feeling pretty pleased with the result. More importantly our conference organiser clients were delighted, and they received fabulous feedback from the delegates about their beautiful little conference gifts.

A job well done.....but I am still not swapping jobs with a Conference Organiser any day soon.