 ChatGPT is the hot topic on everyone’s lips right now - causing waves and dividing opinions across every industry. In this month’s blog, we share our initial thoughts about the potential of AI technology on JTPM services and the future of events. What is ChatGPT? Basically, it’s a chatbot or chat robot which uses AI technology and allows you to have human-like conversations with it. You can type in almost any question or instruction, and it will spit out an impressively detailed and articulate response in seconds. The whole purpose or idea behind ChatGPT is to help us to perform repetitive manual tasks. It’s only natural to be resistant to change and have doubts and suspicions about new technology – especially AI. Thanks to sci-fi movies and books, many of us instantly imagine a scary dystopian scenario where robots take over our jobs and then the world… Our approach: At JTPM, however, we have always actively embraced the opportunities and capabilities that technology provides our industry. Just look at the huge advances we’ve experienced in the past few years, as a result of COVID. We’re continuously experimenting and looking to incorporate innovative ways that have been tried and tested, to not only make our jobs easier but can also help us deliver events to the highest possible standards. We like to take a collaborative approach, not only with our clients and suppliers but with any new system or process we adopt. Finding a middle ground where everyone wins is our ultimate goal. So, we’re actually pretty excited to test our ChatGPT and see how it can support our goals and vision. The opportunities: It’s still early days, but we have already identified several areas where we will be able to draw on AI for support. Here are a few examples: 1. Brainstorming: We asked ChatGPT to come up with 10 name suggestions for a dementia conference in Australia; here’s what it came up with:
2.Drafting content: We asked ChatGPT to write an introduction paragraph for a Dementia conference running over three days with a welcome dinner on the first day and an awards function on the third day. Here’s what we got: Welcome to the Dementia Care Conference, a three-day event focused on advancing the care, treatment, and understanding of dementia. With an aging population and rising rates of dementia, this conference brings together healthcare professionals, researchers, caregivers, and advocates to share knowledge, insights, and strategies for improving dementia care. The conference will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities. In addition, attendees will have the chance to connect with peers, learn about new research and innovations in dementia care, and participate in meaningful conversations around this important issue. The conference also includes a welcome dinner on the first day and an awards function on the final day to celebrate and recognize the achievements of those working to improve dementia care. We invite you to join us for this important event and be a part of the conversation around dementia care. 3.Planning: We asked ChatGPT to plan an event for 50 people at the National Gallery of Victoria – we deliberately kept this one very general to see what it would generate, but you could certainly add in more information to produce a more accurate result. Here’s ChatGPT’s event plan: Event Type: Corporate Networking Event Venue: National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Guest Count: 50 Budget: $10,000 Duration: 3 hours Date: Saturday, May 14th, 2022 Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Theme: Art & Wine Pairing Menu: Canapés & Wine Tasting Entertainment: Art Tour Here's a plan for your corporate networking event at the National Gallery of Victoria: 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Guest Arrival and Registration As guests arrive, they will be greeted by the event staff at the entrance of NGV, who will help with registration and welcome them to the event. Each guest will receive a name tag, which includes their name and company. 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Art Tour The guests will be divided into small groups and will be taken on a private tour of the NGV, showcasing some of the iconic art pieces from various collections. The tour will be guided by a curator who will provide insights into each artwork, making the experience engaging and informative. 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Canapés & Wine Tasting After the art tour, the guests will be invited to the function room where they will be served a selection of canapés paired with wine. The menu will include vegetarian, gluten-free, and non-vegetarian options. To elevate the wine tasting experience, a sommelier will be present to guide the guests through the wine selection and explain the wine pairing process, making it an interactive and educational experience. 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm: Closing Remarks & Networking To wrap up the event, the host will deliver closing remarks and thank the guests for their attendance. Guests will be encouraged to network and exchange contact details with fellow attendees and share their favorite artwork and wine pairing from the evening. Conclusion: This corporate networking event at the National Gallery of Victoria is designed to be an unforgettable experience for all guests. With a theme of art and wine pairing, the evening will be informative and engaging, offering guests the opportunity to explore some of the iconic art pieces while enjoying canapés and wine. The event will conclude with networking, allowing attendees to exchange contact details and build meaningful connections with their peers. It’s important to remember that ChatGPT is not and cannot possibly be factually correct – note the American spelling too. The quality of the response will always depend on the quality of the prompts - ask a silly or vague question and you’ll get a silly or vague answer. This means it will always rely on humans and you’ll always need someone to check, edit and customise everything. In summary: While we may utilise the benefits of ChatGPT to save time and be more productive, we certainly won’t be replacing any staff with this handy tool. Events, and many other service-based industries, will always rely on that personal human touch.  “At the end of the day, events are about connecting people and creating memorable and engaging experiences and that’s something technology will never be able to replace.” - Creative Director, Julia Truong Finally, we asked ChatGPT to write this blog for us. Have a read below, compare it to our human version tell us what you think! Q: ChatGPT, can you write a blog about the impact of AI on the events industry? A: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been transforming various industries for several years now, and the events industry is no exception. With the help of AI, event planners can achieve better event planning, increased engagement, improved customer experiences, and better revenue generation. In this blog, we will discuss the impact of AI on the events industry.
In conclusion, AI has the potential to revolutionize the events industry by improving the attendee experience, streamlining event planning, enhancing audience engagement, providing valuable insights, and increasing revenue generation. While AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution for every event, incorporating AI into event planning and execution can help event planners stay ahead of the curve and deliver exceptional events that attendees will remember for years to come.
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 JTPM has mastered the art of hybrid (in-person and online) events following the successful delivery of ANZMAC 2022 in Perth from 5 - 7 December 2022! Coordinating and managing 134 hybrid sessions, across 14 break-out rooms and ensuring all 456 presenters and speakers were briefed and on time is no easy feat - yet the JT team did it all with ease and elegance. Read on to find out all the details… About ANZMAC: The leading marketing research forum in the Asia Pacific region, the annual ANZMAC event brings together researchers, educators and practitioners to connect, share and discover ground-breaking marketing theory, research and practice - with digital transformation, big data and social marketing among some of the topics explored at this year’s event. The three-day event attracts all the top marketing and communications academics, features exclusive keynote speakers, offers over 100 breakout sessions covering a wide range of topics and issues, and culminates in a Gala Dinner where everyone can let their hair down and party! More info HERE. Bigger than ever: Our second time producing this conference for the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy, planning began back in April with regular fortnightly meetings (and up to 1,000 hours of work in total). With 500 people registered to attend in person and 78 online, it was all hands on deck with Olivia leading a team of 13 staff - six in person and seven online.   Venues: Research paper submissions almost double on the previous year, resulting in a significant increase in speaker and attendee numbers and subsequently the need for more seminar and lecture rooms and even an upgrade to a larger Gala Dinner venue! Here’s a quick breakdown of the venues we used: University Club of Western Australia & University of Western Australia Arts Building (Crawley Campus):
 Optus Stadium:
 Challenges & Highlights:
Well done to the amazing ANZMAC and JT team, who are no doubt looking forward to doing it all again later this year!
It’s been a huge year for JT Production Management, as in-person gatherings and domestic and international travel resumed. Yet, despite the return of live events, hybrid and online events have continued to thrive. Of the 168 events we delivered in 2022, there were 27 hybrid, 64 in-person and 70 virtual events - a clear indication that the reach, convenience and benefits of online event platforms and technology has been embraced and become part of our industry for good. Our team, which still managed to grow throughout ‘the lockdown years’, has expanded further this year - we now have 18 awesome event professionals on staff, along with a handful of contractors and casuals, and of course there was the special arrival of baby Jesslyn. We also branched out nationally, with several major events held outside of the Melbourne CBD - in Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Regional Victoria. We’ve been extremely busy but had lot of fun along the way. To help celebrate everything we’ve achieved we asked the team to share some of their highlights. Here’s a taste of events from 2022:
“This event was so fun to work on from start to finish. I got a chance to include some of my own questions in the quiz and really enjoyed playing with the artwork and sounds that added such fun elements to it. The practice sessions made a huge difference and I was so proud of the end result.” – Angeline “I had the pleasure of not only creating multiple videos used for the quiz but to also be a part of the team backstage running it. The big quiz was unlike anything I've worked on before and it was such a cool experience from start to finish.” – Justin “It was such a pleasure to be able to join up with Brainwave and help create a fun, exciting corporate event which was outside the box. With Charlie Pickering as host, we were able to create a broadcasted live quiz where our corporate teams were able to battle it out and take the trophy.” – Olivia More info: thebigquiz.com.au
“This event was a great learning opportunity for me from start to finish. I got to manage the whole abstract management and speaker portfolio for the client. I managed and liaised with over 500 speakers over an eight-month period and during the event I got to meet some of them and put a face to the names. To see all your hard work come together for the three-day conference was amazing with over 130 sessions, 450 speakers. This event is hosted by Australia and New Zealand, but it was great to see so many authors, attendees come from all over the world to attend this conference. I heard such lovely comments and feedback from the authors I got to meet and made me feel so delighted that I was able to help through this whole process.” – Erin “I really enjoyed the gala in particular and running the livestream. Our suppliers and I had a great time calling the shots and getting some great footage of the dancefloor and band! The venue, Optus Stadium had an amazing backdrop of Perth City and an epic lightning show as a bonus. It was a huge event with so many moving parts and I enjoyed the Volunteer Management piece as well.” – Georgia More info: anzmac2022.com
“This was the largest gala dinner we've produced to date (1,400 pax). It was particularly special as it was the first key event coming out of COVID-19 and we knew there was a real sense of community and connection from attendees.” – Julia “The celebration and gathering of so many different communities, was special to see. The diversity of entertainment, food and music connected so many people together. It was one of the most mentally and physically challenging events I’ve been a part of, and I wouldn't change a thing! Bring on 2023.” – Opal More info: https://bit.ly/3sgUhdl
“It was such a massive project - 31 events including the closing celebration. We got to know all of the participants and they were really appreciative of the whole program. It was great to hear how young Multicultural leaders are providing opportunities for others.” – Taylah More info: https://bit.ly/3EXtirr
“This was my first major event, and it was so fulfilling to work with many inspirational speakers for a very important cause. It was a fantastic learning opportunity and gave me a real insight into the online aspect of the event industry.” - Melanie More info: https://bit.ly/3HFJbXu
“It was great to travel to Regional Victoria and collaborate with an important sector of our economy - agriculture! The event was postponed from 2021 due to COVID so it was nice to see the team's planning come to fruition with a great number of attendees from across the sector.” - Victor More info: https://bit.ly/3A2l9Rf
These are just a taste of the wide range of events we’ve been involved in this year. None of which could have been possible without our wonderful clients who trust and support our work, plus our suppliers, collaborators and supporters. Thank you for another memorable year, we look forward to working with you all again in 2023!
 Doubling your bean bag order at the last minute is always a good sign that your outdoor event is going to be a success, which is exactly what happened for Melbourne University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) Endeavour Semester 2 Exhibition on Wednesday, 19 October, when a rare and welcomed sunny event day arrived! While this was the sixth Endeavour Exhibition the JTPM team has produced since 2018, every event is slightly different, bigger and better than the last, with graduating students showcasing their innovative and impressive final year projects to industry professionals, family and friends. The day culminates in an Awards ceremony, recognising some of the stand-out projects and students of the year with various prizes including the People’s Choice, Department and Industry sponsored accolades up for grabs. This hybrid celebration was held online via - allowing overseas based students to join in, and on-site on the University’s South Lawn for the Exhibition and Wilson Hall for the Awards. With 130 projects on display, 412 students involved, and more than 2,000 attendees we needed plenty of space set up several large marquees for students to share their projects and set up areas to connect and network with one another and their guests.   Despite having run the event many times before, planning began about a year in advance and then really picked up in June/ July, requiring a total of 800 hours of combined teamwork to deliver the final event. Having the venue so close to the office certainly was convenient, reducing the amount of travel and OOO time when it came to site visits. Being able to bump into the venue almost five days in advance on the previous Friday was also really helpful, providing plenty of time to get everything just right. This also allowed students to bump in from early Tuesday morning and helped create a sense of excitement and anticipation around the campus in the lead up to the day. Divided into two parts the event kicked off from 10:00am - 3:30pm where the Exhibition area was open to the public, while the 5:30- 9:30pm time slot was reserved for the industry viewing and Awards. Well done to the core event planning team; Taylah (Comms & Awards), Heidi (Operational Logistics), Chloe and Opal (Project students), and thanks to Will for supporting in the morning and Angeline, Melanie, Emily and Erin for helping at the Award - like a well-oiled machine, working seamlessly together! Event highlights included getting to check out all the awesome engineering and technology projects and hanging out with our favourite Melbourne Uni mascot, Barry the Bear, but our lawn chill-out zone was also pretty popular - offering funky beats from a live DJ, free coffee courtesy of Airwallex and comfy bean bags to kick back and soak in the sunshine, not that we got to do much of the relaxing of course… A couple of special mentions:
Do you want to connect a range of audiences fin different locations, or need to include multiple elements and activities at your next event? Our experienced event producers are experts at planning complex and multi-dimensional events of all sizes, industries and themes. Give us a call to discuss your unique needs, vision and goals - you imagine it, we create it!   Events can be unpredictable – things break, people get sick or lost and the weather can change suddenly (something we know well in Melbourne!) With so many moving parts involved, it’s almost impossible to avoid all potential risks or predict what might go wrong. This makes working in event both exciting and terrifying, but a good event producer will have a toolbox of essential items, a ‘box of tricks’ they can pull out to deal with emergencies of all shapes and sizes. It’s like taking out insurance but more practical, less complicated to implement and often provides better outcomes too! Some of the common items in the JTPM toolbox include scissors and a box cutter, various rolls of tape, super glue, a stapler and staples, a sewing and first aid kit, a collection of pens, pencils and markers, post it notes and notebooks, batteries of various sizes, pliers and screwdriver, tissues and toilet paper, hand sanitiser and face masks and of course an assortment of chargers. Additional items are added from time to time, depending on each specific event such as sunscreen, bottles of water, an umbrella, raincoat, hat or cap and a handheld fan for any outdoor events. Our event toolbox has been a lifesaver on many occasions, so we took a team poll and asked everyone to share their favourite event item, tip or hack. Here’s our top eight: 
Keeping our event toolkit stocked up and ready to go is an important part of the post-event process, but we also make sure to do a quick stocktake before the event and we recommend keeping a checklist of all items to make sure nothing is missing. As experienced event producers, we come prepared to tackle just about anything – because rain, hail or shine, the event must go on! If you’re looking for a reliable, thoughtful and caring event team give us a call today.  Imagine running 15 hybrid events in four countries, over three days. Welcome to George Think 2022! An independent medical research organisation, The George Institute for Global Health (TGI) conducts world-class research on non-communicable diseases, including heart and kidney disease, stroke, diabetes, and injury to help improve the lives of millions of people around the world. The global conference connects staff in India, China, Australia and the UK for a series of keynote talks, discussions and celebrations which aims to: “Explore, reflect and develop new ideas and collaborative processes that can be transformed into real action to achieve our goals in alignment with our institutional values.” Until this year, George Think was held bi-annually, with mainly Associate Professors and Senior staff attending, but in 2022, it was expanded significantly to involve everyone from researchers to finance staff, admin to operational staff. The goal was to create a more inclusive experience and outcome, that also reflected and represented the Institute's diverse workforce. Delivering a hybrid event (with dual online and in-person attendees) when you can’t be on the ground is a challenge in itself, multiply that by 15 and add a bunch of different time zones and we had one of the more complex event briefs we’d seen in a while! A short planning timeline of just two months, and a packed three-day program (20 – 22 July) that was only finalised two weeks prior, presented further hurdles along the way - requiring epic project management and problem-solving skills, and an incredibly high level of organisation and attention to detail, supported by fortnightly client meetings and more than 450 hours of planning work alone! Led by Georgia, Opal and Emily, with support from Heidi, Bella, Justin, Julia, Victor, Chloe, Lou and Melinda on event days, JTPM delivered 15 events in total: including three global events and one regional event per country each day. Each event consisted of a variety of keynote speeches, panel discussions, breakout and networking sessions, enabling colleagues in different countries and locations to come together and interact in real-time. Some sessions were even delivered in a language other than English.  We had 454 conference attendees registered, with anywhere between 150 – 190 online (depending on the day and session), and up to 200 in-person guests at any given time across all five locations including:
While we didn’t get to choose the venues, we prepared and provided detailed tech plots and floor plans to guide the team on the ground and organised trial runs on our event platform. Emily and Georgia flew to Sydney and were based in the TGI offices for the duration of the event, where the one of the MCs was also located.  Conference Highlights:
Here are our top three tips for running international events:
Are you looking to connect people at multiple sites, cities or even countries? Want to produce a truly global and inclusive event experience, that is unaffected by the challenges of travel costs and COVID restrictions? Thanks to innovations in event technology and some creative thinking, anything is possible! Give our expert event production team a call to discuss your unique event needs and goals today. 
Video content (live and pre-recorded) has become a bit of a hero in the events industry following the past two years of delivering virtual events. What began as a solution to a problem (the pandemic) and a way to communicate, entertain and engage with people online, has now become an essential element in all our events – whether it's online, in-person or hybrid, video content will only add to and enhance the experience!
As a result, JTPM has spent a significant amount of time and resources developing and expanding our video production skills and services. From pre-production storyboarding to post-production animations, we can now support our clients with every step of the video production process to create content that is impactful and captivates the audience, while also helping to achieve business goals. Check out some highlights from our previous work below! 
Pre-Production (the prep and planning stage):
Production (where the magic happens):
Post-Production (the techy stuff):
Delivery (the final product and outputs):
Visit the video production page of our website to view other examples of work we’ve done in the past! Whether you require our full range of video production services or just one or two of the editing and delivery elements; we can help you create new videos or update existing content to help you effectively connect and communicate with your audience. Give us a call to discuss your video production needs today.  The first event of its kind for the region; 2022 AgTech Summit - Growing Smarter in the Mallee was hosted by the Mallee Regional Innovation Centre (MRIC) in partnership with The University of Melbourne. Held at the SuniTAFE Smart Farm in Irymple, just outside of Mildura the Summit ran across two days - on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 May 2022 and included a networking dinner at a nearby venue on the Thursday evening. In the past, this kind of event would be held in a big hotel conference room, however the benefits of hosting it at SuniTAFE Smart Farm became evident following our first site visit. By running the Summit on a working farm, we had the unique opportunity to offer LIVE demonstrations, practical workshops and farm tours alongside the traditional summit program of speakers and panel discussions. This provided a more compelling reason for people to attend and created a rich and engaging experience for attendees! Growing Smarter in the Mallee 2022 attracted more than 200 attendees across both days and featured more than forty speakers, including leading industry innovators, growers and peak bodies, agriculture academics, Government ministers and company CEOs. The Summit delivered a variety of talks, panels, workshops and demonstrations, showcasing the latest developments in agriculture and farming and facilitating collaborations and conversations to help address key challenges and opportunities for the future of the region’s horticulture industry. Check out the full AgTech Summit program here and read on to find out more: Better late than never… Led by Georgia, Lou and Emily, with support from Chloe and several volunteers, the event had been originally planned for November 2021, but was postponed as a result of ongoing uncertainty at the time, putting everything on hold until early February. While this was less than ideal for everyone involved, the extra planning time allowed us to put together a comprehensive sponsorship prospectus and work closely with MRIC to help secure $63,000 in sponsorships for the event!  About the venue: Established in 1980, SuniTAFE provides vocational training to the Sunraysia community and includes a fully operational 30-hectare horticultural Smart Farm, which is renowned for using the latest technology, automation, innovation and farming practices. It’s both a training facility and a working farm – with real crops and livestock being produced and maintained. While we were able to use some of the existing farm structures, including the staff room as our event HQ, and four classrooms as workshop spaces, we still had to set up a number of temporary structures including ‘The Big Tent’ marquee where all the speaker sessions happened, a registration tent, 18 trade stalls and a practical demonstration area (with the star pickets personally installed by the JT team!) We were also able to bring two food trucks on site each day as our source of catering. The best part - > we were able to get the venue for FREE; in return for the exposure and networking opportunities the event would provide. And better still… SuniTAFE Smart Farm had a local AgTech business approach them to run their programs and new technology as a direct result of the Summit. Dinner with a view… Sponsored by evokeAG – a digital platform connecting the agri-food innovation community across Asia Pacific, the Summit Dinner was held on the Thursday evening at Willow & Ivie - a stunning private venue, surrounded by picturesque vineyards and manicured gardens. Despite being just a short 7-minute drive from SuniTAFE and Mildura town centre, we provided a shuttle bus service to pick up and drop off attendees – enabling them to truly relax and enjoy the region’s best assets – great food, wine, and views! Dinner guests indulged in a 3-course fine dining experience with matching local wines, had the opportunity to mingle and network with fellow Summit attendees, and heard from keynote speaker Matthew Pryor who presented the Tenacious Ventures on Future Forces: AgroFutures report.  Event challenges:
No event is ever free of risks and challenges! Aside from delays and changes due to covid, the main challenges of this event included the unique OH&S considerations and requirements surrounding the practical demonstrations and autonomous vehicles and the fact that we had to overcome our fear of small aircrafts in order to conduct site visits! Event highlights: Being able to see the latest agriculture technology and machinery in action was definitely one of the highlights, with event attendees relishing the opportunity to get up close and personal with GUSS (Global Unmanned Spray System) and the Smart Farm’s autonomous tractor – aka giant farm robots! The closing session was also incredible – in 30 minutes the panel and audience brainstormed a list of 11 priority areas and issues for the region, which will be presented to local MP’s. We were able to put these up on screen in real-time, using Miro, an online whiteboard platform that created a real sense of teamwork and collaboration. Considering a regional or destination event? Contrary to popular belief holding your event in a remote or unique location should not negatively impact the success and attendance of your event – if it’s done right! Give our experienced and passionate team a call for support with everything from site visits and event planning to sponsorship and transport, and much more! 
The annual Victorian Multicultural Gala Dinner presented by the Victorian Multicultural Commission marks the launch of Cultural Diversity Week. The 2022 theme was ‘Connecting Through Culture’ and this year’s event was especially significant as we came together after many months apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic. JT. Production Management was proud to produce this mammoth event, kicking off the initial planning meeting in early December 2021 and accumulating 740 hours of work from four project managers and a total of twenty-four team members on event night! Here’s some of the highlights: Venue: The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre - MCEC, is made up of three adjacent buildings nestled alongside the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. It was one of few venues that could hold the 1,400 guests but still meant we needed very tight tables and an accurate seating plan. MCEC also offers great views along with discreet and secure entry points for VVIP’s on the night including:
To ensure we brought the space to life to reflect our vibrant community, JTPM created multiple activations within the event including: 1.Welcoming archway to pin point our brand, measuring 3m x 2.5m, we built a vibrate arch that signalled the entryway 2.Purple carpet media wall experience – located before the entrance to the main room featuring sponsor logos and used for photo opportunities, measuring 6m x 3m, this purple carpet experience brought a sense of vibrancy and VIP feel to the event 3.Secondary photo engagement – at the far right of the foyer, before entering the main room. Guests could contribute to the photo mosaic via a photobooth (supporting the community theme) and take hard copies of the images home with them. Catering: With guests from a range of cultural backgrounds, we had many different dietary requirements to cater for. The MCEC food philosophy is vibrant, diverse, and celebrates Melbourne - a city famous for exceptional food. Passionate about quality and sustainability, the award-winning catering team sourced the finest and freshest local produce, and every dish is original, prepared in-house and by hand. Here's a sneak peek at the dinner menu: Entrée
Main
Drinks
Theming :
Inspired by the weaving of tapestry our ‘Wishing Tree’ table centrepieces were co-designed between JTPM and Skunk Control, to represent the theme of connecting through culture. Made from recycled wood, the trees had multicoloured VMC branded ribbons hanging from the branches. Blank ribbons, sharpies and gold pins were also provided, and guests were invited to write a wish and swap it for the branded ribbons on the tree. “Recognising traditions, recognising heritage, recognising values - together we make up the rich tapestry of life and we invite you to join us tonight in creating our very own works of art. Share with us your wish, your truth, your purpose - write it on your ribbon and trade it for one hanging on our trees. May these ribbons represent the vibrant multicultural community we have in Victoria and may your written wish come true.” Everyone loved sharing their wish and wearing their branded ribbons - giving guests another way to interact and contribute to the event. Each guest also received a mini-native plant to take home as a memento of the night. Some of the wishes that were made on the night included: "Wishing for peace." "Stop the war in Afghanistan and uktane" "love, respect, peace" "I wish for equality and good opportunities for students" "stop racism" "I wish my children will grow up in a safe, kind and forgiving world" "Less talk and more action from gov + orgs for equity and inclusion" "peace and shared fellowship" "I wish all migrant, refugee and asylum seeker women feel safe" "peace, brotherhood, empathy, resilience, love' " a year without turmoil, conflict and war, communal support in the space of hardship" "for emerging African communities to thrive" Entertainment: The Victorian Multicultural Gala Dinner showcased a range of talent 15+ performances, including 1x MC, 2x SLAM Poets, 10x cultural performances and a number of VIP speeches, each act required a unique stage and technical set up. For example, our Chinese lion dancers arrived as a group of 25 performers, making it tricky to keep everyone organised among the other 48 artists. Coordinating enough rehearsal time for each of these acts in the lead up to the event was also a fun challenge to tackle. In summary: It was an honour to deliver this spectacular event on Saturday, 19 March 2022 – a celebration of Victoria's vibrant multicultural community with an unforgettable evening of fine dining, uplifting entertainment, and social and professional networking opportunities. Like the wishing trees on our tables, the event was grounded in the common threads of human emotion and connection. We all make up the landscape of life - our roots, our branches - unique and strong and beautiful. At JTPM, we are passionate about delivering events with purpose just like the Victorian Multicultural Gala Dinner. Check out the highlights video below and give us a call for support with your next event - no matter how big or small!  Selecting just the right event venue is no easy feat. There are so many variables and options it can be a daunting task for anyone who has not done it before. It’s also one of the main things that can make or break an event, so it’s something we take very seriously - and so should you! While you may have a favourite venue in mind, it’s important to create a realistic shortlist of venues that will specifically meet your event and business objectives. Here are 10 things we consider carefully before booking any venue: 1. Size/ Capacity How many people do you expect or want to attend? Will attendees be arriving and/or participating at the same or at different times throughout the day? It’s not just the total number of guests but the type of event we need to think about. A standing cocktail event will require far less physical space than a formal sit-down dinner. Similarly, hosting 500+ people across an eight-hour or longer period requires a different kind and amount of space than catering for 500 in one sitting! 2. Location Where does your target audience live and/ or work and how far are they willing to travel to your event? Do guests have to attend in person, or can you go partially or fully online? A suburban venue will be ideal for a community organisation like a local council, while a national event or business such as Telstra may still prefer a central CBD venue. However, as hybrid events are becoming the norm in this post-covid world, the physical location may not always be dictated by geography and proximity. You could also decide to hold a series of smaller events across multiple days or locations (like a tour or roadshow) which of course then means we’d need to find similar venues across all locations to keep things consistent. 3. Look & Layout Aesthetics are important – so make sure the overall look and feel of your venue fit with your event theme and brand! The architecture and design of a venue can help create an emotional connection and a more pleasurable and successful experience for event guests. Ensuring there is enough space for ‘traffic flow’ and for all attendees to have clear visibility of the action is also essential. People are not just numbers, and there’s nothing worse than getting caught in a human bottleneck and having to navigate through busy crowds when you need to go to the toilet or getting stuck on a table at the back of the room or behind a pillar and feeling forgotten and disconnected! 4. Parking & Transport Inadequate parking or transport options can potentially cause disruptions and delays to both the event set-up and attendance. While we certainly need to make sure guests can get to the event, you may wish to recommend and check that alternative means of transportation such as PT or rideshare services are readily available. This is particularly important if you’re an environmentally conscious business. Just remember that a certain amount of parking will always be required, especially for staff and suppliers like caterers and tech support who need to bring in a range of equipment. 5. Amenities Making sure there are enough bathrooms and running water may sound like a no brainer and most traditional venues will have this covered. However, if you’re hosting an outdoor event or choose a less conventional venue this is something you will need to check and think about. Using external suppliers and operators of essential amenities will impact your budget, event layout and attendee experience. Will your audience be happy to use a port-a-loo? Caterers will also need adequate kitchen and water facilities for preparing and serving food. 6. Accessibility Providing inclusive and equal opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities and making sure everyone can safely access your event is a legal and moral obligation we all have as human beings. This includes checking your venue for things like lifts, ramps and accessible toilets, baby change rooms, gender-neutral and LGBTGQ friendly amenities, and even audio and visual support. 7. Sustainability It’s far more common for newer buildings and facilities to be designed and built with eco-friendly elements at the forefront, but it’s best to ask about these features if you’re looking at hosting an environmentally friendly event. Choosing a venue that uses solar power and recycled materials is a great way to further reduce your carbon footprint and demonstrates your commitment to fighting climate change. Read our blog - how to go green with your next event – for more tips. 8. Technology & special effects What audio visual hardware and software will your event require? It’s important to think about and understand the type of content and/or presentations you intend to share. Modern venues may have some basic technology like big screens and speakers integrated into the space, while others will require you to bring everything in. Some venues will also have their preferred or in-house audio visual/ tech teams and while they can offer peace of mind as they are familiar with the venue, they may be limited in what you can and can’t do. 9. Catering Certain event venues will have a list of preferred/ partner caterers and suppliers you can work with. Others will only offer in-house options which means you may not be able to use a particular celebrity chef or your favourite catering company. The cost and cuisine will also vary from venue to venue (as well as the caterer) so make sure you check these options. 10. Budget The cost of hiring a particular space or room varies greatly - it all depends on the size, location and who the owner/ operator is. Some will throw in freebies or inclusions like access to WIFI and some parking, while others will simply quote you for an empty shell. We’ve worked with and built relationships with many venues over the years and can often help to negotiate a good deal, but it will always come back to your event vision, goals and of course – your available budget. Lots to think about, right? Don’t worry – you’re not alone and we do this all the time! Get in touch for expert advice, recommendations and support with picking and booking your next meeting or event space. |
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