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The recent Bay of Plenty Regional Business Women’s conference was more than your average conference.  Just like the title, the conference struck a good balance between serious business topics and uplifting experiences. Here’s some things the organising committee did really well:

1. Sponsor acknowledgement was woven into the fabric of the event without crossing the line to an all out sales pitch.  Having speakers from the sponsoring organisations address relevant and non-partisan topics added value to sponsors without watering down the delegate experience.
2. The conference pack, aka ‘Goodie Bag’ was impressive.  You really couldn’t toss it in a dusty corner with your other conference packs.  Conference delegates now have more organised desks, glowing skin, soft hands and more sweet dispositions. 
3. There was a set-back on the day.  The final presenter was snowed-in at Queenstown airport while the delegates crowded the Tauranga Venue.   A new and impressive speaker filled the gap, leaving nobody feeling short-changed.  You might call it Agile Event Management.
4. All too often at conferences you pass the bowl around for the business card draw.  This event lived up to the expectations set by its innovative title and didn’t go with the tried and tired.  Instead they passed the bowl around collecting pledges for a charity that had impressed delegates with their conference presentation.  Speakers about charities make you want to act now, and the conference team made that possible.  This simple act of innovation and kindness raised enough to fund 2.5 of Sir Ray Avery's LifePods.  The committee also contributed a speakers fee equivalent to one LifePod, making a total contribution of 3.5 LifePods - potentially saving a lot of young lives.
5. They sent a follow up survey on the next business day.  It was timely, online and not burdensome.

Want to enjoy Tauranga Chamber of Commerce Business Women’s Network events in the future.  You can see what’s happening at bwn.org.nz.

When Chris Winslade and Moira Moroney attend and events they look to share ideas to inspire the Events Pronto community do things better.  We call these people and ideas inspirators – things that inspire action.

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