NOVEMBER | NOEA COLUMN
Great
people
NOEA CEO Susan
Tanner reveals
expert speakers
set for Bath
E
vents, as much as an
industry, is a people
business. No great
event can happen without the
creativity talent, application
and personality of the people
around it. From the creatives
and strategists at the beginning,
to the production staff and the
teams of volunteers come event
day; events show off the best of
people’s talent and generosity.
It’s no wonder then that the
world of events has so many
‘great’ personalities. Now, when
I say great, I don’t just mean
brilliant people; at the top of
their game, producing fantastic
events for millions. What we’re
especially fortunate to have
in this industry is people that
have reached the top, but then
focused their minds on the
betterment of the industry as a
whole. They don’t just pack their
bags and sail into the sunset,
they stick around and try and
make positive change.
One of these people is Geoff
Ellis, one of the industry’s
leading personalities, and the
creator of some of the biggest
brands we’ve had in the world
“Geoff has witnessed pretty much everything this
industry has to throw at an organiser.”
of festivals. Geoff has been at
the top of his game for the best
part of a quarter of a century
and has witnessed pretty much
everything this industry has
to throw at an organiser. No
stranger to controversy, he has
then also been brave enough to
put his head above the parapet
and looked to make changes,
through government, thought
leadership, both in and outside
of the industry, so others can
maybe avoid some of the many
trip wires that have tried to
ensnare him and his business
over the years.
This is what I mean by
great, and we couldn’t be more
delighted to have Geoff speak
at the NOEA convention this
month, kindly giving up his time
once again for the industry. He
steps into big shoes this year,
following a brilliant keynote
from Dick Tee at last year’s
convention, another truly great
industry professional.
This year we’ve given Geoff
the task of speaking on our
theme ‘Who’s looking after
who’ at events. We’ve asked
him to share with us his own
thoughts on the responsibilities,
liabilities and boundaries that
effect where the event starts and
finishes for the many spectators
that it welcomes. We’re sure he’ll
have lots to say on the matter.
Geoff has kindly given up
his valuable time to spend it
with other event professionals
for what is going to be a really
interesting day at our annual
convention, and we hope you
can all join us in Bath on the 27
November. Alongside Geoff will
be some other industry leaders,
each of whom has also given up
their valuable time, and I can’t
thank them enough for their
commitment to the industry.
Lastly, it would be remiss
of me not to publicly thank
Andy Grove, our now outgoing
president for his hard work and
dedication to NOEA over the last
two years. Andy is moving on to
pastures new but leaves a lasting
legacy for our association.
63