FROM
THE CHAIR
3
Dear members
I’m writing this on what is practically the eve of our National Conference. An event that always has great significance for the Australian Service Management community but has more this year than most.
States have emerged from the lockdowns, vaccination numbers across the country are very high and we seem to have the worst of the pandemic behind us.
Not quite ‘Normal,’ but we’re getting there.
And your National Conference is one very tangible, very significant manifestation of this. Sponsor support has been nothing short of sensational and I’d like to extend my thanks to all of the people and enterprises who will join us in Brisbane next week. I do this both personally and as the Chair of the Australian Forum.
Registration numbers are looking pretty good too. This combined with innovative post conference marketing and promotion will directly assist our numerous sponsors to capitalise on their support and gain the market penetration they deserve.
Finally in respect of the Conference, can I say how pleased I have been with the hard work and dedication of all the National Office staff & the conference committee under the superb leadership of Janet Holling, our 2022 Conference Director.
Janet has needed to shoulder a fair bit of the burden of staging a National Conference in very uncertain times and her steadfast leadership and ‘We can and will make it happen’ attitude has kept everyone focused and motivated.
I will have more to say about the staff contribution after the event, but I do wish to acknowledge the fantastic efforts of Allison Tucker, our Sponsorship Manager. This is always an important job, never more so than this year, and she has done a remarkable job.
The speaker line-up is always impressive at our Conferences, but I think this year’s is something very special. The mix of international and home-grown expertise is always an exciting one and we have added a few of our own, well known and highly regarded Members to the mix – this will be a Service Management conference that can be favourably compared to any in the world.
I hope I see you there, in Brisbane, in person and taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new acquaintances and generally open ourselves up to new ideas, to innovations across the industry and the chance to simply rub shoulders with your fellow Service Management practitioners.
Enjoy the magazine.
Brendan Cullen - Chair
itSMF Australia