Growing the events industry in Wellington

Growing the events industry in Wellington

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Joany Grima, WelTec’s new Event Management lecturer.

Event Management is a multi-million dollar industry which is growing at a rapid pace in New Zealand. Wellington is a significant player on the national stage, playing host to major international events such as the World of Wearable Arts, the International Rugby Sevens and the International Festival of the Arts.

The new Graduate Diploma in Event Management offered by WelTec is a response to a growing need within the industry, both here and abroad, for event management professionals. Heading up the programme, Event Management Lecturer, Joany Grima says the fast-paced industry requires creative and dedicated professionals with great organisational skills, an eye for detail and a can-do attitude.

Having begun a career initially in television production, Ms Grima discovered the events industry in the lead up to the Sydney Olympics where she worked with the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games to assist with the recruitment of volunteers. Her career has taken her around the world, working on the 2005 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and project managing the 2007 and 2009 Commonwealth People’s Forum in Uganda and Trinidad and Tobago respectively.

“Working in Uganda was amazing, something that I am most proud of. It was hugely challenging with a lack of resources and infrastructure; but it was pretty spectacular and hard to beat as a career highlight.”

Closer to home, Ms Grima has worked with APEC, FIFA, Melbourne Museum, Amnesty International and the Cancer Council Victoria to name just a few. She is currently working with the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts on Writers and Readers week.

Her change in career direction happened completely by chance, but it is no accident that she has remained in what she considers one of the most interesting and diverse industries around. “I started off volunteering at community events and enjoyed everything about it. I enjoy putting together all the pieces of the puzzle and seeing the overall audience experience.”

International event management expert Judy Allen once compared the art of event management to a live stage production, a high-wire act without the safety nets. Ms Grima agrees, “there is always an element of panic but organisation and planning is key.”

With a robust and diverse background in events, Ms Grima has a wealth of knowledge to impart to her students. “This course is going to be challenging, there’s a lot to get through but the students can expect to get a lot out of it. It’s very practical and we will bring guest speakers from industry in to maintain a real world focus. These students will be the next generation of event planners.”

The graduate diploma runs over one year full-time and has been designed for those wanting to develop their expertise in planning, organising and implementing major conference, sports and entertainment events.

ENDS

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