Over 300 delegates from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Holland converged on the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the Meetings and Events Australia conference held from May 14 – 17.
The three day conference kicked off with sessions aimed at first timers, special interest groups and Young MEA (Y MEA) members with the official welcome to all delegates taking place on Thursday evening, followed by a welcome function at Saloma, a cultural centre where guests were given play money to barter with at a mock-up of a traditional craft market and treated to Malaysian street food.
Friday morning saw the conference open with a talk by MC Nigel Collin on the topic of ‘Is you conference too boring?’. Collin’s talk was followed by the first of MEAs ‘Thought Starters’ that gave attendees a taste of the Deep Dive Sessions to follow. This style of speaker program – tasters followed by deeper explorations that delegates could opt into – worked exceptionally well.
The Deep Dives covered a wide range of topics including branding, communicating effectively and leadership skills. Popular talks were Lieutenant Michael Bonning’s talk ‘Lead Like You Were Born To It’ and Darren Isenberg’s ‘The Power of ‘I’ – The Impact of Individual Influence’ that taught delegates how to be influential by cooperating with colleagues and having a positive disposition.
Popular presentations on day two included Matthew Michalewicz‘s talk on sales, as well as his closing address on ‘Life in Half a Second’ on strategies for success, as well as Lynne Schinella‘s presentation about the importance of effective storytelling in business.
Throughout the course of the conference delegates were treated to a range of Asian dishes, drinks and deserts for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea in the exhibition hall, giving them an opportunity to eat and browse. A live Malaysian band performed at lunch and several artists’ stalls were installed.
The conference culminated in a the gala dinner held at the Convention Centre that featured a seven course banquet, performances by Song Division and a lot of very funny dancing.
