Sound n' Sight

MPI UK's Young Achievers Award hopes to help shape events industry

In an industry where a lack of support for developing talent is routinely decried, MPI UK & Ireland has taken a major step forward. The organization  presented the inaugural "Young Achiever's Award" June 3, in which teams of students presented competing "agency briefs" for a mixed conference and incentive trip to Switzerland. After each of the four teams had their turn in front of a panel of judges and an invited audience, the winning team was awarded a cup, a certificate and a three-day trip to Switzerland.

The event was the brainchild of Planet Planit Managing Director, Paul Cook, who is also very active in the UK & Ireland Chapter of MPI.  I recently asked Paul a few questions about the Young Achiever's Award.

Paul - I have the privilege of knowing a number of people in the events industry both on the academic and business sides. In talking to them it became abundantly clear that an opportunity of truly developing the events industry was being lost. This I think was just because of the two areas not really meeting in the middle. This is really where my idea came from. Let's put everyone together; students, lecturers and event professionals and let us see how we can truly shape our industry. For this first event I used the great association of Meeting Professionals International (UK & Ireland Chapter) to help bring the parties together.

Jenise - Why is it so difficult for young people to enter the events industry?

Paul - I think there are two main issues here; one, is the pure demand being driven by students coming onto the market each year (In the UK alone there are around 2,500 per annum so that puts a strain on the amount of opportunities that may be available or jobs in other words, and secondly, there is no clear career path which could help students to see a way forward. Unlike other professions such as Lawyers, Accountants etc there is no structure (at the moment - things are changing) so that by itself makes the task more difficult.

On the plus side our events industry is one that can be easy to get into by accident. With the number of small and entrepreneurial businesses that are around there are opportunities for emerging talent.

Jenise - Do you know of any other efforts to address this issue?

Paul - In the UK there is currently work being undertaken to look at the feasibility of establishing an Event Management Institute (name may change) which would certainly address the issues of career path and continuing professional development. So that is all rather exciting. Event professionals really do need to be treated as such.

Some of the show organisers also run their own events to help students gain a flavour of what the business world may hold. IMEX/MPI and their Future Leaders Forum and the ICCA and EIBTM Forum for Young Professionals spring to mind.

Jenise - Please tell us a little more about the event itself. It sounds almost like a reality show ala "Britain's Got Talent" or "American Idol".

Paul - Jenise you are pretty close in this assessment although it was in fact two events in one. In the UK we have a TV programme called Dragons' Den which works on a basic pitch formula. People looking for business investment would put a proposal/pitch to the investors (Dragons) who would then decide whether to invest or not. The Dragons would ask further questions following the pitch. That was the basis that this competition worked with the University teams presenting to a panel of judges.

The American Idol (X Factor - over here) element was merely the twist that we also allowed the audience to have a fun vote. This made for great audience participation.

Jenise -What changes, if any, do you plan to implement for next year's competition?

Paul - Well there will be some changes but at this point I am evaluating the feedback to make it even stronger next time. So right now I cannot say with certainty which elements will be enhanced or dropped. Being the producer allows for great creativity which is so crucial to keep pushing the success forward.

Jenise - Are there any plans for a Young Acheivers Award competition in the U.S. or elsewhere?

Paul - I am already in talks with people in Europe and the US so that is exciting. I cannot say much more at this time other than stay tuned and I'll let you know as soon as I have some definite plans.

Jenise - What advice would you give a young person reading this who would like to become an event planner?

Paul - for any young person reading this I would say the events world is a great one to be in. You have to like people, work very long hours, stay calm at all times, work to pressured deadlines but the rewards are enormous. The people you will meet, the places you may go to and the opportunities of working in this creative industry are just second to none.

On a practical level, make sure you have some business cards, network like crazy, soak up the industry jargon and find yourself a mentor. Above all ask questions of the industry professionals and find out if the world of events is really for you.

For more stories on the Young Acheiver's Awards, see: 

Barclays and Takeda Pharmaceuticals judge MPI Young Achievers Award competition 

Student stars spotted at first MPI Young Achievers Award

MPI's Young Achievers shine in Westminster 

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