The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) has announced Mia Oesterberg and Taryn Reid as the recipients of its 2021 Staff Scholarships.
Oesterberg is a project and events executive at Northern Territory Business Events, and Reid works as a business development manager at Business Events Tasmania.
The AACB’s annual scholarship program, which is sponsored by Business Events Australia, was modified this year to reflect crisis recovery and the future of Australia’s business events industry.
Projects that supported convention bureaux and considered the recovery of the domestic and international business events markets in Australia were highly regarded.
AACB chief executive Andrew Hiebl said: “The scholarship embodies our ongoing commitment to excellence and through crisis recovery continues to offer bureau staff opportunities to demonstrate their professional dedication to the business events industry.
“Congratulations Mia and Taryn.”
As scholarship recipients Oesterberg and Reid will each receive a $3,300 grant to undertake their proposed projects which consider the future of Australia’s business events industry.
Oesterberg’s winning proposal, ‘Understanding how inconsistent communication around domestic border closures have impacted the rebound and recovery of the business events industry’, will seek to demonstrate how discrepancies in language, used by each state and territory, adversely impacts decision-makers within the business events industry.
Likewise, Reid’s proposal will benefit the industry by gaining an increased understanding of the requirements and buyer behaviours of professional conference organisers operating in a post-COVID market, and the factors influencing decision-makers to aid the recovery of Australia’s business events industry.
Penny Lion, executive general manager of events at Tourism Australia, said: “Business Events Australia is very proud to support the future development of our industry, especially in response to crisis recovery to ensure Australia remains a competitive business events destination internationally.
“Congratulations to Mia and Taryn and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of the projects.”
Oesterberg said she was excited to commence her research project.
“By demonstrating the impacts of border closures and lobbying for consistent language to be used by all state and territories, it will give events planners greater certainty when planning in-person events and instil confidence in the marketplace,” she said.
Reid thanked the AACB and Business Events Australia for their support.
“I am delighted to be given this opportunity to aid the recovery of an industry that I am incredibly passionate about, and I hope bureaux will benefit in the long term from my research,” she said.
Featured image source: iStock/Varijanta
