Is there a Wedding Planning Association in Australia? This is a question that we are asked nearly every day at the Academy.
In truth, the wedding planning industry is currently unregulated in Australia, and therefore there isn’t actually any incorporated association for our industry. There are legitimate associations within the events industry here in Australia and they are as follows:
MEA - Meetings and Event Australia
ISES - International Special Events Society
PCO - Professional Conference Organisers Association
EEAA - Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia
Any other so called ‘Wedding Planning Associations’ in Australia are organisations that have been put together by individual commercial entities, who have done so to help promote their own product or service. The Wedding Planning Association of Australia (WPAA) is a good example of this. It is NOT an incorporated association and isn’t registered as a not-for-profit entity, which is usually a requirement of a registered association. It is run by one person who sells wedding planning courses, and is there purely for commercial gain and not for the good of the industry. Whilst we actively support any initiative that is there to try and move the industry forward, we don’t believe that this accredits any education offered by such organisations.
Our industry is a difficult one as there aren’t any wedding planning courses that are fully accredited in Australia. So, as private educators any company offering training within wedding planning has to seek accreditation in other ways. At the Academy we have chosen to become members of ACPET (Australian Council of Private Education and Training) and we are in the process of becoming members of IADL (International Association of Distance Learning). By doing this we are showing our commitment to offer quality education and training. These organisations help us to stay informed of what is happening in the education industry. We also travel to both the UK & US to attend conferences & workshops held by international experts in the Wedding Planning Industry. This helps us to stay abreast of all the latest innovations in the industry and allows us to pass this knowledge onto our students.
We hope that one day an aspiring group of wedding planners will join together to form Australia’s first wedding planning association. However, it needs to be done without commercial gain and purely to push our industry forward and allow members to have those all important networking opportunities, and help to launch and run their businesses. In the meantime, the Association for Wedding Professionals International (AWFPI) is a great organisation that caters for planners all over the world. So until Australia has an Association of it’s own, the Academy has decided to join as members of AWFPI, and although they are based in the US we have been impressed by their professionalism and the benefits they offer.
Using the 5 Senses in planning a Xmas function
It is fast approaching that time of year when many Event Planners, PA’s, Marketing Assistants and many other unfortunate souls are feverishly planinng their company or client Xmas function. This can be a somewhat daunting task if it is one you have never been faced with before. If last years event was a corker then you have to at the very least reach that standard and the pressure is immense. So how do you avoid all the pitfalls?
An event planners bible
In my last article we looked at the contents of an event planners tool kit, so this week we are going to look at an event planners bible. The event bible is the blueprint of your event. It is the file that contains all the information pertaining to your event and no self-respecting planner should arrive on site without it.
The contents of an Event Planners Tool Kit
There have been many articles written on what a wedding planner has in her emergency kit or what a bride should have in her wedding day kit, but there hasn’t been as many written on what an event planner has in their kit. Do they even have a kit? Of course they do. No self-respecting event planner or organiser would attend an event without their trusty tool kit.
