Corporate event planners often sit in isolation, without a peer network and, critically, lack a collective voice among the wider events industry.
That is the view of Richard Waddington, founder of the Event Marketing Association (EMA), a not-for-profit whose sole aim is to create a trade body representing the interests of in-house event planners. After a soft launch at EventIt 2016, the organisation is now formalising a structure for a Scottish chapter, which will fold members of the now defunct Event Network into its membership. The purpose of the EMA (Scotland) will be to encourage Scottish members to meet, share insights and drive up education and standards in the sector.
“With the Event Network folding into EMA, it will give us more stability and the capacity to host regular events,” says Waddington, who has attracted support for the venture from the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow and VisitScotland.
“My long-term vision for EMA is that it becomes a national association exclusively for in-house corporate event planners, to support them, to network, to share insights,” he adds.
EMA was founded in London and now has over 300 members; the organisation hosts regular networking evenings, seminars, breakfast meetings, and supports young event professionals.
Waddington says: “We’re looking to grow it into a nationwide association. The first step is Scotland with EMA Scotland; it will be a mini chapter with its own sub council, and will be supported by the overarching organisation in order to make things happen.”
EMA Scotland will host its own meeting as part of EventIt 2017 on Thursday, March 9, at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), to kick-start its Scottish plans.
“It will be a closed meeting for all the corporates that are attending,” says Waddington. “We can use that hopefully to encourage them to come along, if they know it’s something for them.”
“The key from my point of view is raising awareness and also the importance and value of being a member of such an association. Inside your corporate box you sit in isolation and you sit inside your business, but if you were able to meet and network with other people in similar roles without being sold to that’s a much better reason for being part of a group. It’s key that suppliers are not there so you’re not sold to – then we can talk openly about issues and challenges and how we resolve them.”
EMA events are also held under Chatham House rules meaning information may be reported from meetings, but the source is not disclosed. “That’s to ensure we get a sense of what the industry is thinking without anything coming back to our members.”
For information email Rachel Osborne: rachel@eventit.org.uk www.ema-uk.com
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