Green says the association has neither significant amounts owed to creditors nor considerable funds left in the kitty.
As covered in the official announcement that MEA has entered voluntary administration, the sponsorship dollars required to allow the not-for-profit association to continue operating were not materialising.
Given many of the organisations with the capacity to provide the kind of sponsorship funding MEA was seeking shifted their support to the founding of the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA), this is not entirely surprising.
In an email to the MEA community this morning announcing the closure of MEA, this is noted by Green.
“The emergence of new industry bodies, such as the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA), has also led some traditional supporters, including convention centres and government agencies, to redirect funding away from MEA,” she wrote.
The email also flags the withdrawal of funding from bureaux and state and federal government agencies with Green noting that “our core base of SME and corporate members, also facing tighter margins, have been unable to bridge the gap” and that industry support has tended more towards in-kind sponsorship.
Green told micenet that the association had been having conversations with various organisations and government departments regarding sponsorship, but the necessary funding agreements were not achieved.
Income streams for the association include membership fees, which are significantly lower than ABEA’s, ticket sales and program fees – the association is a Registered Training Organisation – and “significant cash sponsorships”.
Putting MEA into administration has been a possibility throughout the last quarter according to Green, as it became crunch time to meet sponsorship targets, however the decision to enter administration was only made this week.
As Green told micenet, “the inevitable is here”.
JLA, a local Sydney administrator has been appointed and the administration process is likely to take two weeks.
During the process, there will be a meeting for creditors and MEA members, but unless a buyer is found – which appears doubtful – the most likely outcome is that the association will be liquidated and cease to operate.
Green says MEA had already been in conversation with ABEA for some months about the possibility of integrating with the young association and MEA had been planning an open conversation with its members at the association’s national conference in June about transitioning MEA into ABEA.
As things stand, Green says there is an ongoing conversation with ABEA about the possibility of transitioning MEA’s members over to ABEA. MEA’s membership currently stands at between 200 and 300.
While MEA’s June conference in Sydney looks unlikely to go ahead at this point, Green is hopeful unofficial events can be staged around Australia to farewell the association, which is celebrating its 50th year in 2025.
The association’s roots date back to the formation of the Association of Conference Executives (ACE) in 1975, which transformed from independent state run branches into a national association called the Meetings Industry Association of Australia (MIAA) in mid-1985. In 2005, MIAA changed its name to Meetings and Events Australia.
On the bright side, judging for MEA’s state and national awards is already complete and winners will be announced shortly, although without the fanfare of an event.
“It is with great sadness and immense pride that we share this news,” said Green as part of this morning’s official statement.
“MEA has been a cornerstone of the Australian events industry for half a century. We close this chapter with gratitude, for the extraordinary legacy and community we’ve built together.
“We’ve been heartened by the industry’s renewed engagement, from increased ticket sales to record award entries.
“There’s been genuine excitement around our 50th year,” she said.
“Unfortunately, despite this support, MEA is no longer in a position to continue operating.”
