The survey was undertaken by New Zealand’s flagship business events body, Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA), in collaboration with the government’s Ringa Hora Services Workforce Development Council.
The survey, completed by 133 organisations who are members of BEIA, showed 44 per cent of respondents were expecting to increase their staffing numbers moderately over the next three years, while a further 16 per cent were expecting a significant increase in staff.
The most commonly expected position organisations will be recruiting for going forward is event coordinators – 51 per cent of those surveyed said they will be recruiting for this role – followed by sales and business development professionals, flagged by 46 per cent of respondents.
This follows 70 per cent of organisations saying they expected an increase in the number of events they were delivering, with 18 per cent of this 70 per cent expecting a significant increase in events.
However, 68 per cent of respondents believe that the business events sector wasn’t attracting sufficient young talent into the industry.
Interestingly, 84 per cent of respondents said their organisations were willing to be involved in solving the talent attraction problem by taking part in programs which encourage secondary school students to pursue a career in business events. This includes just over half – 51 per cent – happy to offer internships to students.
Thirty-seven per cent were also happy to take part in career expos, while another equal proportion was happy to share career stories and insights to promote the sector to young people.
The survey also asked about the skills lacking from those currently entering the industry and the answers covered a lot of ground, from weak communication and negotiation skills to poor attention to detail, weak service mindset, and lacks in critical thinking, urgency, ownership, project management and passion for the industry.
Communication skills and attention to detail were considered the most important skills for client facing staff, according to those surveyed.
“Attracting young talent remains a significant challenge,” said BEIA chief executive, Lisa Hopkins.
“BEIA and Ringa Hora are working together to boost the next generation of business events professionals by creating a sector-specific training programme.”
The new vocational training initiative will be called Te Haeata and is set to launch at the BEIA national conference in November. The program has four modules, with the first suitable for high school students as a pathway into the industry.
“We are currently awaiting NZQA approval on the Te Haeata modules, with the intention to deliver this new qualification and skill standards as a mix of online and on the job training,” said Hopkins.
“Our focus is twofold. Firstly, we need to introduce this incredible industry to the next generation of professionals. This means showing students a pathway they can take as part of a tourism, hospitality and events focus.
“Secondly, the survey revealed that given most staff enter the industry from hospitality or tourism, the natural next step is to develop a deeper understanding of career opportunities the sector offers, by focusing on the essential role of event coordination.
“Raising awareness of the business events industry as a viable career path is seen as the most effective way to address the skills gap. This will be an opportunity to tell the stories of those who have forged careers in this sector here and overseas to inspire the next gen of industry professionals.”
