Working for the Greater Good

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with many forward-thinking event professionals who have taught me all the tricks of the event management trade. I didn’t grow up in a privileged environment, so was humbled by the countless opportunities afforded to me over the years.

So, when I started my own events business, Events Travel Asia Group, the first thing I wanted to do was to give back to the industry. Whether it’s global or local associations asking for assistance, or the convention bureau seeking support to drive change and promote my beloved country, Thailand, I’m always one of the first to volunteer. I never wait to be “volun-told.”

However, I’ve noticed a widening gap that has caused some of my industry colleagues to be reluctant about volunteering. As a small-business owner, there are times when I forgo business opportunities so that I can make myself available to serve the industry. Unfortunately, not everyone values “volunteered” time and there have been instances where I experienced ill treatment as a volunteer.

Volunteers must be treated as partners, and with a high degree of respect. After all, we are serving for the greater good of our industry.

In recent years, the most important lesson I’ve learnt is to maintain integrity. Before securing a contract, we all get the “partnership and relationship” talk, but once the deposit is received, we may fall short on walking the talk.

For our industry to thrive, service providers must serve with dignity – we are not servants. We choose to serve and deserve respect for our skillset. As an industry, we must be proud of our skills and ensure we live up to client expectations. Complacency is the death of all service providers and if we don’t live up to the event-delivery services that we’re selling or even “volunteered” to clients, then we must be willing to invest further in training and professional development.

Will I continue to volunteer? Most definitely. But my advice is to start qualifying the intention and objectives of those who ask you to volunteer your time, effort and services, and ensure that they treat you with respect. A frank, professional, and open discussion on boundaries and limitations is a great place to start a partnership. Our industry can and must do better if we want to compete globally.

This article was first published on PCMA’s Communique Asia Pacific e-newsletter (https://www.pcma.org/working-for-the-greater-good/).