 Professional Development at MEA
MEA has dedicated much time to ensure the MEA PD Program closely and continually meets the needs of our members. We recognise that, although there will always be local/State issues requiring targeted programs, overall the career paths in the industry and the skill needs that relate to those paths are universal across the country. Thus, what is needed is a national curriculum, which truly reflects the professional development of meetings & events industry people.
Although MEA is made up of a large variety of businesses, the core membership deals in the area of sales & marketing, and meetings/events management. The main exceptions to this are those that work in operational areas such as catering, technicians and the like. Thus, if we take our two major streams, being sales & marketing and meetings & events management, we can look more closely at the career path applicable to people working in these areas. In saying this, the first thing that is obvious is that many of the skills are needed equally by both streams, and in reality, people switch between sales & marketing roles and organizational responsibilities for meetings & events.
Since January 2004 all MEA state branches have incorporated the work done on the national curriculum into their state calendars. The topics chosen by each state depend on the size and needs of that State. The National PD Calendar will also continue to incorporate other branch PD activities, such as Big Day In and targeted presentations identified as appropriate for the branch. In other words, the national curriculum is not the sole source of MEA PD, as the conference and other planned activities will continue to broaden the opportunities available to members and the industry at large.
Career Paths Table 1 summarises the career path levels that have been identified for the two main streams. In reviewing the table, please note that the years are a guide only (not gospel!). In many complex businesses, the senior level is not achieved until well after 5 years. Conversely, the aptitude and suitability of individuals could mean that they are appointed into roles well in advance of this timetable. Please also note that the skill summaries have been abbreviated for the sake of this article. Your feedback on these paths is welcome.
 Download Career Path Document
Topics to be Delivered as Part of the MEA PD program
Given that the Introductory level is well catered for within MEA via the Essentials program, the development of the national curriculum has concentrated on the Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels, and to a lesser extent at this stage, the Executive level. It is important to note that it is not presumed that all of these topics/skills shall be acquired before appointment into a conference coordinator/sales assistant type role. Instead it needs to be understood that these PD topics are recommended for those already in these roles in preparation for their move into a supervisory role at the Intermediate or Advanced level. It is also important to note that the Foundation topics are, by definition, appropriate for the more senior levels as it is presumed that these skills are needed, as well as the additional skills required to perform supervisory and management tasks.
Download Topics
 Foundation
Intermediate
Advanced
Executive
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