First of all, a great big thank you to all of those who attended and aided with the production of the National Outdoor Events Association Annual Convention, 24th – 26th February 2010. It was a great success and after much hard work, the months of planning and last minute alterations paid off, and a great time was had by all.

 

2020 Vision launched on the Wednesday evening and began with a tame start: the calm before the storm. Those who came early attended the interactive workshop with Eddy Grant and Philip Day. It was a laid-back beginning with attendees slowly starting to file through and check-in. After this, a light buffet was available while delegates participated in the evening’s quiz, run by PJ Aldred. It was testing all the minds in the industry, with questions from toilet requirements to event legislation.

 

The evening was an emotional affair, leading up to the Presidents Award for Life Time Achievement to John Barton, who said his farewell after being the NOEA secretary for 20 years. Awards were given out celebrating events throughout the year including the most innovative, the friendliest and even the best event organiser. The great minds that make up the outdoor event industry were then let loose on the dance floor, and the bar, which kept everyone going until the early hours of the morning.

Friday morning saw a slow show of those who had been so bold the night before, but there were the dedicated few who attended Brian Cleary’s (from Sygma Safety) discussion group on pressing topics that need to be addressed in current events. It was a highly beneficial hour which looked to the steps NOEA could take as an association in order to see improvements in the industry.

 

While the convention did go well, there is still room for improvement. If you attended, your feedback would be greatly appreciated in order to best develop the event for next year. Follow the link below and have your say on what you’d like to see from NOEA in years to come.