The part of the tourism industry which covers events, conventions and meetings is a substantial part of the global economy. This book examines the role of people who work in events, meetings and conventions by looking at the context in which they work, and presenting theories, perspectives underlying trends of employment in this sector.

This book offers a synthesis of current research-based understanding relating to people and work opportunities in the events and conventions industry. The book is organized into five parts. The first two chapters set the scene with respect to events and employment within the sector, focusing on a global review and an Australian case context. Subsequent parts consider education and career development in the events and convention sector (chapters 3-7), workplace flexibility in the context of events (chapters 8-9), recruitment and retention (chapters 10-12), and the management of people and work in events and conventions (chapters 13-16). The book has a subject index.

"Author and peer conference expert Adrian Segar shows you how peer conferences use innovative group process to not only generate the right conference sessions but also encourage meaningful and memorable attendee interactions. Using insightful sidebars illuminating key details as well as real-world stories illustrating important concepts, he guides you step-by-step through his proven strategy for creating productive conferences that attendees love."-- Back cover.

Do your conference programs contain sessions you belatedly discover were of little interest or value to most attendees? If so, you're wasting significant stakeholder and attendee time and money - your conference is simply not as good as it could be. Now imagine you knew how to create conference programs that reliably include the sessions and session content attendees actually want and need. How much value would that add to your event, for your attendees, your sponsors, and your bottom line? Event Crowdsourcing: Creating Meetings People Actually Want and Need shows you how to create conference programs and sessions that reliably become what your attendees want and need. The product of over 25 years of participant-driven meeting design experience, Event Crowdsourcing clearly explains everything you need to know to successfully integrate effective real-time event crowdsourcing into your programs and sessions. Buy Event Crowdsourcing to learn: Why it's so important to create conference programs and sessions that attendees want and need. When to use event crowdsourcing for your meetings and sessions. How to choose the right crowdsourcing approach for your specific needs. Event Crowdsourcing contains: A comprehensive compendium of crowdsourcing techniques that will radically improve your meetings. Clear descriptions of the preparation and resources needed to ensure successful implementation. Detailed implementations for each technique, including sample scripts and options to cover your specific needs. "Adrian Segar's first two books - Conferences That Work and The Power of Participation - have had a resoundingly positive impact on the meeting industry. Now, meeting planners and meeting-goers can further benefit from his newest book: Event Crowdsourcing. This book, both a why-to and a how-to, is jam-packed with proven guidelines, techniques, and suggested scripts to help you design conferences and sessions that are what attendees want and need. It's clearly organized and beautifully written, and I'm happy to recommend it." - Naomi Karten, author of Managing Expectations, Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals, and other books "Actually giving attendees what they want and need instead of what you think they want? What a concept! Adrian Segar has done it again. Event Crowdsourcing is chock-full of detailed descriptions of low-tech, low-cost solutions that get to the core concerns of meeting-goers from any industry. It's a must read for any meeting planner!" -Brandt Krueger, technical producer, educator, speaker, and event technology consultant "For meeting designers like us, Adrian's work is priceless. He meticulously documents all there is to understand about crowdsourcing, participation, peer-to-peer working, and empowerment of conference audiences. His unique views on these topics make it easy to recognize his training as a former physicist, his facilitation skills, and his belief in what we humans can achieve together." -Eric de Groot and Mike van der Vijver, meeting designers with MindMeeting, and authors of Into the Heart of Meetings "Adrian Segar is a leader in crafting the future of meetings. Event Crowdsourcing is the go-to tactical guide for planners to allow attendees to create their own meaningful experiences. In a world where everyone is talking about why events need to generate connection and engagement, Adrian has written the how-to guide for you." -Will Curran, founder, Endless Events, and #EventIcons, Event Tech, and Event Brew podcast host

Conferences and Conventions: A Global Industry 3rd edition provides a comprehensive introduction to the key elements of the global conference, convention and meetings industry. It examines the industry’s origins, structure, economic, social and environmental impacts, education, training and career opportunities, and the industry's future development. It also explores its links with the wider tourism industry, and suggests that there should be a realignment of these links, putting a greater focus on designing, executing and measuring meeting and convention contents so that they have a purposeful impact on participants, thus creating greater value for stakeholders. It suggests that there should be greater emphasis on the role that meetings play in economic, professional and educational development, promoting the benefits they provide in knowledge exchange, scientific research, technology transfer, networking and motivation and showing clearly what such business events actually accomplish. This revised 3rd edition has been updated to reflect current trends and emerging topics and achieve a more international approach. This edition has also been updated with the following features: New content on social media, web based marketing, the use of technology, experiential marketing and events, the role of trade shows in conventions, issues of sustainability, and moves to create a profession for event management. Fully integrated and updated case studies to highlight current issues and demonstrate theory in practice. Also contains new case studies on the growth markets of Asia, Brazil and the Middle East. A detailed meetings and events industry lexicon. This book is written in an accessible and engaging style and structured logically with useful features throughout to aid students’ learning and understanding. This book is an invaluable resource to students following Events Management, Hospitality and Tourism courses.

"Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!" --Chris Anderson, owner and curator of TED From the host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart, an exciting new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together—at home, at work, in our communities, and beyond. In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive--which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play. Drawing on her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings around the world, Parker takes us inside events of all kinds to show what works, what doesn't, and why. She investigates a wide array of gatherings--conferences, meetings, a courtroom, a flash-mob party, an Arab-Israeli summer camp--and explains how simple, specific changes can invigorate any group experience. The result is a book that's both journey and guide, full of exciting ideas with real-world applications. The Art of Gathering will forever alter the way you look at your next meeting, industry conference, dinner party, and backyard barbecue--and how you host and attend them.

This bestselling all-in-one guide to the event planning business is back and better than ever, fully updated and revised to reflect the very latest trends and best practices in the industry. This handy, comprehensive guide includes forms, checklists, and tips for managing events, as well as examples and case studies of both successful and unsuccessful events. Judy Allen (Toronto, ON, Canada) is founder and President of Judy Allen Productions, a full-service event planning production company.