Wow, what a busy month February turned out to be! With our heads well and truly in the world of business development, the Opening Doors & Venues team have been focussed on new opportunities and new ventures for 2019 and beyond, submitting tenders and award applications.

The fascinating, yet slightly mysterious, world of tender portals always seems like a new experience no matter how many moons you have spent navigating their murky waters! On the flipside, we have a very comprehensive set of up to date company policies and documents which will stand us in good stead for the rest of the year. So, with every document and proposal despatched with as much luck as we can muster, we hope to be sharing lots of news with you during the year.

We have already heard that we are finalists in the inaugural Conference News Agency Awards for 2019 in our category of ‘Best Small Agency, 15 staff and under’. The awards ceremony is taking place on 21 March in London, so Madalina will hot foot it down the Big Smoke in the hope that we will impress the judges.

On February 13 we recognised the fairly new concept of #GalentinesDay where our all ‘gal’ team celebrated female friendships in business.  Looking back on events in 2018, we are so fortunate to have worked with some amazing guest speakers and hosts including Sameena Ali-Khan, Angellica Bell, Mary Rhodes and Kate Russell. It really is so important for the OD&V team to work with people who ‘just get us’ and believe in the projects and the messages being shared on the day. It must say something when they continue to return year after year to support us and our events.

The big event of the year within our industry was #Confex19, a two day industry trade show and networking opportunity, bringing together all the key players in the events arena, showcasing top venues across the country, as well as the chance to share ideas and plans with our ABPCO colleagues (Association of British Professional Conference Organisers). Highlights included a keynote delivered by singer, actor and radio presenter, Will Young, who talked from the heart, giving us food for thought about looking after ourselves whilst working on events; thought provoking talk about achieving sustainability; new technology for the industry; and lots of hints and tips on event marketing to ensure each event is a successful one.

Now, as we find ourselves in the first week of March, Madalina is working hard on her favourite project #CAWSEL19 - Courses on Animal Welfare, Science, Ethics and Law. With an array of captivating graphics and images, a schedule of social media posts in the pipeline, a series of newsletters and a well-researched list of contacts, we hope CAWSEL19 will be the most successful edition since we started to manage the courses back in 2014.  This statement is a true testament for the time and commitment Madalina devotes to this project:

"Thank you very much for all your hard work organising CAWSEL. You are clearly a very organised person! And even with the time difference, it has been incredibly easy to ask you for advice and help. I appreciate all that you have contributed to my personal attendance at the course this year." Heather Crawford - PHD student, Murdoch University, Australia & CAWSEL 2018 Attendee.

There is a lot more to come from the OD&V team, so keep a close eye on our new website.