The new hub is launched at CINZ MEETINGS 2017 today at ASB Showgrounds and will be able to be accessed by its 430-strong membership base, already benefiting from its established initiatives, such as the Mentorship and Emerging Talent programmes, as well as a Diploma qualification offered to experienced professionals.
At the hub, ServiceIQ will be providing updates on its industry training programmes and CINZ will be profiling its Mentorship Programme, as well as demonstrating the CINZ online event planning tool.
The CINZ Emerging Talent programme has been running in Auckland and Wellington for two years, and is designed to meet the needs of up-and-coming professionals and give them valuable network building opportunities.
"This programme is giving young professionals the stepping stones they need to build their networks and assist them as they progress in their careers into management positions," Sullivan says.
Independent consulting company Tourism Marketing Solutions (TMS) is also profiling its training workshops and sharing insights about retaining and inspiring staff in the sector.
The new hub offers not only new graduates education and network opportunities, but also helps those further down the line with their careers who may need a boost in management skills.
MENTORSHIP GRADUATE: BILLY WICKENDEN
One of CINZ Mentorship Programme's star graduates, Billy Wickenden, is full of praise for the initiatives CINZ is providing to members.
"The mentorship programme was amazing and I was paired with a real industry leader, Gillian Officer. I learnt things from her that will stay with me throughout my career," says Wickenden, who was recently promoted to Meetings and Events Sales Manager at Pullman Auckland, leading a team of 16. "The programme definitely accelerated my promotions within the industry."
Wickenden's career started as a chef, but after four years he went back to education aged 20 and studied for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at AUT. He headed off on his OE, intending to have some fun, but ended up in an events catering business started by two brothers who took him under their wing.
That business (The-Recipe) became a big success, winning Caterer of the Year and moving from small functions to star-studded events, such as a 600-people dinner at the National History Museum.
Despite the success, home beckoned and Wickenden settled down into roles at Auckland hotels, such as The Langham, Stamford Plaza and Accor Hotels. Now aged 34, married with a 14-month-old and another child on the way, he's hoping to leave his mark at Pullman Auckland and then one day become Director of Sales at a five-star hotel, looking after all the different sectors of a hotel.
"Having done the management training with CINZ, I now realise how busy my managers were when I worked under them - I didn't know the stress they carried," says Wickenden. "I had always managed staff, but in an operational role - usually temp waiting staff at events, so what I learnt was really beneficial."
Despite the industry being in growth mode, Wickenden says there are also a few challenges to consider.
"The industry as a whole is really trying to keep up with inevitable change, such as businesses building large-scale headquarters incorporating meeting spaces and pulling smaller meetings away from us," he says. "There's also technology playing a part, such as online rather than face-to-face meetings, but we are adapting and even holding events with webcasts across the globe."
He says Accor Hotels also focuses on millennials and predicting what the next generation will be doing to try to keep ahead in the digital aspect and he's excited to improve his part of the business as much as possible.
Although no one can predict the future for this industry, the one constant is change and that can always be met with re-education, something for which the hub will be primed.
More info on the hub at www.conventionsnz.co.nz
