Growing the events industry in Wellington
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Joany Grima, WelTec’s new Event Management lecturer.
Event Management is a multi-million dollar industry which is growing at a rapid pace in New Zealand. Wellington is a
significant player on the national stage, playing host to major international events such as the World of Wearable Arts,
the International Rugby Sevens and the International Festival of the Arts.
The new Graduate Diploma in Event Management offered by WelTec is a response to a growing need within the industry, both
here and abroad, for event management professionals. Heading up the programme, Event Management Lecturer, Joany Grima
says the fast-paced industry requires creative and dedicated professionals with great organisational skills, an eye for
detail and a can-do attitude.
Having begun a career initially in television production, Ms Grima discovered the events industry in the lead up to the
Sydney Olympics where she worked with the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games to assist with the
recruitment of volunteers. Her career has taken her around the world, working on the 2005 Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting (CHOGM) and project managing the 2007 and 2009 Commonwealth People’s Forum in Uganda and Trinidad and
Tobago respectively.
“Working in Uganda was amazing, something that I am most proud of. It was hugely challenging with a lack of resources
and infrastructure; but it was pretty spectacular and hard to beat as a career highlight.”
Closer to home, Ms Grima has worked with APEC, FIFA, Melbourne Museum, Amnesty International and the Cancer Council
Victoria to name just a few. She is currently working with the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts on Writers
and Readers week.
Her change in career direction happened completely by chance, but it is no accident that she has remained in what she
considers one of the most interesting and diverse industries around. “I started off volunteering at community events and
enjoyed everything about it. I enjoy putting together all the pieces of the puzzle and seeing the overall audience
experience.”
International event management expert Judy Allen once compared the art of event management to a live stage production, a
high-wire act without the safety nets. Ms Grima agrees, “there is always an element of panic but organisation and
planning is key.”
With a robust and diverse background in events, Ms Grima has a wealth of knowledge to impart to her students. “This
course is going to be challenging, there’s a lot to get through but the students can expect to get a lot out of it. It’s
very practical and we will bring guest speakers from industry in to maintain a real world focus. These students will be
the next generation of event planners.”
The graduate diploma runs over one year full-time and has been designed for those wanting to develop their expertise in
planning, organising and implementing major conference, sports and entertainment events.
ENDS