Over the coming months the PCO Association will be profiling one of the association’s Certified Event Companies (CEC) by way of a Q & A.
In this interview, Jodie Parker from Iceberg Events answers our questions on what it means to be a Certified Event Company (CEC) with the PCO Association.
Iceberg Events 
is a full service conference management company, founded in 1996.
We specialise in project management for conferences and meetings, both within Australia and off-shore. We also have our Travel arm, Iceberg Travel, which specialises in moving groups of people for conferences – around Australia or around the world. We are also soon to launch our Submissions Portal – a fantastic on line tool for the Call for Papers process.
With three event management teams, an in house graphic designer, our travel agency and now the Submission Portal, we have got it all covered.
Q: Jodie, how many years have you been trading as an Event Management Company?
A: We recently celebrated our 21st birthday! We had a fabulous event at Eat Street Northshore with clients, suppliers and current and former Icebergers and of course, friends. I really can’t believe that it’s been that long. Things have changed in the industry so much in that time.
Q: So what does being a Certified Event Company (CEC) mean to your business?
A: The CEC process gives me a framework to benchmark against – to make sure that we are maintaining, and hopefully exceeding, the standard practices in the industry.
Q: Can you tell us what were some of the challenges you faced when applying for your CEC?
A: I’m not someone who likes filling in forms and ticking boxes – that takes some stamina. I did enjoy, however, getting testimonials to use from clients and especially suppliers.
Q: Jodie, can you give us three key reasons why an Event Company should be accredited
A:
1. To generally strengthen the reputation of the industry.
2. To benchmark against others
3. To get your systems down pat
Accreditation provides both clients and industry with an assurance that the event management business they are or could be dealing with is committed to the highest quality event management business practices, consistency and reliability in the delivery of services, professional standards and dedication to continuous improvement.
The PCO Association CEC Program is independently audited.
For a company to be awarded CEC accreditation it must have a minimum of one Certified Event Manager (CEM) employed in the business and additionally satisfy criteria that is audited by an independent certified practicing (CPA) accountant.
Accreditation is valid for a period of three years, after which time the business needs to apply again to maintain their accreditation