REGISTRATIONS FOR THE 11TH ANNUAL PCOA CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION ARE NOW OPEN!
The conference, to be held between 9 and 11 December 2018, will be a chance to meet like-minded Business Event professionals at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s (MCEC) newly completed $200 million expansion.
AND you’ll get the chance to listen to some fantastic featured speakers.
Find out who’s on the line up here
In the meantime, we had a chat with Simon Griffith, one of the standouts on the list to give you a little taste of what you can expect at this year’s conference.
Crapleader
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Simon Griffith: I’m the Co-founder and CEO of Who Gives A Crap. We sell good looking, forest-friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues in 36 countries and donate 50% of our profits to help build toilets for those in need. As much as I love toilet paper, the reason I started this business is the impact we’re having on the world—since starting in 2013, we’ve donated almost $2 million!
WHY DID YOU ACCEPT TO SPEAK AT PCOA18?
SG: I’m really passionate about embracing (and creating!) change, so this year’s conference theme is compelling.
HOW WILL YOUR PRESENTATION RESONATE WITH THE PCOA18 CONFERENCE THEME, EMBRACING CHANGE’ – HOW AGILE ARE YOU?’
SG: Everyday I encourage my team to embrace change by testing out new ideas and learning from what works and what doesn’t work. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the things I’ve learned from this approach, alongside some other lessons I’ve learned from running a Purpose-led business.
WHAT ARE THE THREE KEY MESSAGES DELEGATES WILL TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR PRESENTATION?
SG: 1. Doing good is good business: consumers want to give back and are on the lookout for value-aligned brands that let them create more impact with every dollar they spend
2. Doing good isn’t always easy: doing good is good business, but purpose-led businesses are held to a higher level of scrutiny than regular for-profit businesses. So it’s important that you show customers that your company is true to its word. When you do this well, it helps to build an abnormally high level of brand trust… resulting in customers going above and beyond for the brands that they love!
3. Everything is marketing: in the new world of hyper-connectivity where customers can share brand moments at the swipe of a finger, everything that a company creates can (and must!) be thought of as a marketing opportunity.
WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO THOSE ENTERING THE EVER-CHANGING EVENTS INDUSTRY?
SG: Learn by selling: keep trying new things, then listen intently to your customer to find out what worked and what didn’t work so well. If you use this information to adjust your approach in the future, it will make you more successful with every sale. Never be afraid to get things wrong – it’s how we learn!
Simon Griffiths is sponsored by ICMI Speakers & Entertainers