AES Newsletter

Wednesday February 24, 2021

In September 2020, the Federal Government announced that they would commit $50 million in grants to support business events. The funding was meant to reinvigorate the business event sector in Australia, with grants to encourage organisations to attend events, trade shows and conferences. The grants were advertised as a means to help Australian organisations cover the costs of exhibition space, design and manufacture of displays, as well as associated travel and accommodation. Since the announcement of the funding, the Federal Government has ...
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Tuesday February 23, 2021

Registering as a charity under the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC) might seem like a good idea. It certainly affords charitable not-for-profit organisations the opportunity to gain exemptions from income tax, and enables them to apply for certain categories of deductible gift recipient (DGR) status. Charities registered with the ACNC may even be exempt from certain requirements under Commonwealth laws. Some of these exemptions include the ability to make unsolicited phone calls to those on the ‘Do Not Call Register’ ...
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Tuesday February 23, 2021

With the Federal Government's $50 million business grants program largely excluding associations from the initiative, some of the State Government funding initiatives may be more beneficial for Australian associations. As such, we've compiled a round-up of some of the grant funding currently available for business events across the nation.   New South Wales The New South Wales Government recently released funding for a Regional Business Event Development Fund, designed to assist businesses and other stakeholders to create, attract and support business events for regional NSW. There ...
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Sunday November 15, 2020

In the course of their careers, all association leaders would have experienced a situation in which a member has acted inappropriately, requiring disciplinary action by the association. This disciplinary action may have required expulsion of the member from the association, society, or club. There are some essential tips that association managers should follow to ensure their organisation's values are maintained in the event that disciplinary action must be taken against a member. This way, if one of your members breaches these ...
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Sunday November 15, 2020

Professional Advantage and AES have come together to facilitate a series of webinars that will be rolled out over the next six months or so. The purpose of the series is to bring association leaders and professionals together, and have them share their strategies and experience to help one another recover from the impacts that COVID-19 has had on Australian associations. The first of these webinars was hosted in October, focused on the topic of Recovery and Beyond: What Does Association ...
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Sunday November 15, 2020

The AES team has recently facilitated several virtual Annual General Meetings (AGMs) for its clients and members. During each of these AGMs, we noticed some similar behaviours that we feel need to be addressed.  With virtual AGMs possibly becoming ‘the norm’ (even post COVID-19), we thought it pertinent to revisit the do’s and don’ts of AGMs for all association boards and committees. AES governance expert, John Crosby, took the time to answer some important questions for us. Many associations are in the middle ...
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Wednesday September 09, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our daily operations, and impacted our abilities to plan face-to-face events. But it has also allowed us to think of creative ways to meet virtually. As an alternative to these face-to-face meetings, many association leaders have moved to online Zoom meetings to engage with their members. This technique has proven to be very effective for members to engage and communicate with each other for a suite of different purposes. Over the last three months, Association Executive Services ...
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Wednesday September 09, 2020

It is highly likely that your association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been, or will be, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With restrictions on large gatherings, as well as travel bans and self-isolation measures, holding an AGM in-person in 2020 is highly unlikely, particularly if you are located in Victoria. All these restrictions have fast tracked the evolution of the virtual AGM, using software platforms such as Zoom. However, it is important to keep in mind the various rules and regulations ...
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Wednesday August 05, 2020

As everyone is aware, Melbourne is now subject to Stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions, which impose significant responsibilities on businesses and, therefore, associations. As of 11.59pm on Wednesday 5 August, workplaces in Melbourne MUST be closed unless: The workplace is part of a permitted industry, as per the Victorian Government’s guidelines All employees are working from home. All Victorians are required to work from home, except where this is not practicable. Sole operators can continue to operate, if they do not have contact with the ...
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Tuesday August 04, 2020

Of the many ramifications that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on associations, its impact on events and conferences has been one of the most significant. Recently, AES hosted an online meeting which gathered together several association leaders to discuss the challenges being faced by associations in a COVID-19 environment, as well as the strategies in use to navigate and manage these challenges. The meeting provided an opportunity for association leaders to share ideas and resources, providing one another with inspiration and ...
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Tuesday August 04, 2020

In a COVID-19 environment, many associations are struggling to engage with their members, resulting in a decline of membership renewals and an inability to attract new members. As such, Association Executive Services hosted an online meeting, inviting leaders of its member associations to come together and discuss how they are managing the challenges associated with membership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Attendees were encouraged to share ideas and resources so that the Australian association industry can work together, as a ...
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Thursday June 04, 2020

Association Executive Services recently distributed a survey to Australian associations seeking information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Download your copy of the AES Survey Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on Australian Associations. We understand that many Australian associations rely on revenue from membership, events and education; most of which have been cancelled or postponed over the last couple of months. The survey focused on these kinds of issues, and called for feedback on the support needed by Australian associations. We received ...
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Tuesday June 02, 2020

It was early 2008, and I had just taken over as CEO of Materials Australia, an association with a membership base comprised of materials engineers and scientists. Around three months into the job, I discovered that the accountant has been stealing from the association for about 10 years. The balance sheet was not as it seemed and this was the beginning of three years of recovery.  The accountant was fired and charged with stealing, and I was left to manage an ...
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Tuesday June 02, 2020

If your association’s revenue is reliant on income streams from membership subscriptions, an annual conference and events, now is the time to rethink your membership offering. In the post-COVID-19 environment, many associations will be facing a severe impact on their financial position, particularly when the JobKeeper payments cease at the end of September.  According to the Gratton Institute’s report Shutdown: Estimating the COVID-19 Employment Shock, Australia is heading into one of the most severe economic challenges that the country has ever ...
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Tuesday June 02, 2020

Association Executive Services recently hosted a webinar that discussed the future of association events and conferences in Australia in a COVID-19 world, featuring a panel of legal, insurance, health and association events experts.  This webinar covered a wide range of topics and discussed many of the complex layers and aspects that come into play when planning an association event or conference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Impact of COVID-19 on Association Events and Conferences This webinar was particularly pertinent as ...
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Tuesday April 07, 2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a significant health and economic impact globally. The economic impact is affecting many organisations, both in terms of direct ability to earn income (for example cancellation of training courses, conferences, etc) and indirect impacts (for example lower members where companies and individuals are reducing discretionary expenditure when they have been impacted directly. There are a few areas in an entities financial statements that are likely to require further considerations or adjustments. Subsequent Events Entities may need to evaluate whether ...
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Tuesday April 07, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many associations’ teams to work remotely from home. This new way of working can have a huge impact on individuals’ mental health. In certain instances, it might make your team members feel disconnected from others, and it can certainly disorient their daily routines. For leaders of associations whose teams are currently working remotely, it’s important that you implement practices which will help to boost the morale and wellbeing of your team members. Gavin Sharp, AES Advisor and ...
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