Fay Sharpe takes chair
Fay Sharpe, founder and joint managing director of UK events company Zibrant is to head up a new MICE initiative by the Institute of Travel Management.
Ms Sharpe will chair a newly created meetings and events working party which will drive both content and membership from the events industry.
The move follows ITM's increasing focus on this sector and its plan, which awaits members' approval, to change its name to the Institute of Travel and Meetings.
Its chair Caroline Strachan also pledged at its annual meeting in Dublin earlier this year to introduce a strong meetings and events element to ITM.
Ms Sharpe, who is already an ITM board member, is a prominent figure in the European MICE industry.
Her committee will aim to draw up a Meetings & Events Toolkit as a guide to working in this sector.
The guide will target members new to procuring meetings and events, established buyers who have been dealing with the sector for a few years but want to ensure best practice and buyers new to the sector.
It will also seek to bring together work done by other associations in the industry and create better links with these organisations.
Ms Sharpe said: "We want to drive innovation and provide focus to meetings and events buyers and suppliers.
"Our aim is to provide them with the tools, assistance, unique insight and expertise that can only be gained with access to some of the industry's leading lights from both suppliers and corporates.
"We have a great team and we aim to launch the MICE toolkit by the end of quarter one and are confident this will deliver real value to all ITM members."
www.itm.org.uk www.zibrant.co.uk