Beverley Williamson, a major player in the Victorian business events industry, recently won Business Development Person of the Year at this year’s Victoria Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) Awards.
Working with her team, Williamson secured 36 major international conferences for the state of Victoria in the 2010/2011 financial year, with an estimated economic impact of almost AUD $197 million.
In her role as associate director, convention sales for the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), Williamson leads the International Convention Sales Team, with two direct reports, where her key responsibilities are centered around bidding for and securing major international conventions to generate economic wealth for Melbourne and regional Victoria.
“The award may be in my name, however, it is an award for the whole of MCVB, as every business unit has contributed in some way to the tremendous success I achieved in the 2010/11 financial year,” said Williamson. “People who work in the business events industry are extremely passionate about what they do. Collaboration exists between such a diverse range of business events stakeholders and that keeps things interesting. Once you are in the industry, you don’t want to leave.”
Karen Bolinger, CEO of the MCVB said Williamson’s win at the Victoria MEA Awards is extremely well-deserved and acknowledges the key role played by her in achieving outstanding results for the organization, and the state of Victoria.
“Bev’s superior ability to do her job well has led to significant results for MCVB, with her team continuing to secure high profile convention bid wins which generate millions of dollars for the state of Victoria,” said Bolinger.
In addition to her role at MCVB, Williamson volunteers her time to be involved with local, national and international industry groups, in particular MEA, where she is Chair of the Victorian branch. In this position, she continues to contribute to the growth and professionalism of the meetings and events industry through coordination of networking opportunities and facilitation of educational activities for those both involved and looking to be involved in the industry.
Following her win at state level, Williamson will battle for the national title during the 25th National MEA Conference in Sydney on Tuesday, April 24.
