The Marcus Evans Summits introduced us to vendors we never considered

“The Marcus Evans HR Summit is fantastic. The presentations are always insightful, and we ended up engaging with vendors we had not considered before,” said Leith Wiblen, General Manager People and Culture, Queensland Airports Limited, a speaker and delegate at Marcus Evans HR Summits.

What possibilities and business opportunities have the Summits brought your way?

The HR Summit is a great event. The presenters are always subject matter experts, and I love that I can connect with suppliers that meet my business needs in a convenient way. When we are planning our budget for the next few years, and trying to consider which trends are coming our way, the opportunity to meet with different providers in one space and be able to pull together an understanding of what companies can offer, is very valuable and efficient.

We have used three suppliers we met at the HR Summit. We switched to a different EAP vendor, utilised a company for mental health first aid training, and a group that did some work on emotional intelligence and positive psychology, which was amazing from a cultural point of view.

Were you aware of those organisations before the Summit?

We had heard of two of the organisations, but were not aware of their services. We were coming up to a tender process for EAP and wanted to look at the industry, so the Summit was a great opportunity for us to sit with them and start that dialogue. They had our undivided attention right there and then.

We had heard of the concept of the third organisation, but did not know that specific organisation. I was very inspired when I heard their Managing Director. I wanted to work with her.

Would you have given these organisations the same chance if they had called or emailed you?

No. I am very busy. When I came to the Summit, I knew what I wanted to learn about and I wanted to explore more. I am not a big fan of being “cold” called in the office.

Is it a tough process to get through your door, to become one of your vendors?

It is a tough process for anyone to do that. I do not know many organisations that are easy to get into. Most of us are busy doing our day-to-day work, thinking of our business strategies, and when we have a need for a service we reach out and look across the industry. That is why the HR Summit is important, because we can see where the future trends are and who can cater to those needs. I do not know many businesses that are open to people knocking on their door.

How do Marcus evans Summits compare with other HR industry events?

The fact that marcus evans reaches out to all the executives beforehand, to identify what HR leaders are interested in and what they are challenged with, so they can tailor the event program to meet their business needs, is very valuable.

The presentations are absolutely great compared to some other events. I often meet suppliers and think, “Oh, I never thought of doing that, let’s start budgeting for that”.

Find out more about the next HR Summit