Business Events Tasmania’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Claire McLaren has been awarded the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) 2013/14 Staff Scholarship.
Sponsored by Business Events Australia, Qantas, and the AACB, the scholarship was announced at the AACB staff conference in earlier this month. As the recipient of the scholarship, Ms McLaren will receive a grant of $5,000 to take part in Deakin University’s online Graduate Certificate in Public Relations in 2014. She will also travel with Qantas Airways to embark on a three-week work placement with a Washington DC based PR firm, widely regarded as innovators in public affairs. Ms McLaren sees her project as an opportunity to harness the power of PR to achieve Business Events Tasmania’s objectives and to help strengthen the industry nationally.
Ms McLaren’s winning entry focused on using high-level public relations and public affairs skills to develop long-term strategies for raising the profile of the business events industry. Her proposal included undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Public Relations with Deakin University as well as work placement within an international PR firm specialising in public affairs.
“The AACB scholarship is a great initiative and it has been fantastic to be involved in the 2013 award. Thanks to this award I will able to further my skill set, take part in an incredible work placement, and then use these experiences to help Business Events Tasmania and the national business events industry to grow,” said Claire McLaren, Marketing and Communications Manager at Business Events Tasmania.
The AACB Staff Scholarship is designed to promote career development amongst convention bureau staff and encourage them to demonstrate their professional commitment to the industry. The scholarship forms part of AACB’s commitment to the recognition of excellence within the sector.
“Business events is an important industry for Australia, and as the sector becomes more competitive public relations and public affairs will play a vital role in keeping Australia at the top of the consideration set. Ms McLaren’s project is sure to provide insights on how state convention bureaus and the business events sector nationally can better use PR to raise the profile of the industry,” said Penny Lion, Head of Business Events Australia.
Runners up for the scholarship in 2013 were Pam Faulks from the Canberra Convention Bureau and Becky Hargrove from the Northern Territory Convention Bureau. The two runners up will receive $1,000 to be used towards their research projects.