Susan Harris, BBus(Mktg), AMM

In owning and managing Absolute Events & Marketing, Susan Harris, BBus(Mktg), AMM has a decade of conference, event and function management and marketing experience, as well as many years of working in the marketing, advertising, and public relations field. Susan has achieved the highest qualification of the Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) Accredited Meetings Manager (AMM) which means she received industry endorsement of her skills, knowledge and professionalism. She is only one of a few AMMs in Queensland. This endorsement was recently re-accredited for a further three years.

Susan’s career background ensures clients receive the very best level of service with an Event Manager with wide ranging and relevant experience. She has previously worked with a professional conference management company as Conference Manager for large scale (and international) conferences. Prior to that, she worked for Aged Care Queensland Inc (ACQI) for almost five years. She started with ACQI as Conference Co-Ordinator managing multiple yearly events in the residential care, community care and retirement living streams. She also managed the Aged & Community Services Australia National Conference – held in Cairns in September 2001 (just two weeks after September 11 and Ansett, which was the Conference airline, collapsing). In January 2003, she was promoted to Marketing & Events Manager where her responsibility covered conference and event management, business development, marketing, client liaison, internet strategy, and publications, as well as serving on the Aged & Community Services Australia’s National Business Development Advisory Committee.

Susan has managed more than 200 events ranging from conferences, gala dinners, cocktail parties, awards nights, launches, workshops (from 80 to 900 people), exhibitions (from 15 to 100 booths), workshops, and an international conference launch. Her wide-ranging experience in the areas of marketing, advertising, public relations, conference management and co-ordination, and promotions are valuable to all areas of Absolute Events & Marketing and the services it offers.

Client service is important to Susan and she prides herself on her high organisational skills, flexible approach, friendly and personable manner and high standards. Her liaison and relationship-building skills are a vital link in the important role of event and marketing. Her goal is to ensure all stakeholders, sponsors and exhibitors receive the maximum return for their investment. As a Conference Manager with many years experience, Susan has in-depth budget management skills honed from many years working in the not-for-profit sector.

Prior to working purely in the event industry, Susan worked as an Acting Marketing Manager for a retirement village operator, an Advertising Co-Ordinator in an advertising agency for over three years, for a sugar cane growing membership organisation, and in the arts industry – all in a variety of co-ordination and administration roles.

At the end of 2002, she completed six years of part-time study at Queensland University of Technology, graduating with a Bachelor of Business, with a Marketing major and Public Relations specialisation.

She believes in contributing to her industry and, between August 2008 and December 2009 undertook part-time teaching of event management to Diploma of Business (Event Management) students at Martin College, and since November 2008, by serving on the Queensland Executive Committee of Meetings & Events Australia (MEA).

Susan has been Conference Manager on a large number of conferences (both national and international).