We are proud to announce our new partnership with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative. This collaboration underscores TBE’s commitment to fostering accessible environments that welcome all attendees, including those with non-visible disabilities.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative, recognised globally for its distinctive green lanyard adorned with sunflowers, discreetly signals that an individual may need additional assistance or understanding due to a non-visible disability. By joining this initiative, TBE aims to create a supportive and inclusive event experience for people with disabilities such as autism, dementia, visual or auditory impairments, and other chronic illnesses.

“Partnering with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a natural step in our mission to make events as inclusive and accessible as possible,” said Denise Broeren, Founder and Director of Think Business Events. “We are excited to champion this initiative across our events, empowering our team and joining with our event partners to better recognise and support attendees with non-visible disabilities. This partnership reflects our broader commitment to accessibility and inclusivity in the events industry.”

As part of the partnership, TBE staff will receive specialised training on how to recognise the Sunflower symbol and respond to the needs of individuals wearing the lanyard, or those who approach team members with a request.

“The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program is delighted to support Think Business Events in fostering greater accessibility and inclusivity—ensuring that staff, speakers, and attendees, including those with hidden disabilities, feel fully supported.” – Justin Bruce, Director Hidden Disabilities Sunflower ANZ.

The partnership will debut at TBE-managed events in 2025. Through this initiative, TBE aims to build a more inclusive environment where all guests feel acknowledged and valued.

Think Business Events Director, Kim Stevenson, recently headed off to Geneva, Switzerland to attend an IAPCO EDGE Seminar. These seminars are an educational opportunity to development professional skills, converse with international colleagues and hear from industry experts about the current and future of the global Meetings and Events (MICE) industry. The theme of the seminar was Reflect, Reconnect and Reimagine.

We asked Kim about her time in Geneva attending the event…

What made you decide to leave the sunshine of Melbourne to spend a week in <5°C temperatures?

2023 is the year of trying new things. Looking at the theme – Reflect, Reconnect and Reimagine and the program outline the topics really resonated with me. Having never attended an IAPCO seminar I thought why not, and there is no way later in the year when things are busy, I will get a chance to do something like this.

What was the most enlightening thing you heard or ‘aha’ moment you experienced?  

There were two ‘aha’ moments. One on a personal level, was hearing that the PCOs from other countries also went through such a hard time in 2022 “post COVID”, this made me feel it was OK to feel conflicted about the year.

Everyone was saying, 2022 is going to be a great year now that we are back to normal post COVID. Well, it wasn’t, it had some major challenges, this might sound bad, but it was nice to know it wasn’t just us having these thoughts. 

The other ‘aha’ moment was – The Why. Bringing it back to why, why are we organising this event, why are we doing what we are doing, why is this important to the client and the delegates, sponsors and other stakeholders, why is this important to our business…

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This year we’re celebrating 15 years of business, and what a 15 years it’s been. We’ve managed hundreds of conferences across different sectors, travelled Australia and the world, meet interesting people, seen the industry evolve and adapt and forged long-lasting relationships. Thanks for joining us on the journey so far, we can’t wait to see what the next 15 has in store.

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