December has come around fast and as the festive season warms up, it is a great time to look at the achievements of the year and reflect on the ways that the Christmas spirit of generosity and goodwill is at the heart of SMC’s values year-round.
2018 has indeed been a busy year at SMC. The centre hosted 742 events that entailed 2,986 specific room setups and welcomed 164, 371 attendees across everything from conference presentations to screenings to galas and award nights to banquet dinners, lunches, afternoon teas, cocktail parties and product launches.Delegates were impressed by notable keynote speakers including 7:30 Report presenter and author Leigh Sales, television and radio news presenter Lee Lin Chin, mathematician and Australian of the Year ‘Local Hero’ Eddy Woo and athlete, Paralympian and media personality Dylan Alcott. SMC also welcomed several VIP government officials who made their presence felt including former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and a coterie of ministers from the corridors of power. As the seat of Sydney’s Masonic community, SMC hosted 250 Lodge meetings, 180 Masonic dinners and welcomed 4,400 Masons.
To share an idea of the variety and scope of events booked at SMC, some of the memorable ones included Launch Festival - the world’s largest startup festival, which returns to SMC June 2019, and the Women in Real Estate conference. Advances in medicine and the latest research were showcased at the Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference, the inaugural Junior Doctors Conference and the Australasian Student Surgical Conference. On the cultural front, Netherlands Kingsday drew together the Australian-Dutch community in a sea of orange finery and Sing Out Sydney the community choir spectacular was a roaring success in the Grand Lodge where 500 singers joined together for a resounding finale of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice. If you wish you’d been there, you can enjoy it here.
“As the Christmas season is upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and those who have helped to shape our business. It’s been quite a year for us all!” recalls general manager Paul Davison.
The Christmas spirit of goodwill and generosity extends year-round at SMC with community and a culture of giving at the heart of everything they do. According to Davison, ‘Our Community’ is one of the five pillars that supports SMC's mission. This pillar is underpinned by the Masonic values of integrity, honesty and diversity that guide SMC in its business conduct. Our Community is about supporting one another and enabling individuals and organisations to meet and interact together in the heart of the CBD.
“Our Community Pillar encompasses everyone we work and partner with to provide services and value to our clients, delegates and our broader community,” he explains. “As well as supporting equal opportunity and diversity within the workplace for staff, SMC has developed long lasting, positive relationships with other events and hospitality related organisations to ensure that the wider business community benefits from the significant number of, and range of national and international events held at the SMC.”
Importantly, SMC strongly believes in giving back to the community by assisting or partnering with a number of industry bodies and culturally aligned organisations through sponsorships, providing in-kind support and lending their expertise and experience. Organisations that benefit from this support include cultural organisations, Masonicare, the Catholic Mission, Youth groups, not for profits, training organisations and many more.
In 2018, SMC sponsored the Meetings and Events Association’s training and continued its involvement in the NSW/ACT Young Achiever Awards whose purpose is to acknowledge, encourage and most importantly promote the positive achievements of all young people up to and including 29 years of age.
Looking forward, SMC is sponsoring one of the first events to be held in the newly renovated SMC on 11th May 2019. The not-for-profit Wrap with Love invites all volunteers who would like to knit, crochet or sew up wraps for those in need in Australia and around the world, to join in the Knit-in.
According to Diana Whitton of Wrap with Love, there are millions of people in the world suffering extreme cold. Wrap with Love began in 1992 with the idea to help as many people as possible by providing warm ‘Wraps’ to ward off hypothermia and in the past 26 years the charitable organisation has sent more than 450,000 Wraps to people in over 75 countries, including Australia, with the help of hundreds of hardworking and generous volunteers.
“The upcoming Knit-in is a chance for the community of knitters and crocheters to come together, share their skills and delight in helping other people. Participants will have a chance to learn from one another and hear more about the work of Wrap with Love. The opportunity to be in the city at a first-class venue at SMC means we can extend the welcome to many more people on the day. We expect this will be our biggest Knit-in ever, which means more wraps to warm more people. If that’s the case, it will be a heart-warming achievement and we are so grateful for the generous support of SMC”.
Paul Davison and the SMC team share their festive wishes, “We hope that 2018 has been just as memorable for you, your colleagues and your loved ones. We look forward to working with you next year, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”.
