INSIGHTS
Inspiring inclusion this International Women’s Day: Pia Cannon
In celebration of this year’s International Women's Day, we're thrilled to shine a spotlight on the successful women within our FCM Meetings & Events team.
Meet FCM Meetings & Events Project Manager Pia Cannon.
As we explore this year’s theme of 'Inspiring Inclusion', we asked Pia how she cultivates a culture where every voice is valued and celebrated. Discover her journey, insights, and aspirations for a more inclusive future.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the travel industry, and how has your journey been as a woman in the field?
“I've worked in the meetings and events industry in some sort of capacity ever since I was about 15."
“When I was at school, I was in the performing arts and creative classes, and I really enjoyed that, but I knew I didn't want to be on stage. I really loved bringing people together for events and just seeing the looks on their faces during that."
“When I came to Brisbane to study, I found a degree in Entertainment Business Management. At that time, I thought I wanted to take more of the festival route because I grew up in [Cairns], a place that didn’t have many exciting events at the time, so the plan was to organise and take these events there. Studying opened many more avenues than I realised and now I get to travel and deliver many different events that can be worlds apart from each other."
“[Last year, I began] working at FCM M&E. I find working for a large corporate really exciting because you get to do a lot of different productions for a myriad of clientele, I enjoy my day-to-day being different every week”.
How do you approach ensuring inclusivity and understanding diverse needs when managing meetings and events for clients from different backgrounds?
“I think when you approach [a new project with clients] it’s good to have an open mindset. You can’t assume what people will want or what people will need. It's best to lay out all the options and let clients decide what's most important to them."
“Taking into account sensory issues and accessibility, diversity in ethnicity, and what the demographic is for the event, inclusion is constantly at the forefront of our minds and can impact an event negatively in so many ways if not considered prior to going onsite."
“For example, for a recent event our client wanted a prayer room, and that prayer room was organised for them.”
In your opinion, how does having diverse perspectives within a travel management team contribute to better service for clients?
“Our FCM M&E team ranges in age across approximately 30 years. That in itself is bringing together a core team to work on events with decades of different experience. Suggestions for suppliers, activations, artists or what's new and innovative in the world can vary dramatically and offer an extensive perspective."
“There’s a lot of collaboration that happens within our team, even when it's not client related, and I think it really helps to not only build those bonds within the teams, between the age groups and positions, but it also lends to clients for a whole world perspective.”
And finally, what message would you like to share on International Women's Day and celebrating women's achievements in the meetings and events sector?
“As the years progress, I feel like we do get stronger and wiser about [celebrating women and inclusivity]. I think 2023 was a great reflection of that. We had the year of the Barbie movie, Taylor Swift and FIFA Women’s World Cup down to pop culture inclinations of ‘girl dinner’ and ‘girl math’ - I felt like it was very much ‘the year of the girl, the year of girlhood’."
“When I went to Taylor Swift’s [recent concert in Australia] and seeing these 10-year-old girls growing up with this perspective of what girlhood and womanhood is - coming up to us wanting to trade friendship bracelets and showing off their outfits, as juvenile as it might sound - I think it's important to keep nurturing these ideals. I’m not so naïve to suggest inequity and or exclusivity don’t exist purely because Margot Robbie starred in a movie, but these moments were particularly poignant for me as I felt when I was growing up, I couldn’t like pink because it was too girly, I wasn’t a girl who played sport, I was a ‘tomboy’ and liking Taylor Swift meant you were problematic for reasons still unclear to me."
“It’s important to also respectfully call people when they’re not being inclusive, and just try to be the best human you can be and also acknowledging when you might not have it right.”
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