PERSONALITY PROFILE

Melissa Palmer strives to ‘embrace the opportunity’

Melissa Palmer, 40, director, B and E Conference Centre, is a highly motivated and ambitious woman in business. “I love working on multiple projects that add value to my business, community and social peers. I love experiences and it really satisfies me to be able to create and organise an experience for other people to enjoy.”

Looking at the business events sector, she said: “We have all been through the most difficult times these past two years as we have all been trying to navigate and manoeuvre around the pandemic that hit our industry so hard. For those that have successfully made it to the other end of the pandemic, I believe we have all had to change the way in which we do business, in one way or another. I know that plenty of positives have come out of the pandemic and, while we are still possibly in recovery, I truly believe that our industry is going to bounce back and become one of the main economic drivers in our country.”

Where were you born and raised?

I grew up in the Transkei and matriculated in 1999. I studied travel and tourism at Varsity College in 2001 but I was always drawn to the events industry. I then studied further at Varsity College in 2013 towards an event management diploma and I absolutely loved it. I have attended many short courses throughout my career, including a business management course, HR, finance for nonfinancial managers, health and safety, and more. Training and skills development is vital if you are to further develop yourself and your employees and I don’t think that I will ever turn down the opportunity to study further.

Where did your career begin?

I began as a waitress, where my love for customer service and the hospitality industry grew. In 2007, I then moved to a receptionist position at the Home & Decor Expo Centre where I worked my way up to the function coordinator role and eventually, I was promoted as the business manager of the centre. This role included working closely with the tenants within the building, but what I loved the most was working in the conference centre and managing and running the bookings for this division. From there I began to have a better understanding of the events and conference sector and created formal policies and procedures for our business. In 2013, my previous employer, now landlords, weren’t happy with the inconsistent return of conferencing and decided to sell the conference and catering division of their business in exchange for a set monthly rental. I jumped at the opportunity of owning my own business and, in 2014, I officially began trading as the B and E Conference Centre.

What do you enjoy most about business events?

I love working with people. I love creating experiences for people and offering them a service for their every requirement. I also love the challenge that the larger projects within our sector bring.

What has been the biggest change you’ve seen in this sector?

People are more willing to collaborate with each other as opposed to against and we all have each other’s back. Apart from the obvious shift to online and hybrid events, which had to happen due to Covid, I hold by the fact that human beings are social creatures, and that we need face-to-face interaction to succeed, learn and grow.

What role does your family play in your life?

My family is important to me. They motivate me to work harder and leave a legacy for them. I want my son to know the importance of hard work and I want my daughter to know that she can be and do anything she wants to. I hope to be a role model for them one day and provide them with many experiences throughout their lives that we might not have been able to if I weren't an entrepreneur.

Do you have any hobbies?

My hobby is to be an entrepreneur. Also, my husband and I like to plan music trivia and organise fundraisers in support of worthy causes.

Do you play any sports?

Pre-kids I was a kickboxer. I stopped when I fell pregnant with my son, but I did attain my black belt in the sport and attended many national

championship competitions. I then started CrossFit which was just a transformation for me in many ways. The sport itself encourages you to push yourself beyond your own limits and shows you that you can do more than what you think you can.

What is your favourite sport?

CrossFit is my favourite sport to take part in. To watch, CrossFit is great, but I love watching a game of rugby and supporting my favourite team.

Who is your favourite sportsman?

Tia Claire Toomey of CrossFit. I’m in awe of her determination, commitment and grit!

What do you do for leisure?

I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. A braai with a wonderful wine or whiskey is great. We have a lovely holiday cottage in the Transkei and whenever we can, I love to visit there, unwind and relax.

What is your secret to success?

I would say that, working with the right people, who are like-minded and who have the same goals as you are key. I found a wonderful business partner, Natasha Carmody, who joined my business in 2017, and together we have done amazing things. She keeps me on the right track, and I do the same for her. Once you’ve found the right team, treat them well — they are invaluable to your business success. Also, transparency is vital.

What has been your biggest challenge in this sector?

Our biggest challenge thus far has been the lack of a formal and solid contract for a project that we did for a client in 2018. We laid out a lot of capital to get the project up and running and it was a success — however, we never expected the project to get postponed. This postponement clause was not included in our agreement, and it had a huge impact on our business. This, just pre-lockdown when the world shut down, was the biggest challenge as it made our experience through Covid just that much harder. We have learnt that, although it is a tedious exercise, we must get our paperwork spot-on before we embark on large projects that involve capital outlay.

What is your pet hate?

Missed opportunities. We have had the wonderful opportunity to work with young interns within our industry, and they are often on learnerships or programmes that require them to complete on-the-job training. These interns are mostly with us for 12 months and during this time, they have the perfect opportunity to shine and show us, as their host employer, their value. Through the internship programme we have employed many of our learners full-time as they really have added value to our business. However, we have had a number of learners that are just attending the learnership to get their monthly stipend and don’t care about the day-to-day work. This is a missed opportunity for them, as a learnership is a year-long job interview and could become permanent employment.

What is the most memorable place you have ever been to, and why?

I recently attended the SAACI Congress in Stellenbosch and we attended a dinner which was hosted in a local restaurant, called AmaZink, located in a township. My experience at this venue was amazing. I was intrigued by the performers, who sang and danced so proudly as South Africans and it made my heart happy to be a South African myself. It has inspired me to change my perception of certain areas, and to wear my ‘Proudly South African’ badge a little more boldly.

What type of holiday would you avoid at all costs?

I don’t want to go on holiday to a big city where there is a lot of traffic or long distance travelling between activities.

If you could be anyone for the day, who would you be and why?

I would love to be Richard Branson for just one day. I would love to enter his mind and understand how he can take a simple idea and turn it into an amazing business adventure. I would learn so much from just understanding that process.

What is your favourite city?

My favourite city is Gqeberha. I love my hometown. Why? This place has offered me so much opportunity and growth and it is just small enough to be well-known but large enough to enable you to have your own space. I love that we are able to invite friends for a braai at 5pm on a Thursday afternoon, and by 6pm, you have a house full of friends with the fire going. I love that everyone is so helpful, friendly and willing to support each other.

What is your favourite book, film and TV programme?

Book: The Hunger Games. Film: All the Marvel series. TV programme: Friends and How I met your mother.

How do you relax?

I enjoy sitting around a fire with a glass of wine, or spending time with my husband, children and friends.

What is your favourite food?

I love Indian cuisine, the spices are amazing, and I don’t think there is a single curry I don’t like. I also love pizza — especially when my hubby makes it on the braai.

Who is your favourite movie star?

Robert Downey Jr. A close second is Tom Holland.

What is the most impulsive thing you have ever done?

The most impulsive thing I have done was to organise a milestone birthday for my husband and my business partner’s husband, on a cruise ship for 70 guests. It was an idea which stemmed into a holiday, which stemmed into a group booking on a MSC Cruise liner and we had the best time. Apart from that, I once went into a shop and pierced my belly button again after having both my kids. This was another impulsive action.

Who is your role model?

Michelle Brown, a businesswoman from Gqeberha who is in the business events space. Michelle has always been a big role model to me, and I look up to her with great respect. Michelle is very well-respected and works magic at every event that she has been a part of, and you can see when an event has been organised by Michelle. When I studied events coordination, I was told that Michelle was going to be my lecturer and that she was the best. I was very excited about this but unfortunately, she had finished lecturing at that time. When I finally met her, I could see why, and I have looked up to her ever since.

What advice do you have for anyone starting out in this industry and hoping to follow in your footsteps?

I have never limited myself to my job description. I have always offered my services beyond my role even if it meant that I was not remunerated for it. Embrace the opportunity to gain experience from your superiors, as they have worked hard to get where they are and are experienced in what they do. You can learn so much from them.

What is your dream for the future?

I would love to empower our current team to successfully run all three of our branches without myself and my partners having to work directly in the business. We are currently working towards this goal. Once we have reached this milestone in our growth, I would love to work on a business that supports and grows the economy in our city. I would also love to be part of a team that brings new and exciting experiences to the people living in Gqeberha.