paul copper

There are lots of Churches around but I don't know what they are called.

BEVS

To send a PM just click on the persons user name to the left and a drop down menu will appear. 2nd option down allows you to PM the person.

Faye

Hello everyone,

As event organisers, we are receptive to all feedback on our expos, both the negative and positive. We appreciate your thoughts on the recent Opportunities New Zealand Expo in Birmingham.

Firstly, we would like to apologise to those whose expectations were not met. We have been running these expos since 2002, and endeavour every time to provide the best possible information and service.

We were incredibly surprised at the sheer volume of attendees this time. In the 7 years we’ve been running these expos, we have never seen anything that compares to the volume of visitors at the NEC on Saturday. We know that means many of you are eager to make the move, and we’re sorry to those we were unable to assist on the day.

Everywhere you look, you will see signs of the poor economy. This was evident in the incredible demand by expo attendees, and in the smaller numbers of employers and recruiters than we’ve had at previous expos. While not as many employers were able to travel from New Zealand this month, we did have 75 New Zealanders make the trip to talk to all of you about migration and employment opportunities in New Zealand. The types of roles being recruited for are further evidence of the current global economy, which explains why teachers and healthcare professionals may have faired better than those in other occupations.

We know that many of you were forced to wait in long queues before entering the expo. It was not our decision to close the doors; we were obligated to comply with the NEC’s directive for health and safety reasons. We apologise for the inconvenience and delays this caused on Saturday. We acted immediately on Saturday by removing expo walls to increase floor space and allow more visitors in.

Overnight, our team rolled their sleeves up and worked into the small hours re-constructing the expo which created an additional 25% of floor space that solved the overcrowding issues we saw the previous day.

Whilst we did everything we could to expand the expo quickly, we recognise that many of you were inconvenienced, and for that we are truly sorry.

We will take all feedback on board and use it to improve our upcoming events.

If you have contacted us directly, you can be sure you will receive a response. And thank you to those visitors who have contacted to say the expo was a success for them, and that they were able to apply and interview for jobs in New Zealand.

Warm regards,

Faye
www.workingin-newzealand.com

BEVS

Thank you for taking the time to post on behalf of Opportunities NZ Faye.

We actually attended the London expo way back in 2003 & it did make for an interesting day . Plus we got to meet other hopeful migrants.

I'm sure those that attended the expo this year will be pleased to note that their comments have been important enough to warrant a response from your team.

Good on you for making the effort.

Matewx

Thanks for your post Faye... I was about to ignore this thread thinking "This Expo AGAIN!"...

Nevertheless, it was a waste of money as far I & OH are concerned. I would say a waste of time, but as we were done in 30 mins... I cannot!

Still, it's nice to see you will take our feedback on board. Hopefully, it will help in improving it for others...

Sandsmouse

Agree with everything said.We were there early and got in O.K but they would only let so many in at a time due to Health and Safety .Security told us that there were only 30 stands this year,as opposed to 70 last year but that attendance was actually 25% up .are really helpful .Wasnt worth the trip

Perry Groves

I really hope I won't be attending next years one....as I hopefully won't be here!

I think it was useful only in the sense that I suddenly realised how many people were interested in NZ!

one last adventure

If Faye is still reading this link can i ask why no reference/warning was placed on the EXPO website about the fewer number of exhibitors that would be present at this event, EXPO must have known this prior to the event. All the negative comments this event has now been given on here can't be good.

Wooly_Cow

It's a real shame that this was not a better event. The one I went to in Earls Court in 2007 was OK. However my advice to both attendees and Expo organisers is to be clear about which companies are going to be there and in the case of job hunting, what their opportunities are.

Before attending an EXPO (even round the corner) I would contact the companies that are going to be there to check that they are still coming, what the jobs are, and start the process by sending a CV to them. It shows planning and initiative and saves the employers time as they can schedule time with you if they are interested.

For other exhibitors at an EXPO, they should be encouraged to offer something 'special' that you wouldn't get from a web site such as a knowledgable speaker who could directly answer questions. Just handing out info packs is a waste of everyones time and money.


best of luck to everyone that attended (or didn't ). Like has been said before, forums like this one are pretty good for information transfer and those of us lucky enough to have made the leap, are more than likely able and willing to help.