As we begin 2025, I am a little sad that my two years as Chairman are coming to an end, but I am very proud to be handing over to wonderful Lene Corgan in June, who has been a tremendous Vice-Chair during my tenure, and many more before me. But we have a few months to go and I still have lots of news to share.

Firstly, we have some vacancies on the Meeting Needs Board, so if you would like to invest a little time in doing something so worthwhile and wonderful, I would love to tell you more and welcome you to the team. Please reach out to me directly if you are interested at cparnham@meetingneeds.org.uk

In our 21-year history we have raised more than £1.89 million and made donations to 200 charitable projects. Your money has changed lived all over the world. We hope to top £2 million before the end of this calendar year.

Last year we raised £155,000, our biggest year since COVID, and this year we hope to have our biggest year ever, so please support our events, or become a Charity Partner. You can find out how here: https://www.meetingneeds.org.uk/charity-partners/

We have had two of our biggest events over the last few months working with two of our  long-standing and valued partners. Thank you to our friends at SITEGB who raised £24,310 in their auction and raffle and to Beam who raised £4,560 at their Gala Dinner.

Coming up later this year is our annual team event, the Royal Parks Half Marathon. This is a super fun event and we are building a terrific community of participants and givers. If you’d like to run (or walk) with us this year, please contact our Head of Fundraising, Kate Conway at kconway@meetingneeds.org.uk

As you know, Meeting Needs is a foundation that awards life-changing grants to small charities and projects with funds raised from within the meetings and events industry, and we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you to everyone who has contributed funds and support over recent months.

Your generous donations have allowed us to support some very deserving charities over the last few months.

  • Mighty Convoy has sent 8 convoys of 32 vehicles to carry aid to Ukraine. With an award of £7,000, we bought one of those vehicles.
  • With an award of £4,000 Jafuta Foundation have complete the refurbishment of a classroom in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, benefitting 60 students.
  • Livingstone Tanzania Trust have developed an acre of land to be used as a school farm with the purpose of them growing their own food, benefitting 358 students, with our £4,000 grant.
  • Feast with Us provides meals to those in London suffering from food poverty. They served more than 27,000 meals this year. We granted £5,000 which is 1,000 healthy meals to needy people.
  • Happy Days provide short breaks, activity days or sporting events for children with learning difficulties or suffering from neglect or abuse. We granted £5,000 which will provide a well needed break for 175 children in need.

A full list of our grants given in 2024 can be found at this link: Needs Met – Meetings Industry Meeting Needs

Do you support or champion a charity? Well, as a member of the meeting and events community you can help your favourite charity to apply for one of our grants. Meeting Needs raises money from within the events industry for small charities championed by the people in the industry. If you’d like your charity to benefit, find out how, at this link: https://www.meetingneeds.org.uk/apply-for-funding-2/

As a foundation we can award grants to a wide range of charities, all using the collective passion, effort and power that we all share and enjoy within the meetings and events industry. Through Meeting Needs, we event professionals can come together to do great things for those in need. Our foundation focuses specifically on smaller charities who find it so difficult to attract attention and funds, and small grants make big impacts. Our average grant is just £5,000 and these grants can and do change lives.

Meeting Needs is a vehicle that can help you and your company do great things, using the strength, talent, and connections we all build and enjoy by working in this wonderful industry of meetings and events. Together we are a massive force that can focus on doing great things for good causes.

Please encourage your colleagues or your bosses to use the Meeting Needs Foundation to help them to give back and let me know how we can best support you.

My board and I want to share our heartfelt thanks for your ongoing support, which we never take for granted, but always appreciate.

 

Chris Parnham MBA CDir

Chairman, Meeting Needs

& Chief Strategy Officer, veSpace