'It is moving to see how the industry comes together to give back to those less fortunate'

Lene Corgan, the new chair of Meeting Needs, gives an insight into the work of the charitable foundation and highlights its successful partnership with M&IT.

Tell us about Meeting Needs

Meeting Needs is a foundation formed in 2001 by a group of event industry professionals: Harry Baum, Charles Robinson, Charles Blowfield, Martin Lewis and Peter Rand. It benefits small charitable projects in the UK and overseas which have no access to major fundraising resources.

We raise funds within the events industry, undertake due diligence on applications for funding, conduct checks on the delivery of work, and provide feedback to the industry on the projects they have funded. These projects usually have some connection with event industry professionals. As an example, in the past month, we have funded six months of running costs for an ambulance in Tanzania to provide the only transport for a community of 7,000 people to the hospital, a three-hour drive away. This is a charity we have supported since 2011, so we have a close relationship with its work and often fund projects over many years.  

How long have you been the official charity partner of the M&IT Awards? 

Since we founded the charity in 2001. 

How did the partnership come about?  

The owners of M&IT had previously raised funds for Save The Children, but decided to set up an independent charity to benefit from fundraising at the event. 

How are funds raised on the night? 

There has always been an online auction and prize draw, and this continues. Prizes are kindly donated by suppliers in the industry, such as hotels, tourist boards, airlines, etc, and guests support generously through raffle ticket sales.  

How else does the partnership help to raise awareness of the charity?  

M&IT is generous in continuing to provide access to its audience to allow us to promote the event in terms of prizes and also to allow us to make a presentation of our work on stage at the event. This enables us to demonstrate how the money we raise is spent. Our relationship with M&IT has been critical to the success of the foundation and we are delighted and grateful that Northstar wants to maintain the relationship and support the work the foundation does. 

I believe £24,000 was raised last year - what does that mean for Meeting Needs in real terms? How many people can it help and how?  

Most of the projects we support require relatively small amounts of between £2,000 and £5,000. However, the decision-making process we undertake ensures that we select projects that deliver real value for large numbers of people for relatively low costs. The ambulance for Village Africa mentioned above is a good example of this – the running costs, including fuel, tyres, staff and insurance, are only £10K per annum! Last year, they dealt with 55 emergencies – many lives were saved at a cost of only around £100 per week. We would expect £24,000 to fund around six such projects! 

And what could you do with more money? Say it was £50,000?  

We would fund more projects at home and overseas, but we would continue to ensure we get good value from our grants. 

Do you have a good time at the awards? 

Meeting Needs representatives love attending the awards each year. Not only is it an incredibly well-organised event celebrating our industry, but it is also always moving to see how the industry comes together to give back to those less fortunate.  

What would you like to say to the guests who donate on the night?  

Most of us attend the M&IT Awards without spending our own cash - either we are hosted or our companies pay. Remember this when the raffle tickets are brought to your table and think of that ambulance taking expectant mothers and accident victims on a three-hour drive through the bush over unmade roads. You will never spend your cash more productively!

Anything else you would like to add? 

Huge thanks to Northstar, to prize donors, auction bidders and raffle ticket purchasers – you are doing such good things for those in need. Thanks for Meeting Needs!