"Deanna Varga was appointed as the facilitator of our recent Strategic Planning Day.

The Commercial Law Association of Australia Ltd celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2025. We were looking for a facilitator to assist us review where we are as an association today. How can we meet our member's current needs, and adapt to the changing needs of the legal profession for career development, education, and networking opportunities.

Deanna worked closely with the board to review where we are now, and how we can improve. Her process involved surveying all directors, talking to staff and the President. Much of the preparation was done before our planning day so that we could focus on drafting a strategic plan that would meet our needs.

Revenue growth and diversification are critical issues that associations need to grapple with to survive and prosper. But, taking steps to introduce change is often difficult. Deanna's understanding of the dynamics of association management, and practical guidance she provided ensured we achieved a comprehensive strategic plan and 'Blue-Print' for our future development.

The process that Deanna developed greatly assisted us to focus on what value an Association can provide to individual members, and the legal profession broadly. I would have no hesitation in recommending Deanna. Her enthusiasm and practical insights into association management have greatly assisted us develop a plan that will ensure our continued relevance and growth as an Association.

I am happy to recommend Deanna. Strategic planning is not an easy exercise. Our task has been made more manageable as a result of expert facilitation provided by Deanna."

"We engaged Mayvin Global to assist our client to develop the strategic plan for the NT Thai Festival 2025-2027. Deanna’s ability to keep the Committee (all volunteers) focused and on track throughout the process was impressive, especially considering the diverse range of perspectives and the hybrid format of both in-person and virtual workshops.

Deanna and Vicky encouraged the Committee to think strategically and consider the long-term future of the Festival. The national and international analysis of Thai Festivals provided valuable insights and informed the sound recommendations they presented.

They also demonstrated a strong ability to work with a culturally diverse group, creating an inclusive and productive environment on every occasion. Their expertise were key to delivering a strategic plan that will guide the future of the NT Thai Festival for years to come.

We’ve now engaged Mayvin Global for a number of diverse and varied projects, and continue to be impressed with the results they deliver".

"I had the pleasure of working with Deanna, as part of a joint international business events strategic planning session for Darwin NT.

The program resulted with many agreed team actions, which in turn listed specific items relating to my research role. Our Research Department implemented a suggested project and to our delight we had immediate results. This project is now an integral part of our annual research activities.

Deanna’s professional approach and delivery of the session was fantastic. Deanna certainly extracts the best from participants.

I am thankful for the opportunity to be involved with this session.

“We recently engaged Deanna Varga to guide our not-for-profit board through the development of a three-year strategic plan. What truly impressed us was how quickly Deanna grasped the unique challenges and opportunities facing our association. Deanna and her colleague Kirsty, demonstrated an ability to understand the complexities of our sector and tailor the session to address our specific needs. The collaborative approach employed helped bring diverse viewpoints together, resulting in a clear and actionable roadmap for our future.

Thanks to Mayvin Global’s guidance, we now have a focused plan that will drive our association forward with confidence. I highly recommend Deanna and her team for any organisation seeking strategic clarity and alignment.”

"Thank you so much for the insightful presentation on diversifying revenue streams delivered to our board. Your expertise and fresh perspectives sparked valuable discussions and highlighted the importance of exploring new opportunities for financial sustainability.

Your approach was clear and insightful, and has set us on the path to rethinking our strategies. Thank you for helping us set the direction for a stronger, financially sustainable & mission-focused future for our society."

“ICMS Pty Ltd engaged Mayvin Global on a fast turn-around project and required their expertise of working with government agencies. Joanne and Deanna worked as a collaborative team, were flexible and responsive in providing advice where needed to drive this initiative. They delivered the project on time and within budget and exceeded our expectations in the nature of advice and support provided. As a result of their work we successfully secured a major academic project.“

“As part of our Strategic review, IQA engaged Mayvin Global to undertake a Revenue & Risk Analysis and provide a Revenue Diversification Roadmap. We found the process well thought-out, aligned to the requirements of our association and the team worked well with another consultant that was simultaneously developing our Strategic Plan. It was important these two pathways aligned and collaborated.

Deanna facilitated sessions with our Board and Committee, both face to face and virtual to extract key information that supported the development of the Roadmap while also challenging our thinking. I particularly valued the commercial thinking approach and revenue/risk lens through which they viewed our revenue streams and potential future sources. The team were responsive to feedback and considered or debated the options. They provided a high level and detailed roadmap that will see us to the next stage of our journey.”

"Working with Deanna and the team at Mayvin Global felt like an extension of our team. We engaged Mayvin Global to conduct a Member Satisfaction Survey which was long overdue. They know their stuff, offering insight and advice throughout the entire process. Their experience with other associations meant they understood many of our challenges and had suggested solutions to combat these. Their analysis provided ATSA with valuable insights and recommendations we could implement. Looking forward to working with them again."

“Our challenge was the stagnation of our membership and our model which hadn’t changed in many years. We engaged Deanna and the Mayvin Global team to help determine the best way forward and to modernise our offering both in and outside of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Deanna brought in an expert team to devise short and long term solutions and the roadmap for the future.

It was evident throughout the 10 month project, that the team were passionate about our success. It wasn’t just another piece of work. Deanna lead the project, listened to our needs, our challenges and their approach quickly established trust. Deanna managed IER to deliver the research requirements to support the insights and brought in her team of experts Sally, Kirsty and Dawn where needed. We felt the team were operating in partnership with us. The Roadmap has provided the RASNSW with direction for the future.”

“Mayvin Global were engaged as part of our 2022 Board Strategy Planning. The objective was to identify revenue diversification solutions that could be realistically considered. In preparation, Mayvin Global presented a benchmarking framework that compared international and local associations against ours. They identified opportunities and avenues related to our potential growth. During the Strategy Day, Deanna facilitated an interactive workshop, using the framework and Mayvin Global’s assessment of potential revenue streams and risks.

We were provided a roadmap of revenue diversification opportunities – short, medium and long term. We were impressed with Mayvin Global’s strategic approach, ability to challenge thinking as well as understanding the size of our College and what is feasible. The Mayvin Global team worked seamlessly and delivered a great result that we continue to refer to and implement. We re-engaged Mayvin Global to support us again in late 2022 as a result of their expertise in revenue diversification. “

"The Hire and Rental Industry Association (HRIA) engaged Mayvin Global to facilitate workshops that would obtain insights and feedback from our Party Hire/Events Hire members. Our objective was to understand how to enhance engagement and add value for these members. We have always recognised that this segment potentially has different needs to the majority of our members, and through a couple of workshops and Mayvin Global designed survey, they were able to unpack and explore these requirements on our behalf.

Mayvin Global’s knowledge of events and understanding of the challenges facing this sector was invaluable to engaging with our members and digging deeper on some issues. They understood our brief, worked to our timelines and developed creative solutions to enhance delivery. Their recommendations were presented in a report which has provided a solid roadmap as to how we can evolve our offering to best service our members."

“We identified a need to streamline our sales approach to First Aid and Mental Health Training in a highly competitive market. Mayvin Global brought our national team together, unpacked our processes and worked with us to develop tools and templates that would better support the sales team. Importantly, their approach helped us think differently and question some of our ‘old’ approaches. As a result of the work of Deanna, Sally and Suzanna, we are well underway to formalising our sales toolkit and 12 months on, their strategic approach continues to benefit our sales outcomes.”

"Destination Sydney Surrounds South (DSSS) engaged Mayvin Global to deliver our Business Events Industry Development project, which included tailored mentor program, educational workshops, and development of an Industry Checklist. Deanna and her team’s expertise and experience in the business events sector was second to none and evident throughout the entire project. Their pursuit of feedback from us and key stakeholders was truly valued, to ensure deliverables not only met the objectives of DSSS, but also the needs of our industry.

Mayvin Global’s awareness of providing impact long-term, through the lasting results of the mentoring and tangibly through the Checklist have ensured a true legacy for the project."

"I have enjoyed working with Mayvin Global. It is a professional team always operating with integrity.

It was very affirming to receive the outcome of the consumer research and comforting for us to have confirmed the level of support from our members. We equally had confirmed for us the work we need to do to appeal to a broader spectrum of the membership and also the thinking we need to do to broaden the reach of API."

“Adelaide Convention Centre engaged Mayvin Global to review our approach to technology services. They demonstrated a deep knowledge of business events and current client trends, as well as a technical expertise that enabled them to not only thoroughly understand our brief, but complete a deep dive into the subject matter and provide relevant recommendations. Their findings provided us with incredibly valuable insight which has helped us further enhance our approach & customer service.”

"In today’s environment where data collection and analysis are fundamental to success, choosing a partner to assist in delivering research, insights and recommendations is a critical decision. It was a pleasure to work with Deanna and the Mayvin Global team on our comprehensive industry survey of gaming and hospitality workers across Australia and New Zealand. While their technical skill and expertise are evident, importantly they also listen to your needs as the client and deliver quality, bespoke reports."

“This project was our second time working with Mayvin Global and from start to end it was a very productive and professional positive experience. I was impressed with the calibre of the team at Mayvin Global and their good understanding of the NT in general and the event landscape in particular. The Mayvin Global team were able to build rapport and trust quite quickly during the stakeholder engagement both in Darwin and in East Arnhem Land. I really valued how Mayvin Global approached the project, their processes and communication style – particularly as they were managing the project and client relationship. Agentur would work with Mayvin Global in the future."

“Mayvin Global invited us to partner on a feasibility review for a cultural event in East Arnhem Land. We were involved for our expertise in economic and social impact. Deanna curated a team of experts including the Mayvin Global Darwin team plus partnering with a third agency (Agentur) to collaborate on this four month project. I commend Deanna and Mayvin Global for project managing the various and sometimes complex aspects of the review and ensuring that the forward momentum continued throughout. Mayvin Global brought tools – such as an online workshop – to help facilitate and discuss outcomes of te project. Which given travel restrictions was a great way to bring out the key insights and findings. We would definitely like to continue to work with Mayvin Global on other projects."

“Recent grant funding provided us the opportunity to engage Mayvin Global with a strategic business initiative. It required an agency that understood the complexity of our business, the clients we work with, the sector and able to deliver to a tight timeframe. The team at Mayvin Global clearly understood our brief, and from the outset built rapport and trust that was further demonstrated by delivering quality content that was on time and on budget. ”

“We’ve been working with Mayvin Global and Deanna Varga for over a year now and are loving their approach to the association sector. I particularly enjoy seeing Deanna and her team challenge some of the traditional revenue streams and business models. In line with this, the Whitepaper released in 2021 The Future of Associations, reinforces the notion that in an uncertain world, the need for associations is greater than ever and to reach their full potential they need to unshackle themselves from operating models that are no longer effective.

I am proud to know that the idea for this White Paper came out of discussions with Deanna – talking about what our association CEOs are needing right now – and how her expertise should be documented. It’s a must read for every association leader.”