I’ve recently returned from an SSAA Regional Dinner in Perth held on 14th November and what a fantastic turn out it was! Despite the heat, members were enthusiastic and engaged in communication with friends, colleagues and each other. This great night was made all the better by an extremely well organised staff team at the 150 East Riverside Bar Restaurant in Ascot.
Visy Boxes & More generously sponsored the drinks for the evening and representatives Bradley Webb and Lorraine Delamotte contributed to the lightheartedness of the evening by providing bottles of wine in a self storage giveaway with four lucky winners. Service Members who attended had the opportunity to introduce themselves and their services to the members and an informal evening followed, capped off by learning about the figures in the Urbis 2013 Demand Study.
In general, members overall are still quite focused on their value added services and building up their cash flow around these services. Members are thinking more freely about these areas more and more these days – money making ideas such as merchandise, insurance, trailer hire, truck hire, receive and dispatch services and what strategic partnerships will work.
A welcome and positive trend seems to be emerging from the Service Members of the SSAA with many becoming increasingly interested in participating with the Association and its members. Those members that have been loyal for a few years now are expressing desire to be pro-active in utilising their relationship with the Association to better communicate with its members in one way or another. We definitely encourage Service Members to cultivate this relationship and whether they think creatively, strategically or are results focused, we appreciate their support.
The first part of the year for me, was primarily focused on delivering the first ever Association Summit which took place on Hayman Island. The logistics and challenges faced when conducting a major event on an island are many, but the rewards are fruitful. A fabulous location, great cuisine and everything running smoothly contributed to delegates having an extremely worthwhile and enjoyable time at the Summit.
Many delegates have spoken to me about the intimate setting being the catalyst for more enduring friendships formed and stimulating conversations with people and personalities of the industry. Mother Nature certainly helped out and we enjoyed weather of approximately 26 degree Celsius daily which was the perfect backdrop for the relaxed and non-corporate agenda which included speaker sessions, service expo, an Amazing Race, a Golf Competition plus an Awards Dinner.
In the coming months we will focus on introducing the new SSAA website which will not only benefit our internal operations but also make life easier for our members when they want to change their details or access important SSAA resources. Finally, I wish all members a very Merry Christmas and an exciting New Year!
