Successful Kiwis In Australia Geoff Holland

To any of you out there going to the largest show of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the AWISA Trade Exhibitions held every two years in Sydney (although also in Melbourne and once in Brisbane) over the last thirty years or so you might not know that the event is organised by a born and bred Kiwi in Geoff Holland who runs the events company engaged by the AWISA board since 1990 to run the event. The Australian Woodworking Industry Suppliers Association aka AWISA is well known both in Australia and New Zealand and for most in the various industries represented at the biennial event it is a must see for the latest in overseas developments and trends. Many, many Kiwis have attended over the years and this magazine has had the privilege of being able to also participate to promote what Kiwis as well as Aussies have to offer. I was delighted Geoff agreed to answer my questions and be in this our 100th issue. I had, as with Ross Campbell, intended to fly to Australia to interview Geoff personally but alas, Covid 19 got in the way.

Where did you come from in New Zealand and how did you end up in Australia?

I’m Auckland born and raised from good South Island stock! Spent my early career in building products marketing moving around a bit as any good marketing person needs to do in their early career. Lots of exhibiting at trade shows and home shows which lead to an offer to join the major NZ organiser of the time, and then transferred to Sydney with them.

The first AWISA was held back in 1988 in Melbourne. What was the original concept for the event and what drew you into involvement in it?

I was involved in the running of Austwood in Sydney in 1985. There were similar independently owned shows run or proposed in other states and that lead to the industry’s suppliers getting together to form an association to ensure that Australia just had one large national event. By 1988 my wife Laurel and I had started our own company and we were approached by AWISA to run AWISA 1990.

The biennial event has grown in stature and size since 1988 to become the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. What have been the challenges you have seen in it’s growth since then?

Probably the biggest challenge is that AWISA’s logistics are as complex as a trade show can get. More crane use than any other trade show, complex electrical work and the highest power consumption of any trade show. It’s completely different from almost any other trade show. Convincing venues that we are different is often a challenge, but to be fair they listen and always rise to the occasion. Our one day record is 136 trucks, 7 tonne and bigger but mainly semis, through a venue loading dock. It’s often at the design stage of venues that we have been ignored, even though we have supplied historical information to the designers. The new venue in Sydney is a case in point. Our electrical contractors had to do major eleventh hour temporary extra work to enable AWISA 2018 to operate. This has since been done in a permanent manner. Don’t worry – the venue paid for the temporary and the permanent work !

One of those challenges I’m sure has been that shows of this size always seem to have some degree of politics involved and AWISA has been no exception. Running an events company overseeing AWISA you must have seen some interesting scenarios arise. What stands out for you as being a challenge for you?

I have worked with over ten trade associations in the last 30 years, and some are very political, even to the extent that we resigned from one event’s management because the relationship was unworkable. The organisation of the AWISA show has very little politics. I have always reported to a board that simply wants the job done and done well. The board, full of competitors, has always operated like the classic bar scene from an old Western movie – the guns are left at the board room door. The board works quickly and cooperatively with the one aim –to bring about a great event.

The GFC (Great Financial Crisis) in 2008 saw a major challenge for AWISA leading to the cancellation of the 2010 event. Take me through the story as it unfolded and where it led to:

I’m not one to reminisce about negatives, especially when we are in the middle of another one right now. But to answer your question: It was very clear soon after AWISA 2008 that the world had a problem. The woodworking machinery and hardware manufacturing industries were severely impacted. Yes, AWISA could have mounted a show in 2010 but it would have been small. This would have damaged the ‘brand’ and the following shows would almost certainly have been smaller. Visitors want a big show with every major supplier involved. The growth of the show since then is proof that the right decision was made.

The show has of course evolved particularly in the last ten years: the emergence of the two distinct show elements of machinery and production on the one hand and the design element with the architects and designers on the other. What are the influences you see that led to this?

Go back to the beginning –AWISA was a machinery show with a few standard small booths of hardware companies. The range of hardware, materials, decorative products has exploded over the last 30 years. Some visitors now come purely to see the design side of the show, so it was logical to split it into a separate area. This gave the design side some relief from the noise of machinery, but now that the show is split over different levels the relief is total !

Attendees come to AWISA from all over the world including New Zealand. For many Kiwis it saves a more expensive trip to Europe to see the latest developments. An affinity with Kiwis seems apparent: what is your view on this?

Nearly all the major suppliers have operations on both sides for the Tasman and want the show to be an Australasian event. I guess I bring an Australasian flavour to it. Kiwis should remember that they are very, very welcome.

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