Message from the new President, Sponsorship Australasia

1 June, 2010

New Sponsorship Australasia President appointed 

Sponsorship Australasia held its Annual General Meeting on 28 April 2010 in Sydney. We would like to thank all our members who were in attendance who voted on the future direction of the Association.

During the meeting, it was gratifying to reflect on the achievements of 2009:
1. Growth in membership
2. Annual conference success
3. State event success

We wish to send our heartfelt thank you to the outgoing President, Philip Whittaker. Philip has held the position of President for the last three years and with his drive and vision has brought about key changes to our industry body. He was instrumental in the new branding of the Association, improved and enhanced the annual conference format as well as developed parterships with key industry associations. (i.e. Australian Marketing Institute, IEG and ESA) We are fortunate that Philip has agreed to not only stay on the SA Board but also to chair the Queensland Chapter.
Thank-you Phil!

The following members comprise the new board that now represents you:
President
Bruce Kaider, Western Bulldogs, Victoria

Vice President
Edward Kemp, Alcatera Pty Ltd, Victoria

Treasurer and Secretary
Darryl Ferris, Atlantic Group [V], Victoria

Ordinary Members
Paul Dykes, Australian Sports Commission, ACT
Jann Kohlman, Optus, NSW
Phil Whittaker, Strategy House, QLD
Dustin Lockett, Allstars Management, NSW
Simon Gray, Acrobatt, VIC
Tim Ferrier,ClarkeKann Lawyers, QLD
Andrew Condon, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, NSW
Richard Howarth, Telstra, NSW

As President, my vision for 2010 will see the association get back to basics and focus on our value proposition for our members. Thank you to members who completed our member survey at the beginning of the year – you have helped mould the direction for the association.

As a Board our goals for 2010 include:
1. National annual 2-day conference with an emphasis on networking for members
2. Regular state events in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and ACT
3. Growth of our membership by 15%
4. Research - further research of the industry, trends and comparisons
5. Redevelopment of our website in order for it to become more user friendly and to provide value for members as a resource library
6. Regular newsletter with informative content, case studies and reporting of trends and news from overseas

We recently appointed April Whittam from Strategy House as our Newsletter Editor and you will see our first newsletter under the guidance of April is a huge improvement. The content and focus of the newsletter has changed and we will strive to continue to improve this.

Next week we will launch our national conference, keep an eye out for our information. We’re back on the Gold Coast this year so please mark the dates in your diaries as it will be the industry event to attend for 2010.

I look forward to working with you, our members, over the next 12 months.



Bruce Kaider
President, Sponsorship Australasia