2021 AUTUMN REGIONAL MEETINGS
2021 AUTUMN REGIONAL MEETINGS HIANZ CEO, Rodney Grant reports on the success of the two regional meetings held recently in Christchurch and Auckland This also happened to be Rodney’s first opportunity to host these events because of last year’s Covid restrictions
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his year’s regional meetings were held in April with what I am told were great turnouts in comparison to other similar gatherings. In Christchurch we had a HIANZ Board meeting earlier the same day which meant we were able to have all our board members present for this function. Together with 40 other hire members, we had a great turnout. I really enjoyed meeting all the other attendees and catching up with some of my old contacts from my previous time of living and working in the region. A big thanks to Richard Marrah of Invercargill Hire for making the commitment to travel all the way from the deep south to attend the event. Next stop was Auckland where it is such a difficult place to hold an event. Although its one big city, it can be very challenging to get from one side to the other. This proved to be the case on the night we held this function as there was a couple of accidents on the motorway that effectively gridlocked the city. We held the event at a bar called the Zookeepers Son in the suburb of Royal
Oak which in fact is nowhere near the Zoo! We had some 65 people booked to attend but this was reduced somewhat due in part to the traffic upheavals. We all still had a great time and a few of us continued on to a Japanese Sake and Yakatori bar recommended by Martin Vogel. Regional meetings are really a great way for the Kylene and I to meet new and existing members and network with associates (suppliers to the industry) in a relaxed socially acceptable environment. I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite everybody being fiercely competitive no less than an hour earlier, attendees were nevertheless only too happy to catch up for a beer and a chat.
It’s good to know that at times like this we can chill a little and like all professionals whether it be sport or business can come together and celebrate our industry with other liked minded people. On both occasions I provided a brief update on association activities. Overall, I was impressed with the turnout and the interaction of all the members. There’s a question in our survey on the value in these regional meetings. If there is strong support of them, we will organise more and spread them out a bit more than the current two locations. We look forward to seeing you all at the next regional meeting. ■
HIANZ HIRE & RENTAL 2021 -
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