Page 55 - Food & Drink Magazine Jan-Feb 21

What’s on in 2021
The APPMA is gearing up for an exciting 2021, jam-packed with member services, benefits, and live events. Like everyone, APPMA was disappointed that it couldn’t hold live events during 2020, but the association is excited about what 2021 could hold. It is important to the association that members and the industry are able to connect, engage, and inspire conversation in the year ahead.
The first half of 2021, where possible, will include member dinners, trade show participation, webinars. The APPMA Board is also preparing a
number of announcements which will shine a light on what is to come in the second half of the year.
APPMA assured its members when it announced the postponement of AUSPACK 2021 (now scheduled for May 2022
in Melbourne), that the year would still see the go-ahead of the Business & Industry Conference. As an industry association, it is of the upmost importance to APPMA that visitors will be able to derive value from such activities – the program and events on offer surrounding the conference will be timely and relevant, not only to APPMA members but also to the wider industry.
At the time of publishing, the precise details regarding dates and location of the conference were still being finalised. Stay tuned for further announcements early in the new year.
Board changes announced
Following the resignation of Derek Ford from the APPMA Board in November, the directors have made a call about filling the vacancy.
APPMA NEWS
D
erek Ford had been a valued member of the APPMA Board, serving two terms, initially as the member representative for ABB from 2006-2008, and then being
director. Also in accordance with the APPMA Constitution, Visy was given the opportunity to nominate a suitable replacement to fill the vacancy, however chose not to.
Further, in accordance with the APPMA Constitution, the board of directors at the December 2020 board meeting voted to not fill the position with an alternative representative, instead opting to leave the position vacant until the next annual general meeting of the association, earmarked for the second half of 2021. This will mean that the association will have five positions up for nomination at next year’s AGM. Further information about nominating for a position on the APPMA Board of Directors, will be made available in mid-2021.
APPMA Board 2020-21 (back row, from left): James Windsor, Rob Marguccio, Peter Bradbury, Mark Dingley, Mark Hollingsworth, Rym Kachouri, Robert Becher; (front row, from left): Mark Emmett, Samantha Saunders
re-elected as the Visy Automation representative from 2012-2020. Since his election as director, he played a major role as both a board member and key contributor and participant on a number of working groups, including the AUSPACK and membership committees.
APPMA chairman Mark Dingley said, “Derek’s passion and diverse experience within the industry, along with his strategic insights and knowledge, will be sorely missed. On behalf of the APPMA, the board wishes Derek all the best in his future endeavours.”
In line with the APPMA Constitution, a director elected in accordance with rule 12 must be a representative, employee or director of the full member that nominated the director for election. Unfortunately, Ford’s recent departure from Visy resulted in him having to resign his position as a
Strong support for AUSPACK date change
When the APPMA Board announced a shift in dates for the next edition of AUSPACK to May 2022, exhibitor feedback was overwhelmingly supportive of the move.
Covid-19 has disrupted the exhibition industry on a global scale. While some show organisers have delayed announcing postponements until relatively close to the date, AUSPACK owner APPMA decided to get ahead of the curve to minimise the impact on exhibitors and, ultimately, on the success of the show.
While some exhibitors voiced disappointment and frustration that the show could not go ahead, the unanimous view was that postponing the show by a year was one of the most responsible decisions the APPMA Board could have made. Many expressed strongly that they would not have wanted to
participate in a virtual show, and others said they had started thinking about cancelling their 2021 participation if the show had gone ahead. These same exhibitors are now planning to exhibit at the 2022 show to be held in Melbourne on 17-20 May, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. International exhibitors are an increasingly important part of the growing AUSPACK show – many exhibitors represent international principals who attend AUSPACK to support their local agents – hence many exhibitors and their customers would potentially have been adversely impacted by an Australian-only show.
MACHINERY MATTERS JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 3