A recent media, PR and vendor event across the Tasman had much going for it, but it was also a reminder that it’s not just on the sporting field that the Aussies can make us feel small.
It was my first trip across to Kickstart in Queensland, organised by Australia-based Media Connect, while others in this year’s five-strong Kiwi media contingent had been before. There were also a couple of New Zealand-based vendors who attended, but we were a definite minority at the five year-old conference, which wasn’t unexpected.
With vendors, PR and media all together in one place to hear about plans for the year, the networking on offer was invaluable. So are the many insights you get into industry trends.
But the NZ part of the A/NZ responsibilities which most presenting vendor reps held often seemed to be given fleeting consideration.
We heard a lot of advice about what Australian businesses need to do to be successful, about the results of research among Australian companies, and the aims of firms which only operated in Australia.
The prime example was a product launch which bordered on an underarm delivery - the item wasn’t even going to be released in New Zealand. I briefly considered throwing my bat down and walking off the pitch.
It’s not a new or unusual problem - Reseller News has often received PR information which starts with the Sydney dateline and has little local relevance.
But if vendors really consider the New Zealand market important, this should be reflected in the information they give at events and on paper.
