Page 22 - Australian Pork Newspaper

A group of industry representatives at the inaugural PPPE in 1998.
forward thinking
CLIMATE CONTROL | AUTOMATIC FEEDING | HOUSING www.metrowest.com.au
Dave Ahlquist 0419 860 162
THIS year marks the 20th anniversary of the first Pan Pacific Pork Expo, which was held during October 1998 in Brisbane.
That first event was suc- cessful and memorable.
Not only did we get a huge response but there was also a storm that lift- ed the roof and allowed rain into the trade area.
It’s something a number of us remember well.
But from that beginning, the industry is still behind the event.
There have been many chair people and commit- tee members, many trade stands and visitors and I would not like to guess the amount of money that has been created and turned over.
I think we can all re- member something that has happened, a meeting, a conversation or a deal created due to PPPE.
At a quick calculation, with the businesses that have come to Australia (like my own company Jefo), those that have ex- panded and the visitors to our shores, I believe it is safe to say PPPE in the past 20 years has added millions to the economy and Australian pig in- dustry and for that I am bloody proud.
Following are some ques- tions about the event from the Australian Pork News- paper team, answered by myself in a bit of a trip down memory lane.
For what reason was PPPE initiated?
Throughout the years in Australia there would be local pig industry events and shows as well as the National Pig Fair.
These events were well attended, co-ordinated by the local industry and served as a valuable link, but to learn about the international industry, new methods, products or techniques, our industry participants needed to fly to either World Pork Expo intheUSorVIVAsiain Bangkok.
In 1992, at the Pork and Dairy Fair in Murgon, Queensland, a couple of us got our heads together and thought we should get a little more international in our thinking.
So it was decided to run Porkfest in Toowoomba in 1994 and bid for the National Pig Fair, which would be held in 1998.
We won the rights to hold the event in Brisbane and the Pan Pacific Pork Expo was created.
Did you ever see PPPE becoming the biggest event on the Australian pork calendar?
When you create any- thing, you would like to think you are doing the right thing and establish- ing something that will last, but you never know, and we didn’t.
The key for us was we had industry support and the first event was a success – a huge success, even.
We were a committee of industry people, not event co-ordinators, and so the decision was always to hand over the profits (the funds handed over were considerable, to assist in the continuance of PPPE) and the running of the event to the then Pork Council of Australia.
The PCA ran the next one and then Australian Pork Limited took over from there.
So I suppose we were looking for it to grow and continue as a key event to be conducted bi-annually.
We are very proud the event is still going and of those who are running it.
At times I believe some people have forgotten the
roots and who assisted at the time to create this amazing event.
Apart from yourself, who was instrumental in getting the first PPPE off the ground?
The initial discussion was with Ron Collins and myself.
We then created a small working group including Marcus Jones, Heidi van Sliedregt, Marnie (Betts) van Barneveld, Michael Boddington, Ron Lakin and Ray North.
This was the initial group and we formed a committee to run an event we named Porkfest and from that the same com- mittee initiated PPPE.
Let me say though, we only created the concept, the real credit should be shared with the entire in- dustry.
The companies who sponsored it, the speak- ers who delivered world- leading seminars and the Australian industry.
If we did not get the support of the industry, it would not have happened at all.
Do you find the event has good engagement with pig farmers as well as the supporting indus- tries?
The event is still well attended, and it is up to APL to keep it current and supported.
APL supports the event as well as runs the Dele- gates’ Forum as a key part of the preliminary events, which guarantees the in- dustry decision-makers will be there.
I must add at this point that our industry is getting more concentrated and we share a lot of technologies
with other monogastric species.
There may be a better way to keep the event cur- rent and moving forward and that is to combine with other events.
This way we could en- courage international businesses and visitors to showcase Australia and our industries.
Sponsors and trade ex- hibitors have limited mon- ies available and need to spend these in the best way possible.
A combined event may be just the thing to keep PPPE going and update it for the future.
Why choose the Gold Coast as a location?
The first location for PPPE was the Brisbane Convention and Exhibi- tion Centre and this is where we held the second event in 2001 also.
After that, we looked to see if we should move to another city and investi- gated a shortlist including Sydney, Melbourne, Bris- bane and the winner, which was the then brand-new Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The staff running the event (who are still work- ing at the GCCEC today) were intrinsic in setting it up and making it run smoothly.
The GCCEC wanted the event and the Gold Coast is not a bad place to stay.
Everything is close and a variety of accommodation options sealed the deal.
At the first Gold Coast event in 2004, the dinner was held at Jupiters Hotel and Casino and we were serving Barkers Creek pork.
☛ continued P23
20th anniversary of PPPE
AustSafe Super notches up a milestone
THIS year marks AustSafe Super’s 30th anniversary.
Founded in 1988, the fund began with un- der 1000 members and $100 million funds un- der management.
Three decades later, it represents over 100,000 members and $2.4 bil- lion funds under man- agement.
Delivering better out- comes
Last year, AustSafe Super continued its track record of deliver- ing strong investment returns along with re- gional seminars for members and employers and introduced a num- ber of product improve-
ments, including the launch of a mobile app. These efforts haven’t
gone unnoticed, with the fund collecting several industry-based accolades throughout 2017.
AustSafe Super was named Best Growth Su- per Fund in the Money magazine ‘Best of the Best’ Awards, and was ranked second out of 10 in the top-10 perform- ing growth funds for the
12 months to December 31, 2017.
Celebrating 30 years of growth
In AustSafe’s 30th year, there will be a number of exciting de- velopments.
Members and employ- ers are encouraged to keep an eye out at aust- safe.com.au and follow AustSafe on social me- dia for the latest up- dates.
www.primegro.com.au
Results are based on typical progeny growth performance achieved using Primegro Genetics grown under a high health environment and fed using the Rivalea Nutritional Program.
Page 22 – Australian Pork Newspaper, May 2018
www.porknews.com.au
John Reeves with a jelly bean prize from PPPE 1998.