Announcing the Australian Restoration Industry Conference

It’s finally happened: the first time an industry association has run the Annual Restoration Australian Conference in over nine years!

The RIA journey for us started when our previous chairperson, and at the time RIA board of director, Mr Duncan Bennett (WLS) and current RIA Australasian Council board member and previous Marty King award winner, Ashley Easterby, believed that the local Australian and New Zealand market could benefit by being connected to the global restoration community through our great association. Our Australian RIA directors wanted to educate the industry in Australia and New Zealand in RIA fashion and share the same benefits of RIA membership that they have enjoyed and experienced over the past 20 years.

RIA local international membership has given the local market the opportunity to effectively “see through the crystal ball,” as the restoration industry in Australia and New Zealand has been moving in the same direction as the U.S. industry for many years. Through connecting with peers, working with RIA leadership and reading C&R every month, this has given our local industry the unique and rare opportunity to see what may be coming in our region.

The process of introducing RIA membership to Australia and New Zealand was never going to be easy. The local industry, currently experiencing some major changes similar to U.S., had been struggling with evolving and changing insurance and restoration processes, downward turn in pricing, a push for more responsibilities and higher administration burden. To quote our region’s RIA and international ambassador Pete Consigli, “The Australian Restoration Industry needs healing,” and this is what we set out to do.

This was what kicked off the beginning of the original RIA Steering Committee, now known as the Australian Council. The council’s devoted leadership team has been working tirelessly on developing RIA’s local membership benefits, industry support and education opportunities laying the foundation of programs and initiatives that will open the door for current and future member for many years to come.

Our main goal for 2018 has been to establish a yearly restoration and education event run by a true industry association, focusing on RIA’s education and growth-style program. In addition, when the opportunity was presented to take over the successful Australian Restoration Conference, it was a match made in heaven. The stage was set for an education-focused event designed, scheduled and run by restorers for restorers.

We invite you all to come to the sunshine state with our beautiful sand and endless beaches to experience the first “Take a Break” industry conference.