Shifting dates for several high-profile exhibitions have unsettled clients and a major industry group linked to expo organiser Media & Events Australia.
Farming show Agriex, the Every Home exhibition and the Perth Woman expo have all been rescheduled at least once and, in one case, a venue has been changed several times. In the case of Perth Woman, the event has been moved twice already and Agriex has become a subset of Media & Events’ AusIndustry expo, prompting WAFarmers to withdraw support for the event.
The expo was to run alongside the WAFarmers annual conference to be held from March 29 to 31, but Agriex has now been rescheduled for April.
A WAFarmers spokeswoman said the idea of running a dedicated agricultural expo alongside the organisation’s annual conference had been very attractive.
But she said WAFarmers no longer supported the Agriex Expo and was offering legal representation to any exhibitors experiencing contractual issues with Media & Events.
Media & Events took over the three events from failed events company Consolidated Business Media, which went into liquidation in June 2004.
Media & Events managing director Greg Millar, who was previously general manager of CBM, confirmed the three events had been moved but said each move had been made to ensure exhibitors had good shows.
Mr Millar said the moves had also been made within the bounds of contracts the company had with the exhibitors.
He blamed WAFarmers for Agriex’s rescheduling, saying the organisation had continued to add to its demands.
The WAFarmers spokeswoman categorically denied the organisation had changed its agreement.
Industrial Automation managing director Henk de Graaf said he had paid a 50 per cent deposit to take space at the Agriex show because it was aimed at farmers. He faced the choice of further financial input to go ahead with the Agriex show, an exhibition he said was no longer solely aimed at farmers, or writing off that deposit.
