Like previous years, the 2021 National Conference kicked off with the Future Leaders Social Event on Tuesday night, followed by the Future Leaders Forum on Wednesday morning. The Future Leaders of the Australian Caravan and Camping Industry is a group of young professionals under the age of 40 from the caravan and camping industry. The purpose of this dedicated group is to provide a platform and information hub to allow the next generation of leaders to influence the future of their industry, to professionally develop their careers and opportunities. Furthermore, it is a support network for likeminded people that are passionate about their industry. The day started with the great news that 2018 Future Leaders Award Winner Margaret Shannon, Future Leaders Committee Chair, has been invited to join the National Board as an observer. For the next 12 months, Margaret will attend the board meetings to represent the young leaders of the Caravan and Camping Industry.
Margaret Shannon, General Manager at Tiona Holiday Park, opened the Future Leaders Forum with an authentic opening speech. Margaret: “It could have been anyone up the stage during the Forum, talking about the colour of the paint on the walls – what mattered was that we were all there; experiencing it together and feeling connected for the first time in over a year.”
The Future Leaders forum continued with an inspirational presentation of James Kelly, Founder and Managing Director of the ASX listed Lifestyle Communities. James Kelly shared the essential steps to Start and Build a Great Business, where culture is key. Because a goal without a plan is just a wish!
Next on the program was Justin Hales, CEO and Founder of Camplify. Justin shared his tips on pitching for investment. Whether you are speaking to a bank, a sponsor, or a venture capitalist, it is vital to put your best foot forward and present your concept for success.
The Future Leaders forum concluded with a panel discussion around ‘Employee to decision maker’. As young employees transition into senior roles or start to take on the family business, managing relationships is key. Four young industry leaders from different parts of the industry shared their experiences in recent years.
Interview With BMPRO
Multiple interview with David Bayliss, BMPRO Brand Ambassador, Olga Kustova, Marketing Coordinator, and Richard Johnstone (Systems Engineer):
Aboutcamp BtoB: BMPRO is the co-sponsor for the Future Leaders Program. What is the main reasoning behind this?
David Bayliss: BMPRO’s purpose “Empowering your competitive edge through innovative and reliable solutions”, encompasses the two key attributes of why BMPRO strongly supports the Caravan Industry Australia’s Future Leader Program – “Empowering” and “Innovation”. Our business is heavily based in electronics engineering and providing young professionals with leadership opportunities is paramount to our long-term success. Ensuring an ongoing continuity of management leadership is critical to any business but even more so to a business that holds specialised intellectual property which requires a highly skilled workforce. For this reason, it is especially important that we support the caravan industry, partners like the CIAA, programs such as this and of course our amazing BMPRO team. We are strong believers in supporting young leaders in developing and growing their skills sets within their career, to provide the business with leaders not just for managerial positions but providing general leadership to the business, customers, and industry.
As proud supporters of the Caravan Industry Australia and Australian innovation and manufacturing we proudly support those of you who “give it a go”. Through the benefits we see in growing and providing opportunities to our young leaders, BMPRO wants to extend that value to future leaders who show potential and character in the Caravan Industry.
Aboutcamp BtoB: How do you mentor and support the younger workforce within your own business?
David Bayliss: BMPRO believes that our brand is not just about now – it is about a journey and to do this successfully we need engagement and ownership through our organization across the generations of campers that we observe engaging with our product. As a consequence of this we feel it is extremely important to mentor our young leaders through the different stages of their career. Some of the activities which we do to promote this are:
– Engage younger leaders in courses which specialize in our areas of expertise and innovation.
– Internal program which encourages young leaders to take advantage of minor leadership roles and create a supportive environment to make this happen.
– Enrol our leaders in conferences or industry related events which increases their exposure to the overall market, opportunities and networks.
Aboutcamp BtoB: BMPRO exhibits at CIAA National Conference. What is new for this year?
Olga Kustova: This year BMPRO has exhibited at the National Conference with a launch of a new product, ProSmart, bringing the concept of a smart home to ‘on-the-road’ travellers – equipping a RV, caravan, 4WD or boat with technology to remotely monitor multiple parameters on their adventures. A user-friendly ProSmart app enables users to monitor various functions such as tyre pressure, gas bottle levels, temperature, water levels and battery status. ProSmart can be paired with up to 40 SmartConnect Bluetooth sensors, allows connecting up to 4 water tanks, a 12V battery and a wired temperature sensor to monitor vital parameters all at your fingertips. ProSmart will be available to the customers not only in Australia, but also in the United States.
Aboutcamp BtoB: What part of the conference did you enjoy the most?
Richard Johnstone: For the team BMPRO, CIAA National Conference is not only networking opportunities and obtaining the fresh knowledge of the newest industry trends but also a great catalyst of the new ideas, born in talks with the park and caravan owners, caravan industry manufacturers and influencers, discussions of the panellists, and more.