G’Day an LA success story

Early reports suggest Western Australian businesses got value for money at the recent Australia trade week in Los Angeles.

The Australian trade event, known as the G’Day LA Australia Week, was held from January 14 to 23 and promoted Australian art, film, food, wine and other trade opportunities, including Western Australia’s large natural gas potential.

Event organisers said the number of businesses from WA attending the trade show was significantly up on last year’s inaugural event.

While most of last year’s pioneers, including entrepreneurial Western Australian olive oil producers Dandaragan Estates and N’Joi, made the trek again, there was a strong contingent of the State’s top wine producers and purveyors of seafood and other gourmet produce.

Local success story Sophie Kyron Jewellery made a one-off piece that was auctioned at the festival’s flagship event – Penfold’s black tie dinner – which honoured Australian entertainers Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, and country and western singer Keith Urban.

With her business well known in eastern States fashion circles, Ms Kyron is on the lookout for investors to help expand overseas.

She said the exposure in LA was fantastic and she would seek more involvement next year.

Following the auction LA-based boutique Sheila moved to place an order with Ms Kyron, while a New York boutique had ordered a catalogue.

“We are delighted to get the boutiques in first; that way we can slowly grow the business,” Ms Kyron said. “The time is definitely right in the US. Australia is the flavour of the month.”

Other major sponsors of the week included Woodside and BHP Billiton, which are among a number of major international oil and gas companies lining up to sell liquefied natural gas from WA into the huge Californian market (see story below).

The festival also welcomed the WA Government as a sponsor for the first time. The Government last year was criticised for failing to attend the event, despite representatives from South Australia, Queensland, NSW, and Victoria making the trip.

Department of Industry and Resources Minister Clive Brown said that, following representations last year, the Government had decided to “have a go” this year and chip in the $50,000 sponsor’s fee.

Despite the change in policy Mr Brown defended last year’s decision, saying the Government was swamped with trade fair invitations from around the world every year and decisions had to be correctly evaluated.

“You could be at a trade week for 47 weeks of the year … and you simply can’t be at them all,” he said.

Mr Brown said the DOIR deputy director Gary Stokes had attended this year and, based on an assessment, the Government would decide whether it was worth attending in 2006

While the Government is prepared to wait for a formal assessment, event organisers were more than happy to sing the event’s praises.

“It has blown us away in comparison to the first year,” Austrade’s LA-based senior trade commissioner Kylie Hargreaves said.

She said attendance was up 50 per cent to 150 companies this year, while the event was now worth $1.3 million compared with $1 million in 2004, with more private sponsorship contributions.

Ms Hargreaves said increased press coverage was one of the best measures of the event’s success.

“There has been really good US press coverage, which is critical in terms of making a splash in one of the largest economies of the world,” she said.

AT G’DAY LA*

WINE

• Abbey Vale Wines, Fonty’s Pool, Goundrey Offspring, Howard Park, Madfish, Moss Brothers, Swings & Roundabouts, Vasse Felix, Wignalls.

FOOD

• Dandaragan Estate, Lobster Australia, MG Kailis Prawns, Margaret River Dairy Co, N’Joi (Red Island Australia), Seasnap, Mulataga Yabbies. 

OTHERS

• Sophie Kyron Jewellery, BHP Billiton, Woodside, Consuming Passions.

Source: Austrade

*List not complete