Australian export case study
Australian special events producer, Turningpoint Solutions, has found success in China’s largest commercial city, Shanghai.
Over the past two years, Bondi-based Turningpoint Solutions has designed and produced a number of high-profile special events in Shanghai for international organisations.
 “There is a push in Shanghai to make the city a convention, incentives, and world meetings destination, which has been most visible by the city winning the bid to host the 2010 World Expo,” said Turningpoint Managing Director, Peter Pecotic.
“A large number of convention hotels and other infrastructure have been built and there has been a concerted effort to provide all the services needed for this industry.
“When we looked at this market we could see that we had a services product which could be of value.”
But success rarely comes easily, and Managing Director Peter Pecotic said that they found that what works in one market does not necessarily translate seamlessly to another.
“We come from a relatively mature professional services sector in Australia and assumed that we could match the needs of the Shanghai market with what we had developed and refined specifically for the Sydney market.
“But we quickly realised that we had to do a substantial reworking of our business model and become a turn-key solution provider,” he said.
“As a company from Australia – where the budgets for marketing, internal communications and association events are considerably lower than what is available in the United States and Europe – we had learned to be very resourceful in working within these limitations and still be able to deliver the expected world class results.
“This experience has helped with operating in the Chinese environment and enabled us to be competitive with other international players.”
Mr Pecotic said that Austrade Shanghai had been of great help for Turningpoint Solutions in China.
He mentioned Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioner for Shanghai, Christopher Wright, and the Regional Director for North East Asia, Laurie Smith, as being of particular assistance.
“Austrade has been wonderful in providing advice and counsel. There is such a depth of China knowledge, experience and enthusiasm there, from the Trade Commissioners to the Business Development Managers,” he said.
“Austrade helped us with initial direction, and then with business matching.
“Certainly, they gave us the confidence to work in China – often regarded as quite a daunting market for business services.”
Turningpoint Solutions has recently managed many international conferences and events in China, including:
Other recent work by Turningpoint Solutions has included the Guggenheim Museum’s Art in America 300 Years of Innovation, which involved working with the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, and the Shanghai Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai.
Company Information
Peter Pecotic, Managing Director
Turningpoint Solutions
Suite 6, 23 Warners Avenue
Bondi Beach NSW 2026
Tel: +61 2 9365 1105
Fax: +61 2 9130 4244
Email: peter@turningpointsolutions.com.au
Website: www.turningpointssolutions.com.au
November 2007
www.austrade.gov.au/mediacentre
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