Office Brands is using its 20th anniversary as a call to action for its members to ‘think differently’ as the group confronts mounting competitive pressures and a changing workplace environment.

 

Under the theme ‘Think Differently’, Office Brands heads to Adelaide next for month for its independent conference and trade show, an event that attracts members from the group’s four brands – Office National, Office Products Depot, O-Net and Office Power.

 

Office Brands was formed in 1999 with the amalgamation of three smaller groups -  OfficeForce, Office Network and Advanced Product Technologies – in a bid to compete against global group Corporate Express, later to become Staples and now Winc.

 

At the time, the feeling was that Corporate Express threatened to wipe out the independent dealers with its massive catalogue and brute force marketing techniques.

 

Office Brands CEO Gavin Ward said the independent channel has proven to be “robust and has seen off the challenges from Corporate Express, Staples and is now entering the challenges with the current market players, Winc, COS and Officeworks.

 

“There is no doubt that the pace of change is accelerating, the last three years have been particularly intense with the consolidation of suppliers and retailers, the substantial changes in purchasing and marketing strategies, and the requirements of our customers to service their expanding needs for a total workplace solution. Those businesses who plan to survive not only have to accept these changes but embrace them,” he said.

 

Motivation for members

 

To mark its 20th Anniversary, Office Brands has embraced the mantra of ‘Think Differently’ for next month’s conference and expo, to be held at the Adelaide Exhibition & Convention Centre and Intercontinental Hotel (11-13 October).

 

Office Brands head of marketing Phyabae Leong said: “Our spotlight for this event will be to highlight our focus on helping members and partners differentiate themselves through ‘Thinking Differently’ to enable growth in their business. We are looking at this through the lens of creativity, innovation, strategy, best practices and other cutting-edge tools. To achieve this, the major focus of the Expo will be on educating, knowledge sharing and providing insightful experiences from member and supplier panels, as well as guest speakers who will also be conducting workshops.”

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Amanda Stevens, a previous ‘Young Australian of the Year’ and Australia’s leading consumer futurist.

 

Also on the program is three-time Olympian and volleyball gold medallist Kerri Pottharst, who will workshop her theme ‘Don’t Think It, Ink It’ with practical goal-setting strategies she used to recover from a massive injury and a potential end to her career.

 

Visitors to the Expo will have the opportunity to win more than 40 prizes valued at more than $11,000.

 

For more details of the Expo, click the Office Brands tab on the OPN home page.