Hi to all IPA members!

It is a great time for indoor plants, offices are filling back up, the phone is ringing with quotes and life seems to be getting back to the new normal.

A few updates regarding your Industry Association – IPA.

We have officially announced the 2022 IPA Industry Awards to celebrate our 40th year as an Industry Association.

Judging will be via photos and descriptions, so start to think about an exciting recent install or even an upcoming installation that you would like to highlight and maybe win the very first IPA Award and Industry recognition.

Other like-minded Associations have run Awards for some time in the Horticultural space with great success for the winners in promoting their businesses – so join in and reap the benefits.

More information will be sent out ASAP!

IPA Victorian members recently attended an ‘Indoor Plant Technician training’ workshop as a pilot to more training workshops to be held Australia-wide. The workshop was sponsored by Tropical Plant Rentals and Corporate Plants with Graeme Reid of Tropical Plant Rentals, presenting the training session. It was very successful and is now being fine-tuned to be presented in other States.

See the recent article for the full update.

Finally, many of you won’t realize that our CEO Elaine Tunn only works limited hours due to funding constraints. I know from feedback that most members feel she is there all the time plus more, especially when there are problems to be solved.

Nonetheless and despite Elaine’s relentless work ethic, the Management Committee have decided to run IPA from Monday to Thursday, closing on Fridays. In practical terms this will not affect members or how the Association functions but will better align Elaine’s time with the role we ask her to do, as over the past few years and I suspect since she started at IPA Elaine has always put in far more time and effort than the Association pays for. We appreciate her dedication and selflessness, but we cannot continue to call on her 24/7.

(Elaine would want me to say that she is always there for an emergency)

Enjoy Autumn before Winter sets in, start your end of financial year planning if you haven’t already done so and make the most of the new plantscaping opportunities that are occurring Australia-wide.

Cameron Iddles
2021 – 2022 IPA President
Corporate Plants – Vic
(M) 0418 543 312