Visual Connections Aus LTD.


Here to Support Our Members

As this Member newsletter is distributed, we’re reflecting on the fact that we had hoped at this stage to be gathering in Mebourne in preparation for PacPrint. However, as we’ve seen again and again, circumstances these days can change in a moment. Despite the challenges of the current situation, however, we’re doing our best to find ways to continue to deliver value to you, as our Members, and the wider industry.

While there have been many setbacks to our plans this year, the Visual Connections team has been working hard behind the scenes to create new and innovative ways to support you in doing business during these challenging times.

In this issue of our Member News, you can read about some of the services and supports you can access as part of your Visual Connections membership, including updates on the Register for Assistance function on our website.

We’ve also included the latest updates on the events and activities we’re currently working to deliver. These include the Printing Industry Creativity Awards, 38th National Print Awards, Print2Parliament! and of course, mid next year, PacPrint, Visual Impact Expo and the Label & Packaging Expo in Melbourne. We are very much looking forward to these, and also to our final Member Meeting of the year, which we are still hopeful of holding in November – subject, of course, to outbreaks and restrictions.

We have been amazed and impressed with the way industry businesses have responded to the challenges of COVID-19, but we know that recent days have seen levels of frustration, discouragement and fatigue rising. In this, as in all circumstances, our main concern is for the safety and wellbeing of all our Members and colleagues throughout the industry.

The above initiatives are designed to help you promote the ways you can support your customers; but we know that your business, too, has likely been affected. If you’ve seen those impacts, or you are starting to feel the strain of lockdowns and uncertainty, please remember that help is at hand for you, too.

Firstly, the Government has announced a raft of new business and income support measures to help businesses which have been adversely affected. You can find the latest on these by checking the Government COVID business support web resource at https://business.gov.au/risk-management/emergency-management/coronavirus-information-and-support-for-business. Your own State government may also have grants and other arrangements in place, so we’d encourage you to check there as well and take advantage of any forms of relief available.

Please take advantage of the resources available through Visual Connections, and if there is anything else you believe we can do to support you, our team is on hand even while working from home. Don’t hesitate to call on (02) 9868 1577, or reach out to me personally on 0418 267 952.

On a more personal level, please look after yourselves and your families, and keep an eye on your colleagues and friends. If you, or anyone you know, is struggling or finding the current situation particularly challenging, please seek help either through your personal network, your GP, or any of the excellent publicly-available resources listed below.

On a day-to-day basis, outbreaks are moving fast and restrictions change on an almost hourly basis. Please make sure you check and follow the applicable protocols and procedures for your business, take careful note of any personal movement and gathering restrictions that apply in your area, and continue to implement all the sensible procedures – from hand washing and mask wearing, to social distancing and QR code check-ins – that will help limit the spread of this virus and enable us to open up again as soon as possible.

Hope is a wonderful thing, and we have to keep reminding ourselves that this, too, shall pass. In the meantime, stay safe, stay sane – and we’ll do all we can to support you as you support your own customers. Peter Harper, CEO