Overview
The RAIA’s corporate partner community provides valuable financial and in-kind support for numbers of core events and activities. The Corporate Partner team takes a great deal of pride in nurturing relationships that generate benefits to Australia’s architectural profession, and 2006 was an immensely satisfying year.
Of greatest significance in our partnership program are the opportunities afforded to the RAIA, its members and its corporate partners to share information and build relationships and trust – a tangible contribution to the RAIA’s mission of ‘uniting architects to advance architecture’.
The 2006 partnership program further consolidated its activities with a series of competitions, workshops, networking opportunities, and brand awareness and loyalty campaigns, all of which engaged the Corporate Partners and the RAIA membership on various levels.
Highlights of 2006
The promotion of BlueScope Steel’s 40th birthday celebrations came to a fitting climax at the RAIA National Awards in Brisbane in October. The RAIA presented BlueScope with an original Indigenous artwork celebrating the occasion and BlueScope’s long and much appreciated support as Principal Corporate Partner.
Fielders’s upgrade in status from State Sponsor (SA) to Major Corporate Partner was a significant one. National brand awareness building through RAIA communication channels, and association with RAIA national events, have delivered a solid basis from which Fielder’s is now well positioned to leverage.
The national launch of the (already) successful Design-A-Lever competition for Assa Abloy’s Lockwood brand stood out for all the right reasons, as did Adobe’s association with the Frank Gehry movie preview screened exclusively for RAIA members in all major capital cities. Additionally, the recognition provided to Parbury across some 48 seminars as the Supporting Corporate Partner of the Continuing Education National Seminar Series, and Tarkett’s ongoing support of the State and National Awards programs were all instrumental in delivering initiatives that add value to our members’ association with the RAIA.
The Way Forward
The Corporate Partner team is looking forward to a year of consolidation and development. As the RAIA pursues a more rigorous strategic approach to all its activities, we have the opportunity to more strategically develop the Corporate Partnership initiative, integrating programs and events to deliver value to both members and to Corporate Partners.
Consistent and frequent communication between the Corporate Partner team, chapter and business unit managers and staff is crucial to the success of the RAIA Corporate Partner initiative – particularly as many benefits our Corporate Partners receive are at the State/Territory level. As such, we are investing heavily in building a sound communications strategy that integrates with the RAIA overall communications plan.
A focus on business development is core to the longevity and future success of the program. As well as nurturing our current relationships, we will be seeking out prospective partners that share the values and vision of the RAIA.
In 2007, we are proud to be associated with BlueScope Steel – Principal Corporate Partner; Fielders – Major Corporate Partner; and, Supporting Corporate Partners – Lockwood and Adobe, and thank them for their continued support.
GAIL SAMBIDGE-MITCHELL
Manager, Corporate Partners
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