DEMM Engineering and Manufacturing

The 2013 SKF National Maintenance Engineering Conference has been declared a resounding success by Event Director Craig Carlyle.
Speaking after the annual event, held this year at Rotorua, Carlyle said:  “At every measure, from attendance numbers, to the feedback from engineers, exhibitors and the maintenance society itself, the 2013 event has been a resounding success that has exceeded our expectations and bettered all our previous results.
“Not only is that great news, it was achieved in an environment that has been tougher than we have ever experienced. Everybody stepped up to the plate, from our Event Management team working tirelessly year round to our committee members, whose unpaid commitment reflects the values of the society, investing our experience into future generations.”  
Demm magazine is the event’s official Media Sponsor and the official attendance for this year was 175, causing some issues for the venue who had to send out for extra chairs and seating to cope.
Event manager Leanne Powley said:  “This event has been running for 10 years now and has such a unique and friendly atmosphere, it just keeps bringing everybody back.”
The continuous learning ethic sees the team gathering immediately after the conference closes to review and improve for the next year.
“The professionalism underwriting this event belies the fact that it is run by volunteers who are simply humble engineers,” says Carlyle. “While they do not pretend to be conference experts, they bring a insightful understanding of how industry fits together to achieve success.”
Powley says: “Sometimes our greatest hurdle is pushing exhibitors to leverage their presence at the event. We have the capability and systems to help them reach out to their own customers but they are often more pleased just to have secured their place. We must be doing something right, with 85% of exhibitors being repeat customers, stretching right back to the original 2003 event.”
The 2014 SKF National Maintenance Engineering Conference will be held in Hamilton on 12 November 2013.