The P.A. People Summer and COVID-19 Update

By The P.A. People’s Managing Director, Chris Dodds

Each year around this time, we update you with news and information about The P.A. People team and our recent Summer activities. Clearly, drought and bushfires and now the new reality of the Corona Virus pandemic have changed the focus of what is newsworthy.

We want to assure you, our partners, that we are open for business and are here to support each of you in whatever way we can. In these uncertain times it is our intention to continue to provide stable, consistent service to our valued customers and suppliers.

All businesses will be managing costs – and this is true for us. We have encouraged staff to take leave or reduce their hours where appropriate, which in turn may impact our ability to respond in a timely manner. However, we will respond. Conversely, we may be awaiting a reply or information from you. We can wait until you are ready. We understand. Contact us when the time is right.

The good news is that each of our teams have been quite active over the Summer months.

Our Installed Systems team have recently completed significant upgrades at the Royal Agricultural Society’s Sydney Showground Stadium and the refurbished Ken Rosewall Arena at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre and they are continuing to deliver projects when and where access and supply allows. Most work sites are open, subject to the now normal social distancing requirements and other client-side protocols. Otherwise, our supply chain seems to be in reasonable shape. We continue to design & provide systems and services and we are continuing to design and bid on projects. With the changing climate, a number of clients including Churches, Houses of Worship and Local Councils have also sought assistance with adding streaming solutions to their capability in recent weeks.

Our Service department is busy supporting our customers who hold Preventative Maintenance Contracts, alongside casual service requests and general maintenance. Some clients are taking the opportunity to bring forward planned maintenance during a quieter period. Essentially it’s business as usual for our Service Team as they juggle those who hold 1 hour response agreements with our valued list of councils, schools, churches and businesses.

Our Events team had a great summer working on our 8th Sydney New Year’s Eve, the Australia Day Celebrations in Sydney, the fabulous T20 Women’s World Cup celebration at Sydney Showground Stadium and the Superbikes at Phillip Island. However, recent days have seen activities severely curtailed with the cancellation of the Australian F1 Grand Prix along with literally all our sporting and corporate events.

Our core Events team are still here working with clients on novel ways to conduct remote meetings and provide connectivity between people and venues. We have cloud-based intercom systems as well a wide range of interconnectivity solutions available.

The P.A. People are approaching our 50th year. We have been around a long time and intend to be here providing the service and expertise you have come to expect for another 50 years.

In the days ahead, please let us know if there is any way we can assist you.