AMDA’s new headquarters takes off

THE team behind the Australian International Airshow has officially opened its new home in North Geelong.

AMDA Foundation has called Geelong home for more than three decades and is now occupying a purpose-built office in the Federal Mills precinct.

Originally founded in north-west Sydney in 1989, the not-for-profit corporation established itself in Geelong in the early 1990s and is now in its fourth office in the municipality, moving most recently from Avalon Airport.

AMDA Foundation is best known for running the Australian International Airshow, held at Avalon Airport since 1992.

The most recent airshow, held in 2019, attracted nearly 700 companies and more than 170,000 attendances across the five-day event.

Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Corio federal member Richard Marles officially opened the office on Friday last week with AMDA Foundation chief executive officer (and former Avalon CEO) Justin Giddings and AMDA board chair Vice-Admiral Chris Ritchie (ret.).

Mr Marles said Avalon Airshow was “the event where my worlds collide” so he was particularly pleased to be at the opening.

“Avalon is a huge event. From a defence point of view, it’s where the Air Force gets to show itself off. It’s a gathering of air force chiefs from around the world.

“And that’s before you get to the public event. From a Geelong point of view, the public event is the biggest event that happens in Geelong… over the course of the Avalon weekend, 200,000 people would come.”

Vice-Adm. Ritchie acknowledged the AMDA Foundation’s inaugural chair, Ian Honnery, who retired in March of this year.

“Geelong, with its association with Avalon, is the right home for the AMDA Foundation,” he said.

“Our DNA is in the airshow. It was the beginning of the foundation, and although we’ve moved onto other successful events in the maritime and land domains, and we continue to expand our not-for profit portfolio, Avalon Airshow remains our biggest public attraction, and it is likely to remain so.”

The foundation promotes the development of aviation and Australia’s industrial, manufacturing and information/communications technology resources in the fields of aviation, aerospace, maritime, defence and security.

It achieves these goals by delivering Australia’s most prominent and respected world-class biennial industry expositions as platforms for interaction between industry, defence, government and academia.

Cancelled in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic, the airshow will return in 2023 bigger and better than ever, and will mark its 15th appearance at Avalon.

“For a growing organisation with its heart in Geelong, the Federal Mills site is an ideal location,” Mr Giddings said.

“It offers easy access to the city centre and the Airshow site at Avalon Airport.

“Our team of more than 50 full-time staff is now planning the 2023 Airshow in a purposed-designed office that provides great efficiencies and a pleasant working environment.”

Other dignitaries at the opening included Corangamite federal member Libby Coker, Lara MP John Eren, City of Greater Geelong mayor Peter Murrihy, G21 chief executive officer Guilia Baggio and Committee for Geelong chief executive officer Jennifer Cromarty.