For over 50 years Clipsal has been hosting electrical contractors as they make their way into Adelaide (the home of Clipsal). These trips have become a famous part of the Clipsal culture and an integral part of Clipsal's business strategy as we recognise the electrical industry is about people and relationships.

Typically seventy to eighty electrical contractors, on about seven separate occasions organised by state or country come into Adelaide for four days of business and social activities with the aim of understanding each others needs a little better and to learn how we can grow our businesses together for the greater good of the industry.

We believe we have enjoyed the company of nearly 30,000 contractors during this time. Many companies engage in very complicated and impersonal market research in steering their company strategy. Clipsal engages in more formal market research, but the best market research and feedback we gather is from contractor trips as the responses are honest and immediate and if common themes appear over a series of trips, we respond to our customer's needs.

Trends, ideas and improvements arise in all areas including existing products, new product development, our channel to market, the way we deal with our wholesalers, our availability of product, a report card on our sales force, new business tools we can consider developing to help the contractor, and the list goes on.

Many of the things Clipsal does today are a direct result of comments made during these trips and we have responded to the customer accordingly. Based on the above, the contractor trips will remain an important part of our critical relationship with electrical contractors.

To see the Contractor Trips for 2007, click here