February has been an unusual month, as our country has experienced extremes in weather.

North Queensland has been affected by severe flooding, while down south regional Victoria has been hit with the worst bush fires ever recorded in Australia. A heat wave impacted many events in the first few months of 2009, as customers found refuge indoors away from the searing heat.

The Adelaide Big Day Out was caught in the heat: the event recorded temperatures up to 50 degrees celsius in the main arena on the day. The heat wave was followed by 10 days of rain and flooding. The northern NSW shows are underway and while the rain is welcomed by farmers, it has had an impact on attendance at the shows.

The Maitland Super Show is about to get underway after a period of long and heavy rainfall. This has caused some delays and difficultly with bump in for operators. As we go to press, there is a Workcover meeting being held in Brisbane this week.

It is great to see this proactive approach and the relationship-building with stakeholders continues, with regular meetings held to discuss matters relating to our specific industry. There are several important topics to be discussed and we will report on this next month.

The major events down south are about to get underway and it will be interesting to see the impact of the Construction Industry (CI) card. We will report back in March on the implementation of this new certification requirement. The team at the Royal Easter Show has done a great job securing Coca Cola Amatil (Australia) Pty Ltd as its major sponsor for the carnival rides area. This reflects the appeal to major companies with the foresight and desire to be associated with a fun entertainment environment. We look forward to making this association a success at this year's show.

Phil Durkin Chair, Transportable Rides & Amusements