Silver Jubilee year sees AAC maintain leading position in supply of identification wearables and crowd control solutions

November 6, 2023

2023 is seeing Gold Coast-based AAC - Australia’s premier global manufacturer and supplier of identification wearables and crowd control solutions for events and venues - marking its 25th year in business.

The maker of the world’s best wristbands, lanyards, tickets and tokens while also offering full-service print solutions, in the last few years AAC has grown from manufacturing 25 million wristbands a year in 2017 to designing, manufacturing and supplying 60 million products annually in the last 12 months.

A lot has changed at AAC since its creation.

Its core business still lies in the supply of ID and wristbands to events, but, as a result of COVID lockdowns and the resultant screeching halt on events, AAC used this halt to re-evaluate the structure of the business and think about how we could provide greater value to our clients.

Firstly, AAC shifted to providing solutions to a new base.

The medical sector needed wristbands and ID solutions to indirectly aid in the COVID recovery/relief effort. There was an apparent need within the corporate world for ID solutions that could assist in activities like temperature testing.

For example, Rio Tinto needed one million wristbands to support their temperature testing efforts, stopping the spread of COVID within their workforce. Thanks to our local manufacturing and vertical integration of our product line, we printed one million Tyvek wristbands for their staff in just two days.

AAC General Manager, Luke Borg explains “as COVID began to slow, we realised what we needed to do for our returning event management clients. We decided to become a one-stop shop for all print, graphic, event management, and ID solutions.

“Our product line expanded massively. Wristbands and ID solutions are still our specialty, but we've entered the digital printing space across all categories.

“We made a multi-million-dollar upgrade to our manufacturing facility with the intention of becoming the go-to solution for everything a business or event needs regarding branding and event management.”

Today, AAC offers:

All types of event and ID wristbands
ID cards and lanyards
Pouches & Wallets
Roll tickets and tokens
Sports accessories (Headbands, Sweatbands, and Racebibs)
Stickers (Custom vinyl, parking, Satin, Floor and Wall Details, Sticker Sheets, etc.)
Coasters (Acrylic and cardboard)
Bottle labels and product swing tags
Business cards
Flyers and Pamphlets
Menus
Posters
Promotional products (including but not limited to mugs, backpacks, tech, and novelty items)
Plain & Branded Apparel (T-shirts, Singlets, Hoodies, Hi-Vis Safety Vests, Caps, and Rain Jackets)
Banners & Flags (Mesh, Vinyl, pull-up, and teardrop flag banners)
Signs (Bollard Signs, A-frame, Corflute, Aluminium composite, Light-box inserts, Window, parking, and wall signs, Stretch fabric media walls, and many more)

AAC now produces and supplies more than 60 million products annually to various sectors, including events, leisure, hospitality, and corporate.

This expansion was largely driven by Luke Borg, who was appointed AAC General Manager on 1st March.

Borg has been with the company for seven years and played a pivotal role in a ground-up business transformation. Under this new management, robust systems have been implemented to handle increased production volumes, new product offerings, new sales channels, and the introduction of our wholesaler and reseller programs. These aspects, particularly the wholesaling channel, have flourished in the post-COVID era.

AAC Marketing Co-ordinator, Nicholas Coutler notes “as with any new product or product line, the hardest part is developing our clients' understanding that we can do it all.

“Many of our clients would be happy to order our other products when they figure out or are informed that we not only offer these services but excel in them. Obviously, this will change with time, and as our new coordinator, I, have introduced fresh marketing campaigns to inform our clients of the new lines and services available.

“This is especially important for those who are already ordering these products from what we, with all due respect, consider inferior suppliers. All the while, they are dealing with subpar products, multiple invoices, and additional shipping costs.

“Perhaps the best example of how we can be a complete one-stop solution comes from Piegirl, a local business that used us to develop their signage, pamphlets, flyers, and branding materials from top to bottom. Piegirl has seen great success with this, and our materials helped launch their business skyward.

“We did it with just a few days of turnaround time and delivered them world-class graphics, all in one transaction and one shipment. We keep it simple for our clients who understand our top-to-bottom nature so they can focus on what they do best. In this case, making fantastic pastries with fast, quality service is their specialty.”

Fully Integrated Event Management Solution
Among the most exciting products is AAC’s fully integrated event management solution currently being introduced across Australia. It's an innovative ticketing and crowd management platform built on RFID and cloud tech. Crowdflo provides a wearable wristband that covers all of their ticketing, cashless transactions, VIP access, inventory, merch sales, and real-time analytics to event managers and their patrons.

Coulter advises “the fantastic thing about this product is that it's infinitely scalable. The cloud allows for an event management solution that caters to groups from 50 guests all the way through to large-scale festivals with crowds in excess of 250,000 or more.

“This hasn't been the only point of increased focus on technology, though. Despite our wealth of experience and a quarter-century in the event space, we aim to bring a fast-moving start-up culture to the company. This has been pivotal in creating other innovations like our state-of-the-art and UX-friendly product design tool. This tool democratises design for business owners and event managers, enabling them to create on the canvas of AAC products. It makes for an easy checkout process for any customizable product on the website.”

Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards
AAC has also received the 'Retail, Wholesale & Distribution' award at the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards.

Hosted by Griffith University on Thursday 28th September, the event brought together local businesses from all backgrounds and industries. Events like this are crucial for supporting local businesses in our community.

Coulter adds “the way we see it, it's a recognition of our dedication to fast service through our in-house manufacturing. Competitors just can't match our quality and speed at scale. We humbly appreciate the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards recognising us. And we're going to continue dedicating ourselves to local manufacturing and fantastic service.

“The whole team is also gearing up for the grand finale, the Gold Coast Business Awards Gala at the end of the year. We can't wait to share this moment with fellow local businesses and continue our journey of excellence.”

Click here to contact AAC via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

31st August 2023 - 2023 Ekka attracts crowds of 400,000

22nd August 2023 - Vodafone and Live Nation partner to give customers exclusive access to Australia’s most anticipated live music acts

16th July 2023 - Global study shows rise in crowd accidents at mass gatherings

28th October 2022 - Launch announced for Event Safety Institute Australia

15th May 2019 - Reliance Risk to provide event safety and risk management services at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium

8th May 2017 - AAC marks 20 years in event identification industry

30th July 2013 - AAC ID Solutions aid success of Brisbane’s Picnic in the Park

19th July 2013 - RFID technology takes Bond University Open Day to a new level

10th October 2012 - AAC ID Solutions RFID Wristbands used at the Bond University Open Day

30th July 2012 - AAC ID Solutions joins forces with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation

22nd October 2009 - AAC ID Solutions Receives Business Excellence Award

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