This year’s Advanced Textiles Association NZ Conference in Lower Hutt brought together more than 100 industry members for two days of connection, learning, and inspiration.

During the event, Andrew Lingman shared a piece of advice from a wise colleague: “When you attend a conference, aim to take away three things you can bring back to your business and put into action.”

We asked some of our members what their key takeaways were — and here’s what they shared:

1. Be open, share, and listen when others do. The human element is just as important, if not more so, than the business one.
2. You don’t have to do it all. Focus on what you do well, and enlist the help of experts for the rest.
3. The industry is vast — explore it. Seek new opportunities, collaborate to compete, and position yourself for success.
4. Talk to people about your challenges. Chances are, someone at conference has faced a similar issue and is happy to share how they solved it.
5. Build your personal brand. Post daily, comment daily, give your posts a human element, and involve your whole team — it’s a powerful way to boost awareness nationally and internationally.
6. Prioritise Health and Safety. Keep accurate minutes of Health and Safety meetings and investigations, and regularly review staff training records and competency.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us in Lower Hutt — your energy and willingness to share made this conference a success.

If you attended and haven’t yet completed our quick survey, please take a moment to do so. Your input helps us make the next conference even better.