In September 1996 business partners Harley Richardson and Steve Devine began discussions with Meyer Sound about becoming its Australian agent, believing that Meyer would be the best solution for government clients that had requirements for high quality audio systems. The timing was perfect; having investigated the size of the Australian market, Meyer Sound was actively seeking someone to set up Meyer Sound Australia as a sales and service outlet.

Richardson and Devine were then a two-man operation with a combined experience of 40 years in the entertainment industry, concentrating on professional audio, video and lighting sales and installations. They had no other direct import brands, and observing that Meyer products were mainly being bought to rent out rather than to resell, spotted an opportunity to grow Meyer Sound's market.

Since Meyer Sound Australia (MSA) was established in 1997, Richardson and Devine have experienced a growing demand for Meyer product and technical support. "Since we first set down sales targets in October 1997 we have had to revise these figures many times," says Richardson. "People can purchase Meyer product in Australia and New Zealand with confidence, as Meyer Sound Australia carries good stocks of both new product and spare parts to satisfy customer's requirements."

MSA provides full factory services, including system design, technical and customer support. It honors worldwide Meyer Sound warranties, allowing touring operators to obtain parts and service locally - regardless of where they made their initial purchase.

Due to the geographical spread of the country, Australia is a unique market. Occupying approximately 75% of the land area of the United States, the country has a population of just under 20 million people, with the three major population centers of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne housing over half the population. The other major cities are Adelaide, Darwin and Perth. "It takes a week to ship equipment by road from Sydney to Perth," says Richardson. "Consequently we deal with large distances and a relatively small, but quality, market. Pro audio isn't that big a market anywhere in the world, and when you break it down into territories, it's easy to set up a database of every potential purchaser of high-end professional audio systems. We've identified our market and we can target it directly."

Both partners spend a lot of time on the road. "One of us is normally interstate once a week," says Richardson. "Most of our work is in Sydney or Melbourne, although we get a lot of work in Brisbane because that's where we're based." Sales to the other centers are rapidly coming up to speed, and are strong in all capital cities, particularly in the theater and A/V markets.

"The key to our success with Meyer Sound Australia is the same as any business," continues Richardson. "We aim to provide the best possible service to our customers. We travel continuously, keeping in contact with existing and new customers all over the country. We don't believe it is just enough to sell boxes to a customer and move onto the next sale. The more work we find our customers, the more product they will buy. We utilize the resources available from the head office in Berkeley to assist our customers any way we can. Service is everything. That, together with a world class product, is a winning combination."