Gallery: Vivad celebrates 25th Anniversary

Melbourne-based large-format print specialist Vivad celebrated its 25th anniversary in style, welcoming industry peers, partners, and friends for an evening of tours, technology, and entertainment.

To mark the milestone, Vivad hosted a combined Open House and Anniversary Party at its Campbellfield premises on Friday, 25 July.

Ewen Donaldson, owner and managing director of the Campbellfield-based business, reflected on the journey saying that none of it would be possible without his dedicated team of people and the culture that they create.

The event was held in Vivad’s new production facility with Ewen commenting “I started Vivad on July 1st, 2000, which was the same day the new era of the goods and services tax began and we’ve been growing ever since. We moved into the factory next door 10 years ago and are now three and a half times the size we were in terms of staff and turnover and we are running out of room.

So when the factory next door became available, we thought, well, we have to back ourselves in for another 10 years of excitement. This new space really is a blank canvas. We've got new frontiers, new horizons and ideas that we haven't even explored yet. It’s a great space to grow and innovate, new products, new processes, particularly in the area of sustainability.

We've made significant progress in offering sustainable alternatives, recycling and upcycling everything we can, from our polyester core flute, our cardboard and aluminium, moving away from solvent inks to low VOC water based inks, reducing energy demands by installing 100 kilowatts of solar and more energy efficient lighting. But whatever we've done, it's not enough, and we must continue to improve and innovate. This space gives us more room for initiatives such as product stewardship programs for end of life, take back initiatives, and I hope one day soon we can even develop upcycling processes in house.”

The celebration began at 4:00 PM with a guided Open House tour of Vivad’s cutting-edge large-format production facility, sponsored by Durst. Guests toured the premises with complimentary champagne as they explored the latest in print and finishing technology and met the team behind Vivad’s renowned service.

At 5:00 PM, the energy shifted into high gear with the launch of the Vivad Web-to-Print Games – a playful yet impressive demonstration of the capabilities of Vivad’s Vivtrack web-to-print system. Guests cheered as some of the industry’s top "print athletes" raced jobs from online order through production and across the finish line. The games were hosted live by comedian Sam McCool, whose quick wit and humour entertained the crowd throughout the evening.

Among the events featured were the Dye Sublimation Steeplechase, sponsored by Carr Group; the Vinyl Banner Velodrome, sponsored by Spicers; the SAV Print and Mount Shot Putt, sponsored by Currie Group; and the Corflute Challenge, sponsored by Corex.