Cameras And The Beer Economy

There has been a great deal of hoo hah recently in the media about Perth's beer economy. Apparently people pay for favours, products, services, and opinions by delivering cartons of beer instead of cartons of money. This is seen as matey and unlikely to attract the attention of the Australian Taxation Department. As it turns out, this is incorrect - everything - attracts the attention of the ATO.

Really, think about it. The ATO workers are in Canberra and Albury, NSW. If there were any two places on earth that would make you think about drinking, it would be Canberra and Albury. I should imagine office workers there think about it constantly, and the idea that they are not getting their share when your local tradie trims your asbestos fence for you with the chain saw( and then puts it through the mulcher ) would be gall to them.

Is it the same, we must ask, with bottles of beer at camera launches? Are we all in danger of little men in a grey sleeveless jumpers popping up at our elbow and handcuffing us as we reach for the Corona? Will we need to arrive at the door half cut beforehand on our own money and just sit down and watch the show.

And what is the sushi position?*

Well, after consulting a beeration expert I can reassure the clients and customers that it is not a federal offence to down one or two at the Camera Electronic promotional nights. The management are paying for the slosh and then reporting it diligently to the ATO as a legitimate business expense, as they do for the ammunition and spare horses, and you are in the clear. Your only obligation is to enjoy yourselves...moderately, please...and to give due consideration to the industry presenters, photograph makers, and video presentations. You are at liberty to fall lifeless from your chair after the first 20 minutes of a Powerpoint presentation and no-one will think ill of you...

It would be nice if you would look carefully at the special offer sheets that generally accompany the product presentations. Both the wholesalers and the shop work closely together to make sure that there are good deals there on the launch night - sometimes with prices and sometimes with added extras. Take advantage of these, and do it right then. Frequently the opportunity is only for that one occasion - this is a good illustration of the advisability of keeping an emergency photo fund somewhere. Somewhere that only you know about...when your time comes, Maitland, know it...

Product launches are fun. The industry reps there really DO know what their stuff does and they are more than happy to tell you all you need to know. It is ever so much more satisfying to get the REAL information from people that actually sell the cameras than rely upon someone at Mum's Basement Camera Rumour Pty Ltd. to tell you fairy tales.

Note: Keep reading the weblog and the CE Facebook site. We've got two dynamite Canon launches coming this month and March and I suspect there will be others from other firms as well. The recent Olympus and Fujifilm nights at the shop were a hoot.

*Rolled up.