02 Mar Twenty Years In: The Concept AV Journey, and the Next Chapter

If you’ve ever built a business, you’ll know this truth: it isn’t the logo, the tools, or the paperwork that makes it real. It’s people. It’s relationships. It’s the shared effort, the shared risk, and the shared pride that turns “a job” into something bigger.

And that’s what hit me most as we celebrated Concept AV’s 20th birthday, not just the number, but the faces in the room. Past and present. Customers, partners, friends, family. People who helped shape Concept AV into what it is today.

How it started (long before 2005)

My own journey began in 1988 at 3M Australia. In those days, it was overhead projectors, then computer projection panels, and at the time, it genuinely felt like we were living in the future. 

One of 3M’s clients was Concept AV. Over time, as my corporate career moved through the AV world, Concept AV remained an account, and I became very familiar with the team, the reputation, and the work. 

By mid-2005, I was done with corporate life. I’ll never forget my wife Gianna saying, after we’d returned from a North America trip, “We should start a company together.” I laughed, I genuinely didn’t think that would happen. 

But then I walked into what I thought was just another sales call at Concept AV. Both owners were there. And instead of talking about the usual, they presented an opportunity: to purchase the Sydney operation.

And that… is how it all began.

The culture we chose to build

Gianna and I had seen enough to know what we wanted to avoid. We’d experienced the highs and lows of corporate life, and we’d seen how poor culture can wear good people down. So from day one, one of our biggest drivers was to build an enjoyable, respectful work environment.

We worked out something pretty simple: you spend more time at work than you do at home. So work should be a place where you’re challenged and supported, where people can grow, be proud of what they do, and feel looked after. 

That “family-founded” mindset is still at the heart of Concept AV today, even as we’ve grown our capability and scale.

Growing with the industry, without losing ourselves

In those early days, Concept AV had a strong foundation. Like many integrators at the time, a lot of work centred around straightforward installs, doing the job well, getting in and getting out, and moving on to the next site.

But AV didn’t stay still. The work became more connected, more user-focused, more software-driven, and more critical to how organisations operate day to day.

Over time (and sometimes with stubborn determination), we evolved into something bigger: a business known for designing, installing, and supporting tailored AV solutions across corporate, education, and government environments, with the mission statement “Your Space, Your Way.” 

So we made a deliberate shift over time: building our design capability, strengthening project delivery, investing in commissioning and handover, and growing a service function that supports clients well beyond installation. The goal wasn’t to chase bigger projects for the sake of it; it was to deliver complete solutions, properly engineered, and backed by real accountability.

In practical terms, that meant expanding what we could do and how we did it, meeting rooms, presentation spaces, training rooms, collaboration environments, control systems, and integrated solutions that made technology easier for people to use, not harder.

It’s also why we invest heavily in staying ahead of the tech curve, because it’s not optional; it’s the priority.

The moments that shaped our confidence

Every business has turning points, the kind of projects that change how you see yourself.

For us, some of those moments came when we began taking on work that demanded coordination across multiple sites, hard deadlines, and a higher level of planning. These projects forced us to lift our standards and our processes, and once you do that, you don’t go back.

Another big shift was leaning into more complex systems work. There was a time when parts of the industry avoided automation and control because it added risk. But we could see where the market was heading, and we knew that if we wanted to stay relevant, we had to keep evolving. The truth is: growth often feels uncomfortable in the moment, but it’s also where capability is built.

What has always mattered most: people

If you asked me what I’m most proud of after 20 years, I wouldn’t start with technology.

I’d start with culture.

Because culture isn’t what you put on a wall, it’s what happens when a client has a problem, and your team takes ownership. It’s how your people treat each other when it’s late, when it’s complicated, when the stakes are high.

Over the years, we’ve watched team members build careers, start families, grow into leadership roles and become part of the story. We’ve also experienced moments of loss that stay with you, the kind that remind you a business is ultimately a collection of human lives, not just a set of outcomes and invoices.

And on a personal level, seeing our sons become part of the business and contribute to how we operate has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. It’s not just continuity, it’s fresh energy, new ideas, and a shared commitment to doing things properly.

The celebration: a room full of history

Our 20th birthday celebration was recently held at Cruise Bar in Sydney, right on Circular Quay, with Sydney Harbour as the backdrop. It was everything we wanted it to be: relaxed, meaningful, and full of familiar faces.

There was live entertainment, great food and drinks, and plenty of time to talk, not just about business, but about the journey. The conversations were the best part. Stories from old projects. Memories from different eras of the company. Introductions between people who had never met, but had been connected through the same network for years.

What stayed with me most was seeing people from different chapters of Concept AV in the same room, past and present, and feeling that sense of shared ownership. Not ownership in a legal sense, but in the emotional sense: the feeling that many people have contributed to the company’s success, and they’re proud of it too.

That’s not something you can manufacture. You earn it over time.

Looking forward: clear direction, stronger foundations

Reaching 20 years isn’t a finish line. If anything, it’s a checkpoint, a chance to look honestly at what we’ve built, and to be deliberate about where we go next.

The AV industry will keep changing. Technology will keep getting smarter, more connected, and more central to how organisations function. But the businesses that succeed will be the ones that can balance innovation with reliability, and deliver systems that actually work in the real world, for real people.

For Concept AV, the direction is focused:

We want to keep growing our capability as a modern integrator and service partner, from design and delivery through to ongoing support, while keeping the values that got us here. 

That means continuing to invest in our people, sharpening our processes, strengthening our partnerships, and staying close to what clients genuinely need.

Because the truth is, our future strength won’t come from chasing every new thing. It will come from doing what we’ve always done, showing up, taking responsibility, and building trust, while continuing to lift our standards year after year.

Twenty years in, I’m grateful. I’m proud. And I’m more energised than ever about what comes next.

Not because of the technology.

Because of the people.