Designtroupe joins up with GPJ in Asia

By Stephanie Roberts SYDNEY Design, communications and event marketing firm Designtroupe has merged with global event marketing agency the George P Johnson Company (GPJ) to expand its reach into the Asian marketplace. Although Sydney-based Designtroupe opened an office in Singapore 18 months ago, and has worked in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, managing director Mr Mark McClelland said the merger would give the company a "flying start" into other Asian markets, through GPJ's operations. "GPJ has offices in Singapore, Japan, China and India, so it gives us a strong reach into those markets," he said. "While we're trying to manage our Asian budget prudently, we're committed to further investment into this region." Despite recent global events, Mr McClelland is optimistic about increasing business from Asia. "We've had one or two events cancel in Asia but business isn't slowing down for us," he said. "Part of our strategy is to seek business from multinationals organising events in Asia." Since the merger, the company - which will known as Designtroupe and the George P Johnson Company and which has worked extensively in the automotive and IT sectors - has won a major account with Nissan. It will also be looking at targeting the financial, food and beverage and pharmaceutical sectors.