The Adelaide Art Directors Club

What The Adelaide Art Directors Club does

The Adelaide Advertising & Design Club (AADC), originally founded in 1975 as the Adelaide Art Directors Club and rebranded to its current name in August 2004, is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit professional association incorporated under South Australian law that serves the advertising, design, and broader creative communications industry in Adelaide, South Australia. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its offerings are coordinated through its website (aadc.com.au) and the TidyHQ membership system, and span an annual awards program (now in its 49th year with 90+ sub-categories across Advertising, Design, Craft, For Good, and Student), a recurring events calendar (Crunch networking lunches, AADC Talks, Pool Night, Quiz Nights), the She Creates women's empowerment initiative launched in 2019, the CLICK podcast hosted by Andy Scott, structured student programs (AdCrawl, AdVice, Speed Mentoring), a business directory, a jobs board, and a newly launched strategic research initiative called AADC Pulse.

AADC generates revenue through three principal streams: individual memberships priced at AUD $50 per year (with free student memberships for full-time tertiary students and scaled business memberships tied to company headcount that bundle directory listings, unlimited job postings, and team memberships), ticketed event revenue with member discounts, and corporate sponsorship across Gold and Silver tiers from agencies, production companies, market researchers, and legal firms. The association is governed by an elected volunteer committee led by Co-Presidents Sarah Luthaus and Corey Swaffer (announced February 2026), with the executive team drawn from senior practitioners at Adelaide agencies including Ten Past Ten, KWP, Simple, Topbunk, Visualizm, and Super Studio. Operations are constrained to the South Australian market, and the organization explicitly carries no parent company, external investment, or private equity ownership.

Its primary customer segments are advertising and design professionals (the primary segment), creative students and emerging talent, and creative agencies and studios in Adelaide, with corresponding pain points around industry fragmentation, lack of local recognition, weak professional development pathways, and limited connection between industry veterans and newcomers. The association monetizes its relationship primarily through the breadth of its membership base and a stable cohort of repeat corporate sponsors rather than through any single anchor customer.

Name

The Adelaide Art Directors Club

Legal name

Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.

Website

https://aadc.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Adelaide Advertising & Design Club (AADC) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit professional association founded in 1975 that serves South Australia's advertising and design industry through annual awards, networking events, student programs, a podcast, a jobs board, and a business directory, funded by memberships, events, and corporate sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual memberships at $50/year provide access to events, awards eligibility, and member benefits. Student memberships are free. Business memberships scale with company size and include team memberships, directory listings, and job posting capabilities.
2. Event Revenue: Tickets to events and programs, with members receiving discounted or free access to networking events like Crunch. Revenue supports operational costs of running industry events and initiatives.
3. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors at Gold and Silver tiers provide financial support. In return, sponsors receive recognition, visibility to the creative community, and access to industry networks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Adelaide Advertising & Design Club (AADC) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit professional association that serves South Australia's advertising and design industry. It delivers a portfolio of member services including the annual AADC Awards (90+ sub-categories across Advertising, Design, Craft, For Good, and Student), networking events such as Crunch, professional development programs, the CLICK podcast, a business directory, a jobs board, and the She Creates women's initiative.

Product overview

The Adelaide Advertising & Design Club (AADC) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit professional organization for South Australia's advertising and design industry. Founded in 1975, it offers a unified portfolio of member services centered around the annual AADC Awards (celebrating creativity across Advertising, Design, Craft, For Good, and Student categories), AADC Events (including Crunch networking, Pool Night, Quiz Nights, and AADC Talks), She Creates (women's empowerment initiative), CLICK Podcast, Student Programs (AdCrawl, AdVice, Speed Mentoring), Business Directory, and Jobs Board. Membership tiers include Business, Individual ($50/year), and Student (free) with benefits spanning awards eligibility, event discounts, and industry networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• She Creates: AADC's flagship initiative focused on inspiring and empowering women across the advertising, design and broader creative communications industry, founded in 2019.
• CLICK

Products and services

• AADC Awards Annual industry awards program celebrating outstanding creativity and craft across South Australia's advertising and design industry, with 90+ sub-categories across Advertising, Design, Craft, For Good, and Student categories.
• AADC Events Events program including Crunch quarterly networking lunches, Pool Night, Quiz Nights, AADC Talks, and professional development events designed to bring together Adelaide's creative industry.
• She Creates Flagship initiative launched in 2019 focused on inspiring and empowering women across the advertising, design and broader creative communications industry through events, mentorship and ambassadors.
• CLICK Podcast Podcast hosted by award-winning copywriter Andy Scott and produced by Seeing Sounds, featuring conversations with creative luminaries, available on Spotify and Apple Music.
• Student Programs Career accelerator programs including AdCrawl (agency tours and creative challenge), AdVice (structured training with industry professionals), Foot in the Door Speed Mentoring, and Crunch networking events for students.
• AADC Membership Three-tier membership program: Business Membership (with directory listing, unlimited job postings, team memberships), Individual Membership at $50/year, and Student Membership (free for full-time students) with benefits including event discounts, awards eligibility, and member-only access.
• Business Directory Online directory connecting agency, studio, production and freelance members with marketers, brands, government and not-for-profit sectors. Includes portfolio showcase and work-sharing capabilities.
• Jobs Board Job board providing listings across the creative industry in roles including Account Management, Animation, Copywriting, Design, Digital Development, Film & Photography, Production, and Strategy. Available to Business Members.
• AADC Pulse Industry-first strategic research project exploring the real state of creativity in South Australia through curated conversations with industry professionals, building an honest qualitative picture of the local creative industry.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered gold and silver.

• James RickardgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerAward-winning creative director offering ideas, copy and strategy services. Sole trader providing services to AADC and the creative community.
• MerlingoldGTM or Marketing PartnerFull service video production company based in Norwood. Creates creative ideas and storytelling for various clients.
• ShowponygoldGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvertising agency and film production company focused on creative hot-shop and digital capabilities.
• Square HolesgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerMarket research firm conducting customized explorative research on key markets, customers and population segments.
• TopbunkgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency working with purpose-driven organisations to deliver creative solutions that drive engagement.
• Vardon LegalgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerCommercial law firm serving diverse clients from global corporations to not-for-profit organisations.
• Creative Juice SAsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerRecruitment agency specializing in permanent, freelance and project staffing solutions for creative disciplines.
• FullersilverGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent brand and creative agency focused on strategically creating, crafting and communicating brands that move people to make change for good.
• Human IntelsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerInsight-to-strategy practice helping brands build strategies from listening to stories.
• SeeingsoundssilverTechnology or IntegrationVR, Sound Design, Music and Direction studio. Produces the CLICK podcast for AADC.
• The Audio EmbassysilverTechnology or IntegrationMusic composition and post production sound studio for Film, TV, Game and Podcast production.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• D&AD: Global creative awards and professional development body based in the UK, running the D&AD Pencils and a global professional membership. Broadly comparable as a larger, more established industry body offering awards, training, and a creative community for advertising and design professionals.
• The One Club for Creativity: US-based non-profit that runs The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, and creative education programs. Comparable as a larger, internationally recognized advertising and design industry body running annual awards shows and member programming similar to AADC's awards and education initiatives.

Direct peers

• ADMA (Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising): Australia's largest marketing and advertising industry association, offering member services, training, awards (ADMA Awards), and industry advocacy. Directly comparable as an Australian advertising industry body providing tiered membership, professional development, and annual awards for marketers and agencies.
• AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association): Australia's national graphic design professional body running the AGDA Design Awards and member programs. Directly comparable to AADC because AADC's Chair of Awards, Nic Eldridge, was previously AGDA's CEO, and both serve overlapping Australian creative communities.
• AWARD (Australasian Writers and Art Directors): Peak industry body for Australia's advertising creative community, running the AWARD Awards and School programs. Directly comparable as an advertising-focused association providing awards recognition, professional development, and networking for the same target professionals AADC serves.
• The Communications Council: Australia's peak industry body for marketing communications agencies and advertisers. Directly comparable as an advertising trade association providing member services, industry advocacy, and awards-adjacent programming for the same agency and brand stakeholders AADC serves.

Regional players

• Spikes Asia: Asia-Pacific creative awards festival and industry event run in partnership with Cannes Lions. Comparable as a regional creative awards and learning platform serving the APAC advertising and design community, but at a much larger geographic and prestige scale than AADC.
• Marketing Association New Zealand: New Zealand's peak marketing and advertising industry body, offering member services, training, and awards (NZ Marketing Awards, Beacon Awards). Comparable as a similar regional industry association structure serving a national/regional creative community, but operating in a different geography than AADC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aadc4
• Facebookfacebook.com/aadc.adelaide
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adelaide-advertising-and-design-club-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/aadc.com.au

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Adelaide Art Directors Club