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 GEARED catches up with KRYSTIE and GEOFF MCGREGOR of NOMAD TOURING – Brisbane’s first and only splitter van hire business.
GEARED: When did you start Nomad Touring?
KRYSTIE MCGREGOR: We started in January this year and we had The Temper Trap as our first hirer, so that was pretty cool. I’ve been in the industry for six years, but we’ve only just started Nomad Touring.
G: Other than The Temper Trap, which artists have been your customers?
KM: We had Yo La Tengo, Yves Klein Blue and we’ve done a lot of work with Last Dinosaurs and Neon Love...
GEOFF MCGREGOR: …and the Sydney Theatre Company.
G: So it’s not just musicians you’re working with.
KM: No – the Sydney Theatre Company took it out, put a small cast and a small set in the back and toured the regional areas. It went really good and they loved it.
G: How many vans do you currently have?
KM: Just the one at the moment.
G: Did it come equipped with GPS?
KM: No, we modified it ourselves – there’s a lot of toys in there to put your hands on.
GM: We tried to make it as comfortable as possible and catered for bands so they could travel long distances and watch DVDs on the way ... waste the time a bit.
G: So how did you guys respectively enter the music industry?
KM: I started doing sound in a production company – I’m still doing sound – and gradually made my way through different companies, venues and things like that. I pretty much work full-time at The Zoo and now I’ve got the van business as well.
GM: I’m a panel beater – that’s my main trade and I look after the van as well, maintain it and keep it in good order. Me and Krystie came up with the idea and decided to go and buy one and then we decked it all out.
G: What are your current goals as a company?
KM: Eventually expand, depending on how the business goes, get a couple more vans and a couple more locations around Australia so we can go up and down the coast more often.
G: Are all your future vans going to be the Mercedes ones?
KM: That was the main idea, but hopefully they’ll have different things on the inside – maybe different lights. Each van would be different, but still with the GPS and the DVD player.
GM: They’ll possibly stay the same size. We’ll try and uniform them for the moment and see which way demand hits us. Depending on the demand, we might come down a step, but we’ll obviously look at what’s going to eventuate. It’s uncharted territory for us and everyone else, too, but we’re going to get somewhere.
G: Lastly, why should bands book their van with Nomad Touring?
KM: It’s a lot cheaper than flying, you don’t have to pay the excess baggage fees – when you’re travelling with instruments, that can be large amounts of money – and you get a lot of memories from using the van that you don’t normally get when you’re flying.
GM: You’re able to do a proper tour and do regional towns on your way through – when you’re going from Brisbane to say, Sydney or Melbourne, you can stop at Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie and all these different places down the coast ... make it a true tour.
G: Thanks guys!
For more info on NOMAD TOURING’s amazing Mercedes splitter van and hire rates check out www.nomadtouring.com.au or call 0435 014 608.
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