Australia’s largest small business festival came to Gippsland tonight with a feature event in Traralgon offering small businesses tips and tricks on how to make the most of their online presence and Ride the Digital Wave.
Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis joined Australia’s expert digital strategist Chris Riddell and some of the region’s 1,745 plus small businesses for the feature event in the 2016 program.
It’s one of 25 free and low-cost events taking place throughout the region as part of the Gippsland Small Business Festival – one of eight regional partner festivals running across the state throughout August.
The Productivity Commission recently found that only 14 per cent of surveyed Australian businesses were adopting new technologies – so tonight’s event provided a timely opportunity for the region’s business operators to explore the many digital technologies now available to them.
With a population younger than the state’s average, Traralgon is well placed to make the most of the digital wave to boost efficiency within businesses in a number of areas including payments, marketing and promotion.
Victoria is home to more than 541,000 small businesses, with nearly a third of them are based in regional and rural areas.
Now in its 11th year, the Small Business Festival Victoria is an annual highlight on the small business calendar and an important platform for supporting and driving business performance in Victoria.
The 2016 program is the biggest yet and features more than 450 events across a range of topics including business development, online business and marketing, social media, business management and hiring staff.
For more information on 2016 Small Business Festival Victoria events, visit .
Quotes attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade, Philip Dalidakis
“This is one of the feature events of the state-wide festival this year, reminding owners and operators that embracing digital technologies is one of the most important requirements for small business to grow and thrive.”
”This festival is providing businesses across the state with access to the latest ideas, designs and digital developments to keep them competitive, growing and sustainable – and this year the program has a huge regional focus with half the program to running throughout our eight regional festivals.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing
“More than a quarter of Victoria’s small businesses are in regional and rural Victoria, with many local economies depending on their success to provide local jobs and growth for the region.”
“Business owners and entrepreneurs around Gippsland should make the most of this opportunity to upskill and ensure they have the latest expert advice and tools to keep their businesses growing strong.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020