Business Expo raising the bar
May 19, 2014
The program for the 2014 Sunshine Coast Business Expo is hotting up, with the event’s two keynote speakers now announced and tickets to a range of presentations, workshops and panels going fast.
Sunshine Coast Business Expo Chair Ross Hepworth said the event coordinators had raised the bar yet again, welcoming renowned media personality Lisa Wilkinson and CareerOne CEO Karen Lawson to the speaker line-up.
“It was always going to be a challenge to produce a speaker line-up that reached the high benchmarks set in previous years,” Mr Hepworth said.
“Ita Buttrose’s inspirational presentation regarding balancing work and family commitments in 2012 and John Bertrand’s insight into effective leadership last year are undoubtedly hard acts to follow, but Ms Wilkinson and Ms Lawson are more than up to the task.”
Mr Hepworth said Ms Wilkinson would share her business experiences and the lessons she has learned, and Ms Lawson would tackle the concept of ‘collaborative consumption’ and the impact this is set to have on businesses.
“Collaborative consumption – also known as the ‘sharing economy – is where consumers are less concerned about owning products; they are keen to rent, lend, swap, barter, gift and share products and services to bring their day-to-day costs down,” Mr Hepworth said.
“This trend is becoming more and more prominent and will significantly change consumers’ spending and purchase habits, as well as recruitment processes within businesses in the coming months and years.”
Mr Hepworth said the drawcards at this year’s Expo were not limited to the keynote speakers, with time management and performance improvement experts FranklinCovey on board to deliver their first ever presentation to Sunshine Coast audiences.
“Best known around the world for their training modules based on Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, FranklinCovey will deliver a workshop at this year’s Expo about how you can rule your technology rather than it ruling you,” Mr Hepworth said.
“We all know the benefits of having 24/7 access to everything on phones and other devices but sometimes we can lose hours of our day without actually achieving outcomes for our businesses. It’s a real coup to have FranklinCovey involved with the Expo — we know their philosophies have a very strong following on the Coast and we feel very privileged to have their team hosting a workshop.”
“We’re also very excited to launch our ‘boardroom briefings’ this year which will see well-respected business speakers Clare Edwards, Piers Thurston and Peter Jones present to small groups, allowing for more personal attention and providing attendees with the opportunity to ask plenty of questions so they can tailor the information provided to suit their business.”
Mr Hepworth said the Expo program would also include a Digital Business Leaders’ panel, which will explore how businesses can improve productivity and boost profitability through the effective use of digital tools.
“Other highlights include sessions with Barry Bull, Yvette Adams, Alistair Horscroft, Liz Rivers and Stephen Clark as well as a number of skills workshops for jobseekers,” Mr Hepworth said.
“This year’s Expo is shaping up to be the best yet; we’re looking forward to taking the event to a whole new level.”
“What’s exciting is that we’re not just focusing on business owners and operators alone this year; there are a number of events on the program that will appeal to community organisations as well as local jobseekers.”
“In particular, the Jobs and Skills Market component of the Expo is expected to attract up to 1,000 visitors, with more than 200 jobs available on the day for those in search of employment.”
Tickets to individual events as well as day tickets are now available for purchase via the Expo website. To secure your seat and keep abreast of the latest program announcements log on to www.scbizexpo.org.au or ‘like’ the Facebook page.
2014 Sunshine Coast Business Expo events:
Day one
• Corporate breakfast with CareerOne CEO Karen Lawson brought to you by the Sunshine Coast Council – $59.00
• Corporate lunch with media personality Lisa Wilkinson brought to you by the Telstra Business Centre, Sunshine Coast – $79.00
• Taking the Bull by the Horns – Barry Bull – Free
• Liberating your business – am I in the way? – Piers Thurston – Free
• ‘The Digital Revolution’ panel – Free
• Digital Marketing – Stephen Clarke, Sparx – Free
• The benefits of experiential marketing and the core part that events play in customer engagement, brought to you by SCENE – Liz Rivers – Free
• Neuroleadership – Clare Edwards – Free
Day two
• ‘Rule your technology, don’t let it rule you’ (three-hour workshop) – FranklinCovey – $79.00
• Jobs and Skills Market – Free
• Various jobseeker workshops on interviewing, writing resumes, employer expectations and motivation – Free
• Export Awards launch – Free (RSVP required)
• The Power of the Third – successful partnerships – Peter Jones – Free
• Using Social Media to improve your sales and careers – Lisa Harrison – Free
• Digital literacy is the new financial literacy – Yvette Adams – Free
• Human behaviour and your business – Alistair Horscroft – Free
Please visit the website for more details and the full program – www.scbizexpo.org.au
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Media contact — Maya Gurry, Fresh PR & Marketing
P: 0410 109 102
E: maya@freshprm.com.au
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