Businesses wired for workstyle expo

December 11, 2012

Remember the days when blackberries and apples were just fruits, clouds were only found in the sky and tweeting was reserved for birds?

While Sunshine Coast Business owners and operators are already strongly embracing the new tech-saturated work landscape, the Sunshine Coast Business and Workstyle Expo is set to assist locals to launch even further into the digital age and beyond when it returns in May 2013.

Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce President, Ross Hepworth said the 2013 Expo would introduce a new element that had not featured in previous years, with the event now also focusing on the concept of ‘workstyle’.


“Workstyle looks at the way in which business professionals operate within the modern work landscape as a result of technological advancements and changing attitudes towards managing a career and family,” Mr Hepworth said.

“We’re seeing a trend towards businesses capitalising on the increased efficiency that comes from employees being able to work remotely. Whether it’s accessing documentation on tablets and smartphones in coffee shops between meetings or operating from home to manage family commitments, many business professionals are making use of technological developments like teleconferencing and cloud computing.”

Innovation Centre CEO, Mark Paddenburg said the changing workstyle was becoming more and more evident on the Sunshine Coast, and as a result, the Innovation Centre had introduced a number of initiatives to accommodate modern business professionals.

“We offer visiting offices — that is, office space that business owners and employees can use on a casual basis. We’ve found these are particularly popular with locals that work from home but require a professional space one or two days a week,” Mr Paddenburg said.

“What’s interesting is that we’re now seeing a need for an even more casual arrangement, where space is required only for an hour or two at a time. Business operators can drop in for a client meeting, to download large files, to create a video or pod cast, or even just to get out of the office and work alongside some fresh faces.”

“We’ve also noticed a trend towards business operators working outside of the standard nine-to-five work day, so the secure 24/seven swipe-card building access allows our tenants to work at the hours that suit them best,” he said.

Arguably most importantly, the centre’s high speed network enables business operators to download and upload large files, host virtual meetings, and get the most out of cloud computing technology.

“In this day and age we’re more time poor than ever, so it’s important to invest in technology and implement initiatives and procedures that ensure businesses are as efficient as possible,” Mr Paddenburg said.


Massey Online Management (MOM) director Kath Massey is no stranger to this idea, having built an entire business on using technology to streamline business practices.

Ms Massey said having run a caravan park at one time herself, she understood the demands placed on time-poor managers and had recognised a market niche in the online realm that could assist park managers with freeing up their busy schedules.

“Essentially MOM was developed to act as a hub between parks and a range of suppliers and technical support staff to address issues that often occur in caravan parks, and also increase occupancy rates and revenue,” Ms Massey said.


“We provide caravan parks with online reservation system support as well as e-marketing tools, and our team can monitor numerous caravan parks remotely from the comfort of our office. It makes work a lot more streamlined and efficient for the park operators and frees up their time so they can focus on the day-to-day running of their facility.”

Mr Hepworth said this was just one example of how businesses could use technology to create efficiencies and he was looking forward to announcing a string of knowledgeable presenters appearing at the upcoming Sunshine Coast Business and Workstyle Expo who could assist other local businesses in becoming more efficient and productive.

The 2013 Expo will be held on 10 and 11 May at the Big Pineapple in Woombye and will incorporate a comprehensive program of keynote presentations, workshops, seminars, exhibitors and networking opportunities. With demand for exhibitor booths expected to be high and keynote speakers to be announced shortly, prospective exhibitors are encouraged to apply early.

For more information visit www.scbizexpo.org or contact the Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce on (07) 5443 5661.

Ends.

[nggallery id=71]