THE City of Greater Geelong has celebrated this year\u2019s Geelong Small Business Festival as a major success, with more than 5,000 business owners and entrepreneurs taking part in events throughout August.<\/p>\n
Record numbers attended a wide variety of seminars and workshops focussed on topics such as business planning, marketing, social media, networking and financial management.<\/p>\n
Industries that had the highest levels of participation in the festival included tourism, manufacturing, accommodation and food services, as well as education and training.<\/p>\n
A highlight of the month-long festival was the Ita Buttrose keynote event on \u201cthe resilience factor\u201d, with feedback from attendees stating that her presentation was uplifting and highly entertaining.<\/p>\n
Another popular event was the sold-out Facebook Live event hosted by Future Proofing Geelong, where attendees heard four inspiring stories about how small businesses have become more energy and waste efficient.<\/p>\n
According to surveys taken during the month, the three areas of most interest to festival participants were networking opportunities, business development and sales, as well as marketing and social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Geelong Small Business Festival has once again provided a great boost for entrepreneurs and small business owners in the region,\u201d Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUpscaling small businesses is an important economic opportunity for Geelong, with many forward-thinking entrepreneurs starting small here and making it big globally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city has around 17,000 small businesses, so they\u2019re an integral part of the Greater Geelong economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations to event organisers and presenters on putting together another fantastic event for the business community of Geelong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know many are already looking ahead to how we can make next year\u2019s event even bigger and better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE City of Greater Geelong has celebrated this year\u2019s Geelong Small Business Festival as a major success, with more than 5,000 business owners and entrepreneurs taking part in events throughout August. Record numbers attended a wide variety of seminars and workshops focussed on topics such as business planning, marketing, social media, networking and financial management. […]<\/p>\n