{"id":128520,"date":"2026-03-25T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?p=128520"},"modified":"2026-03-18T20:10:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:10:57","slug":"call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOCAL entrepreneurs and industry experts are invited to help design the 16th annual Geelong Small Business Festival as the council begins its search for event hosts.<\/p>\n

The week-long event, which is scheduled to run from 3-7 August, will feature a series of workshops and networking sessions aimed at increasing professional capability across the region.<\/p>\n

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said the festival played a significant role in supporting the region’s entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

“Small businesses play an important role in adding community, culture and connection to the Greater Geelong region,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’re making sure we continue to invest in the business community by providing opportunities for growth, learning and networking”.<\/p>\n

This year’s program will be centred at the Wurriki Nyal Civic Precinct, though organisers have confirmed the festival will also visit Torquay for one day to assist regional participants.<\/p>\n

The festival is delivered as a joint initiative between the City of Greater Geelong and the Geelong Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jeremy Crawford said the collaboration provided a platform to strengthen the local economy.<\/p>\n

“The festival, which supports Geelong’s small to medium enterprises, the backbone of our local economy, is always a highlight on the business calendar,” he said.<\/p>\n

“So many businesses gain knowledge and build capability through the learnings and connection they make at the Geelong Small Business Festival.”<\/p>\n

Expressions of interest for those wishing to host an event close on 12 April, with the full program due for release in June.<\/p>\n

For more informstion, head to gsbf.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOCAL entrepreneurs and industry experts are invited to help design the 16th annual Geelong Small Business Festival as the council begins its search for event hosts. The week-long event, which is scheduled to run from 3-7 August, will feature a series of workshops and networking sessions aimed at increasing professional capability across the region. Geelong […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":128521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-128520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCall for experts to lead Geelong business workshops - Geelong Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join the Geelong Business Festival 2026. Experts invited to host workshops and support local entrepreneurs and growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops - Geelong Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Join the Geelong Business Festival 2026. Experts invited to host workshops and support local entrepreneurs and growth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Geelong Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-24T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/03\/South-Images-183-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tahlia Sinclair\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tahlia Sinclair\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tahlia Sinclair\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b19e2a931c1bb39540fba511a502e84\"},\"headline\":\"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-24T17:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":264,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/South-Images-183-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/\",\"name\":\"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops - Geelong Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/South-Images-183-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-24T17:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Join the Geelong Business Festival 2026. Experts invited to host workshops and support local entrepreneurs and growth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/South-Images-183-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/South-Images-183-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jeremy Crawford and Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj. Photo: Supplied\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/news\\\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Geelong Times\",\"description\":\"Free local news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Geelong Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/times_logo_1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/times_logo_1.png\",\"width\":248,\"height\":37,\"caption\":\"Geelong Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b19e2a931c1bb39540fba511a502e84\",\"name\":\"Tahlia Sinclair\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d89ff3ed92f4804731f2f1e78b6b22a791498bb4c2cde1d98ad949fd3d9a5e0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d89ff3ed92f4804731f2f1e78b6b22a791498bb4c2cde1d98ad949fd3d9a5e0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d89ff3ed92f4804731f2f1e78b6b22a791498bb4c2cde1d98ad949fd3d9a5e0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tahlia Sinclair\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/author\\\/tahliasinclair\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops - Geelong Times","description":"Join the Geelong Business Festival 2026. Experts invited to host workshops and support local entrepreneurs and growth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops - Geelong Times","og_description":"Join the Geelong Business Festival 2026. Experts invited to host workshops and support local entrepreneurs and growth.","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/","og_site_name":"Geelong Times","article_published_time":"2026-03-24T17:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/03\/South-Images-183-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tahlia Sinclair","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tahlia Sinclair","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/"},"author":{"name":"Tahlia Sinclair","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/person\/4b19e2a931c1bb39540fba511a502e84"},"headline":"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops","datePublished":"2026-03-24T17:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/"},"wordCount":264,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/03\/South-Images-183-1.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/","name":"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops - Geelong Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/03\/South-Images-183-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-24T17:00:00+00:00","description":"Join the Geelong Business Festival 2026. Experts invited to host workshops and support local entrepreneurs and growth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/03\/South-Images-183-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/03\/South-Images-183-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jeremy Crawford and Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj. Photo: Supplied"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/call-for-experts-to-lead-geelong-business-workshops\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Call for experts to lead Geelong business workshops"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/","name":"Geelong Times","description":"Free local news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#organization","name":"Geelong Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/09\/times_logo_1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/09\/times_logo_1.png","width":248,"height":37,"caption":"Geelong Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/person\/4b19e2a931c1bb39540fba511a502e84","name":"Tahlia Sinclair","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d89ff3ed92f4804731f2f1e78b6b22a791498bb4c2cde1d98ad949fd3d9a5e0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d89ff3ed92f4804731f2f1e78b6b22a791498bb4c2cde1d98ad949fd3d9a5e0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d89ff3ed92f4804731f2f1e78b6b22a791498bb4c2cde1d98ad949fd3d9a5e0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tahlia Sinclair"},"url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/author\/tahliasinclair\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128520"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=128520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}