|
 We are
ready for business
Following the
highly successful Stage One, "Melbourne's North - the Best for
Business" promotional and publicity campaign, officially launched
by the Hon Minister Brumby in February, 2002, a Second Stage has
been initiated to run from October, 2002, to September, 2003. The
region is now more than ever "on the mind map" of business and
investment decision makers and promoters across Australia. The
Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development,
NORTH Link/NIETL, City of Darebin, City of Hume, City of
Moreland, City of Whittlesea, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Airport, NMIT, RMIT University and Yarra Valley Water, have all
committed to the Stage Two campaign. An exciting addition to the
campaign is the introduction of four new stakeholders, namely
Kangan Batman TAFE, MAB Corporation Business Parks,
Northpoint Enterprise Park and the Urban and Regional Land
Corporation. Stage Two aims to leverage the awareness and
perceptual platform created about the region in Stage One to
develop programs, events and activities targeted to current and
potential clients of the stakeholders, to further raise their
awareness of the region, build and maintain key relationships,
generate business and investment leads and integrate and leverage
stakeholder activities. The original themes used to identify the
region, of Competitive, Connected, Innovative and
Liveability, will be reinforced with "key messages" such as:
Competitive - a highly competitive base from which to do
business in Victoria and the Asia-Pacific region
Connected - proximity to Melbourne Airport, CBD,
Docklands and Port of Melbourne, containing world class rail and
road transport links
Innovative - concentration of R&D and knowledge-based
industries
Liveability - a part of Melbourne, voted the world's most
liveable city, featuring a unique combination of restaurants and
festivals and a safe, multi-cultural, inner city, semi-rural and
rural living environment
The campaign will focus on promoting the region's key sectors: -
high-tech manufacturing and services, automotive, biotechnology,
information and communications technology, building materials, food
processing, paper products, clothing and footwear and business
services sectors, as well as the electrical, metals, chemicals,
rubber and plastics industries. "This initiative will provide
potential business investors with valuable information on why the
region is the place to do business, invest and live," said Mr Chris
Heysen, Chairman of NORTH Link/NIETL.
Business and Investment Success
Stories
We are thrilled to unveil the first edition of our exciting and
bold new format for the NORTH Link/NIETL newsletter,
reflecting the new imagery and profile of the "Melbourne's North -
the Best for Business" campaign - we hope you like it! This column
will become a regular feature of future newsletters, highlighting
business and investment "success stories" of the stakeholders. In
our first column we have chosen a few examples of recent business
and investment successes:
- On 12
November, 2002, the Hon Ian Mc Farlane, Federal Minister for
Industry, Tourism & Resources and the Hon Bronwyn Pike,
Minister for Community Services and City of Moreland
Councillor, opened the Brunswick Business Incubator in the City
of Moreland. The Incubator has 100% occupancy since commencing
operations in July and has 24 small businesses on site
- MAB
Corporation Business Parks report that, of its three
business parks in the region totaling more than 1.5 million square
metres, the Global Business Park located in the City of Hume
around Melbourne Airport is almost fully developed with only
a handful of land available. MAB's other Parks are the
Northcorp Industry Park in Broadmeadows and the National Business
Park in Campbellfield next to Ford Motor Company's Australian head
office
- Northpoint Enterprise Park, a
63 hectare Park located in the City of Whittlesea that abuts
the Craigeburn Bypass and fronts onto Cooper St, Epping, opened by
Minister Brumby on 30 April, 2002, recently had "Aquarium
Industries" relocate into the Park
- The Darebin
Enterprise Centre in the City of Darebin and the Brunswick
Business Incubator are now hosts to more than 60 emerging
businesses. Director Glen Kerr, of ISP company Webscan (developers
of software to save e-business costs), said "being at the incubator
has given our company the opportunity to concentrate on our
business and save costs through sharing resources".
Melbourne's North to lead the
Country in Exports
Melbourne's North is quickly becoming Australia's leading region
when it comes to exporting, according to Anton Mayer, State
Manager, Victoria & Tasmania, Austrade who recently spoke at a
NORTH Link/NIETL export seminar.
Mr Mayer said that Australia's exports rose to $154 billion in
2001, of which Melbourne's North contributed approximately 10 per
cent of Australia's exports and 30 per cent of Victoria's
manufactured exports.
"Australia as a whole is still well below comparable countries with
less than four per cent of Australian companies exporting, however
organisations like NORTH Link/NIETL which lobby to provide
exporting assistance programs to local businesses are helping to
rectify this," Mr Mayer said.
The Government's objective is to double the number of Australian
companies who are exporting from 25,000 to 50,000 by 2006. Mr Mayer
said that most exporting is derived from regional centres and those
providing assistance programs are more than four times likely to
succeed at exporting.
This has lead to NORTH Link/NIETL joining forces with
Austrade and introducing the New Exporter Development Program
"TradeStart", a move that has generated huge interest across the
region. Already 20 northern firms have signed up for the exporting
scheme and a further 60 companies have shown keen interest. Program
Manager, Mr Paul Smarrelli said the aim of the TradeStart program
in Melbourne's North is to create 80 new exporters by 2006.
Mr Smarrelli said the participating registered companies have a
combined estimated sales turnover of more than $150 million and
approximately 600 employees. We anticipate sales to increase
through export growth by $18 million over the next 3 years.
The program will provide Melbourne's North with the best possible
start to trading overseas through export coaching, practical
guidance with individually tailored programs and assistance with
international markets.
The program offers free services and assistance in establishing
long-term strategies; alliance and networks; market research and
business matching; product launches; trade/exhibition events and
promotions to prospective buyers.
Brochure on "Melbourne's North"
in Company Director Magazine - a first!
The reputation of Melbourne's North as an exciting and expanding
business and investment hub is set for a major boost, as part of
Stage Two of the "Melbourne's North - the Best for Business"
campaign, with a brochure insert on "Melbourne's North" in the May
2003 edition of the prestigious "Company Director" magazine.
"Company Director" is the official magazine of the Australian
Institute of Company Directors with a readership of over 65,000,
including over 18,000 senior executives and their influencers,
throughout Australia and Asia.
The insert will be the "first of its kind" to exclusively focus on
the business and investment attractiveness of a region of a state
in Australia.
Under the theme of "Melbourne's North - Innovative High-Tech
Manufacturing and Services, with a renowned Liveability", the
insert will feature business and investment "success stories" and
company testimonials and relevant information on the campaign
stakeholders and the region, within the promotional context of
"Competitive, Connected, Innovative and Liveability".
NORTH
Link/NIETL
PO Box 103 Coburg 3058
Telephone +61 3 9479 3337
Facsimile +61 3 9467 8310
For further information, please contact Mick Butera:
Email m.butera@latrobe.edu.au
Web www.melbournesnorth.com.au
Disclaimer: Any representation, statement, opinion or advice
expressed or implied, in this publication is made in good faith
only.
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