Last Tuesday the South Regional TAFE winery building was buzzing with energy and ideas as more than sixty local business owners and industry leaders joined force for the MRCCI Business Economy Forum. Attendees included Nola Marino MP, Federal Member for Forrest, CCIWA, MRBTA, three Shire of Augusta-Margaret River Councillors and their Acting CEO, Dale Putland.
Aimed at building capacity, collaboration and action, the evening kicked off with Business Advisory South West Business Advisor, Sana Turnock, who presented on Building Resilience in Businesses in the South West and outlined the mountains that can’t be moved and how we climb over or push through them. Her take home messages were to understand that some challenges are here to stay, other challenges are tough but we get through them, and to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Following Sana’s insight, the group heard from award-winning businesses coach and author, Graham Harvey, who honed in on the Customer Experience… your number one competitive advantage, highlighting how times have moved beyond service and into experience, which can only be delivered by design. Graham’s take home message was a valuable reminder that people often don’t remember what you said, they might not even remember what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
These two thought provoking sessions set the wheels in motion for an interactive workshop hosted by TAFE Business Lecturer, Charlotte Brown, where attendees broke into groups to discuss and identify the challenges and opportunities for businesses in the region. Guests enthusiastically shared their ideas, expertise and experiences, along with complimentary platters from Settlers Tavern and wine from the students of South Regional TAFE.
To wrap up an extremely successful event, an open floor discussion allowed groups to share their prioritised notes and identify areas of collaboration and actions to take forward.
The Chamber extends our thanks and gratitude to event supporters South Regional TAFE, Settlers Tavern, Service EQ and the Business Advisory South West and Peel. We also warmly thank our proactive, positive and vibrant business community.
