Business Talk November 2015

Issue 5,
November 2015

Welcome to Business Talk

Welcome to BUSINESS TALK, the City of Marion's newsletter that provides you with a monthly snapshot of what's happening in your business community.

Business success is essential to the future of the City of Marion as a place to live, learn, work and invest. We value your feedback and encourage you to get in touch with us.

This month we focus on the importance of our visitor economy.

The importance of visitors to our city

Visitors and events are major economic drivers. The visitor economy stretches well beyond leisure and holiday visitors or tourists and includes events, business travel, working holidays and visiting friends and relatives, as well as travel for such as education, health and shopping.

Visitor spending is an element of most regional economies. It is estimated Marion attracts around 17 million visitors a year, who spend significant sums of money on products and services, benefiting the economy and community.

An analysis of the impact of visitors on the City of Marion economy undertaken using REMPLAN estimates that the revenue generated by visitors is around $166 million per annum Visitors also support over 1 000 direct jobs.

Our focus for the next 12 to 18 months is to work with local businesses to increase visitation and improve the visitor experience. We are doing this through an initiative of the City of Marion, the Visitor Economy Working Group. We are keen to hear from local businesses who would like to get involved.

Our visitor attractors

The City of Marion offers residents and visitors a wide range of leisure opportunities and activities . It has a range of attractions; from the quiet expanse of the Hallet Cove walking trail to the excitement of competition at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre or the Morphettville Racecourse ; or learning about historical and Indigenous heritage at the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre .

We also have some South Australian business icons in our back yard - to name a few .... Patritti Wines , Kytons Bakery , Charlesworth Nuts , Warradale Hotel and the Boatshed Cafe . With school holidays and the onset of visitors for the festive season, see our latest City Limits for 'Your Guide to Summer Activities in the City of Marion'.

Pacific School Games
(21 - 29 November 2015)

The Pacific School Games is the showcase event of school sport in the Pacific region.

Students aged between 10 - 19 years from at least 12 countries, including every Australian state and territory, will compete from November 21 - 29, 2015. We expect up to 4000 participants and many more parents and friends to be in Adelaide during this time.

Events will take place in the City of Marion at Westminster School and the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre .

This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase our city and what we have to offer.

Review of the current tourism map

The City of Marion is reviewing its current tourism map to ensure that it meets the needs of your visitors. We are keen to hear your suggestions for improvement. The closing date for submissions is 30 November 2015. Please contact Donna Griffiths , Economic Development Officer, on 8375 6897.

Cove Enterprise Hub

Looking for a venue to have your next meeting? Expressions of Interest for venue hire at Cove Civic Centre in 2016 are now open. The building includes a number of meeting and multiple-purpose rooms that provide a great environment for a variety of uses.

These spaces provide an ideal location for a wide range of activities, events, meetings, seminars, conferences, roundtables, presentations, exercise classes, assemblies, workshops and training sessions. Visit the City of Marion website to lodge an Expression of Interest .

For more information email Marissa or phone (08) 8375 6765.

Want to grow and innovate your business?

New Venture Institute at Flinders University organise student teams to help your business with growth and innovation, website and social media, competitive edge and app building. Flinders Enterprise Consulting offers cost effective, professional grade student consulting to grow South Australian businesses. Fresh insights, latest technology, industry led.

Deadline Next Application: 10 December 2015 - Next Student Project Start Date: March 2015. Find out more by clicking here or call Ashleigh Keane, NVI Marketing Coordinator on 08 8201 7594.

Need business advice?

Bob Sloan, our experienced Business Advisor, is available for a confidential discussion at either your place of business, Tonsley or Hallett Cove. Call Bob on 0417 731 125 to make an appointment.

Like us on Facebook

We have launched our new Facebook page dedicated to the business community. To keep up-dated, you can find us at

www.facebook.com/BusinessMarion

We hope that you have found this information useful. We value your feedback and encourage you to get in touch with us . If you no longer wish to receive these newsletters please use the unsubscribe link below.

Please feel free to forward this onto your networks or others that may be interested in what's happening in the City of Marion.

See you next month.