Coffs Coast Business News - March 2024

Each month, the City of Coffs Harbour's Economic Development & Tourism Team pulls together information for all businesses, large and small across the Coffs Coast, to help you stay informed, keep connected, and feel supported.

We hope you find the Coffs Coast Business News valuable - please feel free to forward it to colleagues and your team. They can also subscribe to receive their copy directly.

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

Business events and training

• WNBCC Business Networking & Nibbles - Wednesday 27 March
• BPW Coffs Coast Coffee Morning - Wednesday 3 April
• Crafting your ideal client and social media strategy - Tuesday 9 April 
• Navigating your Fair Work Responsibilities - Wednesday 10 April
• Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce Business@Dusk - Wednesday 10 April
• BWN Coffs Coast Coffee and Connect - Thursday 11 April

Local news and opportunities

• Coffs Coast Marketing
• Coffs Harbour Bypass update

Grant funding and business support

• Coffs Harbour Grant Finder
• NSW Government Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative
• Business Trends for 2024
• National Sustainability Framework and Toolkit for the Visitor Economy

What's On Coffs Coast and major event calendar

BUSINESS EVENTS & TRAINING

LOCAL NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

DESTINATION COFFS COAST MARKETING

In this section, we'll provide a monthly snapshot of Destination Coffs Coast's current and upcoming marketing activities, campaigns, and news stories. These are created and managed by our team, in collaboration with local businesses and other partners. Check out what's making impressions:

• Webjet.com.au: New Coffs Coast landing page 
• Touch Football Australia: TFA Announces Host Location for 2024 DoorDash National Youth Championships
• Coffs Harbour Airport: QantasLink Airbus A220 services between Coffs and Melbourne
• Coffs Coast Blog: Discover the best picnic spots on the Coffs Coast
• Coffs Coast: ECO Destination recertification achieved
• Pat Callinan's 4x4 Adventures: Season 16 Episode 3 - Coffs to Port (the back way)
• News Corp: New study finds Aussies struggle to switch off when on annual leave (dailytelegraph.com.au)
• NRMA Parks & Resorts: Top 14 pet-friendly camping and caravan parks in NSW

ALL COFFS COAST BUSINESSES are invited to share these campaigns in your business marketing. This is a great way to bring people from out of area to your business - and the content is already created for you!

COFFS HARBOUR BYPASS UPDATE

Did you know the Coffs Harbour bypass is already 32% complete? Once finished, motorists will save about 12 minutes of travel time, bypass up to 12 sets of traffic lights, and remove approximately 12,000 vehicles per day from the existing highway.

• Read the March Project Update
• Read the February Report Card
• Read the Community Engagement Survey Results
• Sign Up to receive general project updates and weekly emails about traffic changes, controlled blasting, and opportunities to speak with the team at upcoming community information sessions.

GRANT FUNDING & BUSINESS SUPPORT

COFFS HARBOUR GRANT FINDER

The City of Coffs Harbour provides a free service for locals to find grants and grant writing tips. Register to be notified of specific grants for your business or organisation.

NSW GOVERNMENT NET ZERO MANUFACTURING INITIATIVE

The Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative will support NSW businesses and industries to remain leaders in the net zero transition by increasing their competitiveness, attracting investment and opening new growth opportunities. There are three programs available.

Clean Technology Innovation: This program aims to accelerate the research, development and commercialisation of emerging clean technologies.

Low Carbon Product Manufacturing Grants: This program aims to support investment in new industrial facilities and advanced manufacturing capabilities to help decarbonise the NSW economy.

Renewable Manufacturing: This program aims to support NSW's renewable energy generation, storage and transmission projects by stimulating local manufacturing for the renewable energy sector from 2024 to 2030.

NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK AND TOOLKIT FOR VISITOR ECONOMY BUSINESSES

Last month we introduced the four pillars of the framework and looked at the fundamentals to taking a managed approach. This month's focus is on the second pillar: Environmental and climate action.

WHAT'S THIS MEAN? 
The goal for visitor economy businesses and their supply chains is to:

• Embed nature-positive approaches to protect and regenerate the Coffs Coast's unique natural environment.
• Take action to combat, mitigate, and adapt to climate change.
• Meet Australia's net zero emissions by 2050 commitment.

HOW IS THIS ACHIEVED?
Below are five priorities to help businesses achieve the goals outlined above. See pages 16 - 31 in the toolkit and links to accompanying website pages for more information.

 1. Measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
 - Section 2 measure your carbon footprint
 - Section 3 reduce your energy use 

 2. Minimise water use and manage your waste.
 - Section 4 reduce water use
 - Section 5 manage business waste

 3. Adapt and build resilience.
 - Section 7 adapt to changing climate
 - Develop an emergency management plan (includes downloadable template)

 4. Conserve and contribute to biodiversity.
 - Section 8 support biodiversity and regeneration

 5. Shape responsible visitor behaviour.
 - Section 10 interact with wildlife carefully

WHY TAKE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ACTION? 
As customers become more aware of how their actions contribute to climate change, they are increasingly demanding that businesses in all industries, track and report their impact and take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Benefits of taking action may also include:

• Cost savings
• Regulatory compliance
• Risk mitigation
• Reputation and customer loyalty

WHAT'S ON @ COFFS COAST

Please reach out to our team at City of Coffs Harbour if you have any questions.

Check out our 6 degrees business support website for business events and resources.
For tourism industry and visitor economy business support and information, go to our Coffs Coast tourism industry hub.

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