As part of JCU’s Celebrating Research month, the Cairns Institute is sponsoring a Papua New Guinean phototgraphy and film display at the JCU Library.

Date: Thursday 8 September 2011

Time: 4.30pm – 6.30pm. Nibbles will be served.

Location: JCU Cairns Campus, Library Foyer (Photos), Room B1.031 (Films)

Register: This is a free event, however registrations are essential for catering purposes.

Click here to register online

We hope you can join us at this event.

Stress Less Day Invitation 2011

Please see our Austropex Conference Feature which was published in the Cairns Post on 3 August 2011.

There’s only two days to go until the inaugural Australian Tropical Expertise Conference.

Themed ‘Our Regions Future’, the Conference explores the role the tropical expertise sector can play in boosting our region’s profile and economy.

The Conference features sessions on Mining, Tourism, Food, Energy, Innovation, Agriculture, Environment, Built Environment and Small Business.

The closing session will see regional leaders come together to share their vision for Our Region’s Future.

This amazing day celebrates the best and brightest in our region and paves the way towards a new economy.

Conference Coordinator Nicky Swan says the Conference is all about regional branding and market – ready solutions.

“Austropex is first and foremost by and about industry,” she explains.

“Austropex is all about supporting, connecting and promoting tropical industries.”

“In turn this will put our region on the map as the home of tropical expertise.”

There are around 35 presenters at the Conference covering issues from Tropical Pasture to Digital Marketing.

“We have an amazing cross section of tropical specialists at this, our first ever Austropex Conference,” Nicky says.

“We warmly invite everyone to attend – you can network, learn and find where your business fits into the rapidly growing tropical expertise sector.”

There has been much discussion about the level of customer service in the Cairns.

Advance Cairns has taken the challenge to address the bad press with a training initiative aimed at the restaurant and food industry.

Partnering with TAFE, the Aussie Host one day workshop will be held on the Tablelands on Friday 18th March at Eden House at Yungaburra and in Cairns at TAFE on Monday 21st March.

These workshops are designed to help participants develop positive attitudes to service, improve the way they relate to customers, exceed customer expectations and overall create a first-class experience for customers.

“Excellence in customer service is the key to any successful business.”  Said Nola Craig, Taste Paradise food project officer at Advance Cairns

“It’s what builds long-lasting relationships with your customers and ultimately results in increased profitability for your business.”

“Advance Cairns is committed to supporting in promoting the food sector in Tropical North Queensland, whether it’s in the paddock or on the plate.”

“We know how pivotal good customer service is in this industry and we warmly invite restaurants and food tourism operators to attend the AussieHost Training Workshops which will be held in Cairns and the Tablelands in the coming weeks.”

For information regarding the Aussie Host course, contact Linda Richardson at Advance Cairns on 4080 2900 or email linda@tasteparadise.com.au

Download your  Cairns Workshop Invitation here

Download your Tablelands Workshop Invitation here

View our March Advertorial here

Cairns Ship Repair Services are preparing to depart for the Asian Work Boat Expo in Singapore next week to boost awareness of the Cairns’ marine industry.

The industry group, made up of Cairns’ three leading slipways Cairns Slipways, Norship Marine and Tropical Reef Shipyard will attend the Asian Work Boat Expo in Singapore from March 1-3.

Asian Work Boat attracts 3000 visitors over its three days and features exhibitors from 36 countries.

Cairns Ship Repair Services sees the Asian Work Boat Expo as an unparalleled opportunity to promote the capacity of Cairns’ maritime sector which has the leading slipway/travel lift capacity in northern Australia, with the ability to handle a full range of vessel types (steel, timber, aluminium, and composite) of up to 3,000 tonnes.

Acting CEO of Advance Cairns Margaret Darveniza said the trade show will help put Cairns’ marine sector on the map.

“Advance Cairns exists to diversify the Tropical North Queensland economy and supporting the marine sector is a vital part of this work,” she said.

Cairns’ maritime sector employs around 4,500 people has an annual turnover of $700 million. Cairns Seaport is home to more than 1000 registered commercial vessels, over 300 commercial passenger vessels and one of the largest fishing fleets in the country.

“Our marine sector plays a pivotal economic role in our region and we are proud to support Cairns Ship Repair Services,” Ms Darveniza said.

“As exhibitors at the Asian Work Boat Expo I believe Cairns Ship Repair Services will shine in Singapore and their activities will drive economic growth in this sector.”

Australian Tropical Expertise as a globally marketable product has finally come of age with the rebranding of the former Australian Tropical Expertise Consortium (A.T.E.C) as the new and exciting web platform ‘Austropex’.

The tropical expertise found throughout Northern Australia is forged from our ability to work around the challenges of health, climate, natural disaster, fragile or remote locations and working with indigenous communities.

Since 2006, Australian tropical expertise has been evolving and Austropex formalizes this regional brand with ten industry specialist categories; Mining, Energy, Built Environment, Environment, Marine, Aviation, Agriculture, Health, Food, and Education & Training. Strengthening these industry groups diversifies the region’s economy and creates resilience and robust economic growth.

At its core, the Austropex web platform is a comprehensive database offering expertise for both domestic and international clients. It brings together knowledgeable and experienced industries, consultants, businesses and researchers delivering innovative and practical solutions across the tropical world.

Austropex vision is to grow a dynamic and resilient ‘Tropical Expertise’ industry that works together to maximise present and future business opportunities in the global tropical economy. The current success of Austropex is attributable to the support of Advance Cairns, the Queensland government and local industry from the region.

On a practical level, we promote and support the tropical expertise sector by connecting members, partner agencies and clients to each other. Austropex provides information and co-ordination services using an online platform to deliver news, events, business opportunities and a database of industry specialists.

The Austropex Industry Advisory Group is comprised of business leaders from across Austropex’ ten industry sectors and most represent clusters or economic development organisations already existing within each industry. The inaugural meeting will involve an information session about Austropex and how it can work alongside these groups to support and promote their activities, as well as a discussion between the industries to identify opportunities they may foresee by working together.

The industry representatives in this group are interested in exploring ways they can collaborate to foster business growth in the region, to build capacity in the regional workforce, to market their collective tropical expertise, to jointly promote a regional brand and ultimately, to raise the profile of Tropical  North Queensland. To this end, we look to our industry groups, the business community and the media to become ambassadors for our region and drive the tropical expertise economy.

Austropex strengthens our unique competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding global economy. Austropex builds industry cohesion and stimulates economic growth using an online business network that will ultimately bring global attention to Northern Australia.

You are warmly invited to explore at Austropex at www.austropex.com.

Advance Cairns is proud to be a sponsor of the Tropical Innovation Awards.

The Awards reveal, recognise and reward local talent through a competition to discover the best and most innovative ideas across the Cairns, Tablelands and Cassowary Coast Regional Councils and the Cook Shire.

Australians are great innovators and have produced famous products and services including the bionic ear, the black box recorder, the solar hot water heater and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Austoft’s sugar cane harvester is a north Queensland original.

If you’re a tinkerer, love the New Inventors or have just had a really, really good idea then check out the Tropical Innovation Awards website for competition entry details and much more.