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.

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.”

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

Taste Paradise in Tropical North Queensland

2011 promises to be an exciting year for Taste Paradise, Advance Cairns’ food project.

The first date claimer on the Taste Paradise calendar was late February’s Flood Relief Gala Dinner. Top local chefs cooked up a storm at the event which was held at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE.  A good time was had by all and over $50,000 was raised for the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal.

March will see Taste Paradise’s professional development season begin with Business Workshops and Forums on across the region until the end of April.

The Business Workshops are aimed at food producers who want to find out how to develop and market their products, while the Forums will focus on how to become a Taste Paradise accredited supplier;    strengthen the supply chains between producers, wholesale distributors, restaurants and retail outlets and discuss the development of a Local Food Network.

Taste Paradise Coordinator Nola Craig says a Local Food Network would be the voice of the Tropical North Queensland food industry.

“Made up of food industry representatives, the Local Food Network would manage the regional Taste Paradise food brand accreditation, be the voice of the local food industry and value-add to this critically important sector,” Ms Craig explains.

“This is all about getting food from paddock to plate – our Forums and Workshops are all about making that happen.”

Jonsson’s Farmer’s Market, set to open in Stratford in late March, is right behind this philosophy. By selling the best of Tablelands and local produce the superstore will support local producers and provide low food-mile, super fresh food to consumers.

And people love local food, as evidenced by the wealth of food festivals in our region. Taste Paradise will be involved with three major food events this year: Feast of the Senses, Port Douglas Carnivale and Taste of the Tablelands.

Ms Craig says it will be a big year for local food festivals and a big year for local food.

“I am delighted that the Taste Paradise brand will have a significant presence at these events. We aim to create awareness of local produce and help the local economy.”

“2011 will be an important year for the Tropical North Queensland food industry and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Please contact Nola Craig on 0409 593 958 for more information on Taste Paradise and the workshops and forums.

Did you attend the Gala Dinner?

View the Gala Dinner photos here.

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.”

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.

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.