Marketing, mentoring and social media biggest draw at Victoria's Small Business Festival

As Victoria’s Small Business Festival reaches its halfway point marketing, mentoring and social media events and workshops are proving to be in demand from small business owners throughout Victoria.

From Warrnambool to Ballarat, Geelong to Sale, and the City of Melbourne to the suburbs, thousands of small business owners have attended free mentoring sessions, marketing seminars and social media workshops designed to help small businesses access new skills and ideas to boost their productivity.

The second half of August sees Victoria’s Small Business Festival’s feature marketing event, Small Business BIG Marketing, take place in Melbourne, a series of webinars designed for those small business owners too busy to leave their office and a host of regional networking events and workshops at partner business festivals in Warrnambool, Ballarat and Geelong.

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Victoria's Small Business Festival is once again proving a sought after resource for small business information, knowledge and skills throughout the state.

Stand Out Marketing for Small Business Regional Dinners, hosted by 'Rock Star' marketer Paul McCarthy, has played to packed houses in Warrnambool, Geelong and Sale. Stand Out Marketing will visit Ballarat and Bendigo this week with tips and advice on how business owners in these key regional centres can cut through the noise and make their business stand out to prospective clients.

Up to 1,000 small business owners from around the state are expected to attend Small Business BIG Marketing at Melbourne Convention Centre on 30 August.

Small Business BIG Marketing is all about learning from Australia's finest business marketers, connecting with other business owners and marketing professionals and finding out about the latest marketing tools. Featured presenters at Small Business BIG Marketing include ChangeLabs Chief Creative Officer, Dominic Thurbon, and Deloitte Digital's Peter Williams.

With almost a third of the state's small business based in rural and regional areas, more than 40% of festival events are being staged in regional Victoria this year.

Between them the Ballarat, Warrnambool and Geelong Small Business Festivals are hosting over 90 networking, skill sharing, idea development and business seminar events.

Ballarat Business Month, B31, features free or low-cost workshops and events for business, the community, teachers and students designed to assist organisations to grow their business. B31 concludes on 31 August with the CGU Commerce Ballarat Business Excellence Awards Gala Dinner which recognises innovation, excellence and celebrates the business opportunities on offer in Ballarat.

Over 40 events, information sessions and networking opportunities covering all aspects of running a business will be taking place during Geelong Small Business Festival. This week's highlights include Instore and Online Marketing Strategies to Drive Retail Sales and From Passion to Profit - A One Day Power Conference.

Warrnambool's inaugural Small Business Festival aims to build business opportunities, skills and knowledge in Warrnambool, Moyne and the Great South Coast Region. Next week sees events on social media for local businesses and the VECCI Regional Business Convention Great South Coast Leaders Workshop taking place.

For those to busy to attend an event over the next two weeks, whether in regional or metro Victoria, the Victoria's Small Business Festival 2012 Webinars will bring new skills and business ideas directly to the office. With session on unlocking cash flow, finding and securing Government grants and outsourcing to grow small businesses, this is the most time efficient way for business owners to sample this year's festival.

Festival visitors can book events online, searchable by keyword, date, location or topic, call 13 22 15 for further information, or follow the festival on Facebook or Twitter to join the #VicBizFest conversation.

Core Facts

Victoria's Small Business Festival offers small businesses a taste of the comprehensive year-round support services provided by Small Business Victoria. Small business plays a vital role in the Victorian economy, providing more than 1.2 million or 47 percent of private sector jobs in Victoria.
Over 520,000 small business contribute around 30% of the state's production in industries including manufacturing, retail, professional, technical and creative services.
Victoria's Small Business Festival is hosted by the Victorian Government, through Small Business Victoria, in collaboration with the private sector, government agencies and industry associations such as the Australian Retailers Association, Housing Industry Association and Australian Information Association.