Business in Brisbane
Edition 13: April to June 2017
In this edition:
Page 2 |Daejeon Profile| Free Wi-Fi
Page 3| Talk to a Planner| Record visitors to Brisbane
Page 4 |Brisbane Economic Snapshot | Residents creating vibrant cities
A message from Lord Mayor Graham Quirk
2017 is shaping up to be a busy year for business in Brisbane.
Supporting small business owners and operators remains a top priority for our city and a new Small Business Liaison Manager role has been created at Brisbane Marketing to provide advice and assistance to facilitate small business development and growth in our city. For more information contact
In September, I will lead a delegation of businesses and young professionals to the Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum (2017APCS) in our sister city Daejeon in Korea. This biennial event is a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and build strategic partnerships. If you are interested in growing your business overseas or strengthening your trade and investment links in the region, email for more information.
Of course, economic expansion needs to be supported by appropriate infrastructure. Stones Corner is the first suburban centre to benefit from free Wi-Fi. Seven other suburban centres will follow as part of a four-year $1 million commitment to the expansion of Brisbane’s digital footprint.
Graham Quirk
LORD MAYOR
Spotlight on small business
Did you know 87% of the 115,000 plus businesses in Brisbane employ less than five people?
With that in mind, Brisbane Marketing has created a new Small Business Liaison Manager position, appointing former small business owner and advocate Terri Cooper to the role.
Terri will provide engagement and support to Brisbane’s small businesses, developing an understanding of the challenges they face and how these might be addressed.
Further information about Terri and her role will be provided in upcoming editions of Business in Brisbane. Contact Terri at
Nominations closing soon
You only have a few more days to nominate for the 2017 Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Awards for Business.
The awards at Brisbane City Hall on Saturday 27 May recognise the contribution multicultural businesses make to Brisbane’s economy and community through their creativity, innovation and resilience.
Categories include Multicultural Business Person of the Year, the Nick Xynias Multicultural Young Business Person of the Year and Multicultural Entrepreneur of the Year.
Nominations close on Thursday 13 April, so enter now!
Applications are also open for the Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Business Scholarships and Mentoring Scheme, providing training and mentoring opportunities for Brisbane residents from multicultural backgrounds.
Launched in 2008, the program delivers scholarship placements, enabling recipients to grow their business and entrepreneurial skills.
Tickets for the event went on sale in mid-March. For more information, to nominate or for tickets, visit
Connecting Stones Corner
Stones Corner has become thefirst of eight suburban centres inBrisbane to receive free Wi-Fi, withshoppers and visitors now able tostay connected as they move aroundthe shopping and dining precinct.
The popular precinct follows boththe CBD and Caxton and JamesStreet areas in boasting a newhigh-speed connection, with localbusiness group Our Stones Cornerplaying a key role in the deliveryof the service. Available 24/7, theservice extends along Old ClevelandRoad, Logan Road, Cleveland Streetand into Montague Street.
Encouraging visitors to stay a littlelonger, Brisbane’s expanded freeWi-Fi service already offers instantonline access at various locations.In 2016, 431,893 unique users tookadvantage of the free service inareas such as South Bank and theFortitude Valley Malls.
Nundah Village, Sandgate Village,Wynnum CBD, St Lucia, Moorooka,Sunnybank Hills and Boundary Street,Spring Hill are all set to join StonesCorner in receiving the service aspart of a $1 million four-year Councilcommitment to bring Wi-Fi tosuburban precincts.
Korean business opportunities
Thinking of exploring international business opportunities? Brisbane’s Sister City Agreement with Daejeon makes it an ideal launching pad for those looking to develop links in, or expand into, Asia.
Signed in June 2002, the Sister City Agreement is a commitment between both cities to work together to foster business, educational, cultural and collaborative relationships.
As a city of science and technology, Daejeon is home to 19 universities and Daedeok Science Town, one of the highest-ranking science and research precincts in Asia, the Daedeok Innopolis, or ‘the Silicon Valley of Korea’ and the World Technopolis Association. It’s Korea’s fifth-largest city, located at the centre of the country, 164 km from Seoul.
In September, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will lead a delegation of Brisbane businesses and young professionals to the 2017 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (2017APCS) and Mayors’ Forum in Daejeon (10-13 September). Expected to attract more than 1500 delegates from businesses, governments and institutions all over the Asia Pacific, 2017APCS will enhance opportunities for delegates to expand their overseas networks and generate business and investment leads. Registrations are now open.
Fabby Ernesta, Chief Operating Officer of Atira Student Living travelled on the 2016 Lord Mayoral Business Mission, visiting Daejeon. “The mission enabled us to explore new markets and gauge interest in our services from Daejeon. As one of Brisbane’s most active sister cities, I believe Daejeon can open the door for expanding our business network throughout Korea and beyond.” For more information, email
North Regional Business Centre revamp
The new North Regional Business Centre (NRBC) in Chermside is now open, providing a wide range of services in one convenient location.
Like all Council regional business centres, the NRBC provides information and professional advice on topics including, but not limited to:
•licensing
•permits and applications
•account payments
•general information.
Regional business centres help promote Brisbane’s business-friendly environment and make it easy for you to deal with Council on business-related issues.
The new Marchant Ward Office and Chermside Library are also located in the precinct, which is at the corner of Kittyhawk Drive and Hamilton Road, Chermside and includes 116 basement car-parking spaces.
For more information, visit or call the Business Hotline on 133 BNE (133 263).
Talk to a planner
Ever wondered how planning and development regulations affect your business?
Come and chat face-to-face with the experts at Council’s next Talk to a Planner event.
Officers will be on hand from a variety of disciplines including Council’s urban planners, engineers, architects, environmental specialists, traffic specialists and compliance and regulatory services staff.
The next event will take place at Kedron-Wavell Services Club in Chermside on Wednesday 19 April, with two sessions, giving residents and industry representatives the opportunity to attend.
Three further Talk to a Planner events are planned for 2017 at Wynnum, Upper Mt Gravatt and
Brisbane City Hall.
Visit for more information or register your attendance by calling 3178 5500.
Record number of Australian visitors converge on Brisbane
Brisbane’s winning tourism streak continues with a record number of Australians visiting the city last year.
The latest National Visitor Survey from Tourism Australia (for the year to September 2016), released late last year, saw overall domestic visitor numbers climb 5.3% to a record 5.8 million, while a sharp spike in holiday visitors saw numbers rise 18.5% to 1.6 million – another record.
Interstate holiday visitors were up 24.8% to 604,000, while holiday visitors from within Queensland rose 15% to 1 million. There were also gains in the business sector, with interstate business visitors rising 6.4% to 834,000 and the number of business visitors from within Queensland rising 3.9% to 584,000.
The domestic tourism figures follow the release of the latest International Visitor Survey results from Tourism Australia, which saw record highs across international visitor numbers and expenditure.
The record results are testament to Brisbane’s growing profile as a destination of choice and a major events capital.
2017 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum
Daejeon, Korea – 10-13 September 2017. Registrations now open.
Brisbane Economic Snapshot
Key fact highlights
Greater Brisbane’s economy: $145 billion
Greater Brisbane’s businesses: 185,953
Greater Brisbane’s population: 2,308,720
Greater Brisbane’s employment: 1,183,128
Greater Brisbane’s employment forecast 2031: 1,532,200
Sources: Brisbane City Council uses a range of sources to compile this information, including Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Queensland Treasury.
For the full Brisbane Economic Snapshot please visit and search for ‘economic snapshot’.
Travelling to Brisbane for work
Did you know more than 246,000 people travel into Brisbane from other Local Government Areas (LGAs) each day?
Brisbane is an employment hub and a dominant regional economy. Patterns of travel show the city draws a large number of people from surrounding regions, meaning it is an area of net employment; that is, more people enter it to work than leave it.
Queensland Government Statistician’s Office forecasts show that by 2041, the number of South East Queensland residents living outside the Brisbane LGA but working within, will more than double, growing from 246,879 people to 516,388 people.1
1 Regional Employment Projections, 2010-11 to 2040-41,
Top 5 industries – August 2016
Industry Division / Brisbane LGA / Greater BrisbaneHealth Care and Social Assistance / 114,980 / 158,600
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services / 84,620 / 109,510
Retail Trade / 82,270 / 119,930
Education and Training / 71,720 / 108,030
Accommodation and Food Services / 67,970 / 92,020
Residents creating vibrant city centres
An important and often overlooked indicator of a region’s economic health is its city centres.
Strong urban economies generally have highly productive inner city areas, with a high proportion of young, highly skilled workers.
This is a phenomenon that has been observed globally. The Centre for Cities suggests in its Urban Demographics: Where People Live and Work report that residents of high-performing large city centres (above 550,000 people) are overwhelmingly aged between 20-29 years.
Brisbane’s inner-city suburbs have a similar demographic profile1. In fact, 43% of the population in this area is aged between 20-34, significantly higher than the rest of the Brisbane LGA, which sits at around 28%.
Moreover, 42% of the residents within the inner suburbs live in group housing or on their own, again significantly higher than the rest of Brisbane which sits at about 30%2.
These young people are generally highly skilled and live towards the centre of a city to ensure easy access to their jobs in professional services or other graduate level professions.
A large proportion of these residents are single and without children, meaning they have a high level of disposable income. This can be correlated to a higher level of discretionary spending, allowing small business to flourish within the relevant area.
Governments and businesses need to consider these demographics when planning and delivering services, so that Brisbane remains a vibrant and productive New World City.
1 SA2’s (Suburbs) within Brisbane inner city include: Albion, Auchenflower, Brisbane City, Fairfield-Dutton Park, Fortitude Valley, Hamilton, Highgate Hill, Kangaroo Point, Kelvin Grove, Herston, New Farm, Newstead-Bowen Hills, Paddington, Milton, Red Hill, South Brisbane, Spring Hill, St Lucia, Toowong, West End and Woolloongabba.
2 ABS 3235.0, Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2015 and
ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2011, Basic Community Profile - B37 and B40 (usual residence)
Case Study: she wear
Stacey Head is the Founder and Managing Director of she wear.
The Northgate-based business specialises in work wear and boots for women employed in specialised fields and trades requiring safety-compliant clothing and footwear.
Currently in its fourth year of trading, what began as a one-woman operation now employs three full-time staff, has more than 60 stockists across Australia and New Zealand and is set to expand further overseas.
It was not, however, the most auspicious of starts. “I was renovating a property to sell at the time,” Stacey recalls. “I didn’t have proper footwear and stood on a nail. It cost me a tetanus shot and got me thinking about how there were so few options for women when it came to safety footwear that fitted properly and work wear in general.”
Long term, the incident proved to be a shot in the arm for a budding business plan. “In the beginning we were an online-only business and we only sold work boots. The first item we sold was a pink pair and they’re still one of most popular lines today,” she says.
“We’ve come a long way since then and recently exhibited at a trade show in the US.”
Stacey knows a thriving business is always a good look. She wears it well, too.
What three things should someone consider before starting a business?
•Do your due diligence – research your target market, speak to the end user and know your competitors.
•Accept that the business will take over your life, at least at the start.
•You need to accept you must have an understanding of every aspect of running a business, even if it’s not your forte. Know your personal strengths and outsource where necessary.
For more information, visit
Events
18 April – How to choose the kind of website your business needs
In this Power-Up workshop, you’llhear the pros and cons of variousContent Management System(CMS) website providers,5.45-8pm, Broncos LeaguesClub, $38.50, to register visit
26 April, 10 May and 7 June – Lord Mayor’s Small Business Forums
Join the Lord Mayor andbusiness leaders to network andshare knowledge, various times,various locations, to registervisit
24 May – Effective contract management
A one-day intensive coursedelivering essential contractmanagement and riskminimisation techniques,8.30am-4.30pm, HoldingRedlich, from $495, to registervisit
29 May – Learn MailChimp
Find out how to use the world’slargest email newsletter serviceto engage your audience,9am-1pm, Ashgrove ServicedOffices, $249, to register visit
13 June – Digital marketing tools to improve business
In this Power-Up workshop,gain tips to maximise thebenefits of search and displayadvertising and re-marketing,5.45-8pm, Carina Leagues Club,$38.50, to register visit
Council is continually working on plans andstrategies to support innovation and economicgrowth. Your feedback is highly valued.
Contact Council’s Business Hotline 133 BNE (133 263),email visit
Every effort is made to ensure thatinformation is correct at time of printing
Brisbane Australia’s New World City
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© Brisbane City Council 2017
Brisbane City Council
GPO Box 1434, BrisbaneQld 4001
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