If you currently possess a capability statement that needs an update, are a manufacturer or business involved in mining services, you may be eligible for a professional review.

This opportunity is part of the Capturing Major Project Opportunities 2012 project – an initiative of Capricorn Enterprise and Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation.

For more information contact Sharyn Lowth 07 4927 2055 or sharynlowth@capricornenterprise.com.au

The Queensland Government is offering a series of free one hour web-based seminars (webinars), covering a range of digital business related topics including:

Find out more about each webinar topic.

Register for the entire series to gain a broad overview of this exciting new business opportunity, or simply join in on the topic that interests you most. You’ll learn valuable digital business skills, tips and tricks from experts in the business.

For further information visit the website or call 13 25 23.

Webinars are presented by the Queensland Government, in conjunction with The Creative Collective.

Local business leaders Tanner Consulting, SMR Advertising and Lilly Pilly Organics have joined forces to commence a regional food network – Relish Capricorn.

One of the area’s most enterprising initiatives to develop in our region in recent years, Relish Capricorn, is undertaking research across the tropic of Capricorn area to investigate opportunities to develop fresh food markets and food tourism.

“Relish Capricorn, is a producer led food movement and we are currently undertaking a study into the opportunities for Capricorn fresh food. We know Beef, Pineapples and Seafood are part of the Capricorn identity and there are some great successes with produce including innovations such as crocodiles. It’s about identifying opportunities for producers so we can enjoy the diversity of produce on our plates and on restaurant menus and other food opportunities in our region” said Julie Tanner, Director Tanner Consulting. The study is an Australian Government funded initiative under T-QUAL Grants and is supported by Capricorn Enterprise.

“We are calling on the Producers, Consumers and the Tourism and Hospitality Sector to, complete the online surveys, participate in forums or contact us, to help us understand what it is we have here and what we want to taste more often” said Paul Sweeney of SMR Advertising.

“The quality of our regional food is superior because it’s grown in our own backyard of rich agricultural land, it’s out there and ready to put on our tables and in our restaurants, but we need to let the producers know that we want their food and we want to relish it, in our stores, at our markets, at the farm gate and in our restaurants” Julie said.

A brief 10 minute survey is on the website, www.relishcapricorn.com.au and we would encourage all our producers, consumers and tourism and hospitality sector to log on and complete the surveys, so we can understand what our food preferences are now and what we need to do to stimulate our regional food network – you might even win a Relish Capricorn hamper of delicious regional produce from Mr. Jason Pfingst of Lilly Pilly Organics.

“Now is the perfect time to let our producers know that people are passionate about our food and want regional food on our plates. The diversity of quality produce in our region has been surprising and there is considerable interest in raising awareness and ensuring it’s easy to identify this produce”, says Pfingst.

Seasonal food available in this region is abundant and its fresh healthy food. Our own fish, beef, pork, chicken, crocodile, tropical fruits, vegetables, pineapples and more are available and we are looking to identify opportunities for the produce to be easily identified by consumers and on menu’s throughout the region. Relish Capricorn provides and opportunity for a distinct regional identity that saviours and celebrates regional produce.

“The great thing about Relish Capricorn is it is all about supporting our regional producers to grow more; the more they grow the more benefits for consumers in our region and our tourism and hospitality industry” and we all get to RELISH Capricorn.

END

As the peak tourism and economic development organisation for this region, Capricorn Enterprise is A-political and invites ALL candidates to meet and communicate their views on important regional issues with our local business community.

Date Claimers:

Tuesday 13^th March (12pm to 2pm) – State government candidate forum (Seats of Keppel, Rockhampton and Mirani)

Tuesday 17^th April (12pm to 2pm) – Local government candidate forum (Rockhampton Regional Council boundary only)

Venue: CQUniversity 12pm to 2pm (Auditorium numbers to be confirmed)

Watch out for more information on this in the coming weeks.

Read the full article at Mature Traveller

CAPRICORN COAST DIGITAL WORKSHOP

The workshop is scheduled to take place on Monday 27^th February at the Rosslyn Bay Resort from 1 – 5pm. The workshop will be followed by One on One Mentoring sessions that will be conducted with interested operators on the 28^th and 29^th.

The workshop is designed to assist operators with some fundamentals of digital marketing. The workshop will cover:

Module 1 – “Web Basics” will give you an overview of how a consumer navigates your website and how the design and layout of your site makes such a difference to your website’s ‘usability’. Other important elements of this module are Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (foundation database for tourism products throughout Australia) and measurement tools for your site.

Module 2 – “Be Bookable Online” will help you understand Online Booking Systems so that you can sell your tourism product to the 60% of consumers who book their travel online. There’s a few key steps you’ll need to follow, like getting a merchant facility sorted and thinking about your Yield Management.  You’ll also learn all about how to make your product bookable on many tourism websites using Tourism Exchange Australia (TXA).

YOUR DIGITAL COACH

The Workshop and Mentoring will be conducted by Digital Coach, Susan Maynard. Susan has extensive experience in both the tourism and training environments and has worked in the tourism industry for over 20 years.

To register for the Workshop, One on One Mentoring or both, please contact Nathan White by the 13^th February.

Today’s announcement by Qantaslink to introduce Boeing 717 services to Rockhampton on 15th March has been hailed as great long awaited news by the region’s peak tourism and economic development organisation, Capricorn Enterprise.

Two major airlines service Rockhampton Airport with an annual capacity of up to 750,000 passengers. Virgin Australia currently provides more capacity than Qantaslink, largely attributed to its provision of a jet service and direct flights to Sydney as well as Brisbane. Qantaslink today announced two new 115-seat B717 services in Queensland which will commence into Rockhampton Airport on the 15th March, providing 598 additional seats to Rockhampton, offering over 8,400 seats per week.

Domestic capacity into Rockhampton during February 2012 is 4,683 seats per week with Virgin Australia and 3,825 per week seats with Qantaslink. CEO of Capricorn Enterprise Mary Carroll said “Qantaslink have clearly been watching these figures and has made a very good business decision to keep up with competitive advantage”.

“Considering the amount of corporate travel into the Rockhampton airport, it is absolutely essential that both major airlines provide jet services with business class capacity. This announcement is long overdue considering the competitive advantage Virgin Australia has held over Qantaslink over the past few months in regards to provision of jet services.”

“The business community have been wanting a jet service by Qantaslink for some time and it is refreshing to see their call has been answered.” she said

Rockhampton Airport is the 12th busiest airport in Australia, with capacity ramping up in neighbouring ports of Mackay, Gladstone and Emerald. “It is very important that the Council owned Rockhampton Airport also keeps up with the demands of its customers, as has Mackay airport, and investigates the provision of Business Class lounges for both major airlines” she said.

“I’d like the next announcement by Qantaslink now to be the provision of direct flights from Rockhampton to either Sydney or Melbourne!” she said

For comment contact: Mary Carroll, CEO Capricorn Enterprise 0417 669 286

Capricorn Enterprise’s push to create the foremost event calendar in the region is already setting itself up as one of the most successful what’s-on guides in Queensland.

Figures released this week show the Capricorn Event Calendar has established itself as one of the most comprehensive Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) calendars in the state.

Mary Carroll, CEO of Capricorn Enterprise said “our focus on promoting events in our destination has resulted in 315 annual events being promoted on-line to the world, second only in Queensland to 466 annual events in the Brisbane region!”

“We are urging event organisers to upload their events free of charge. Event tourism is a huge part of our regional economy and growing” she said.

Found at www.capricornholidays.com.au/events, the calendar is free to submit events to and free to use. Covering the Capricorn Coast, Rockhampton and the Central Highlands, events are searchable by location, event type and even by cost.

The calendar is primarily drawn from events entered into the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW), which distributes to over 50 high profile websites nation-wide, including Tourism Queensland and Tourism Australia’s leisure sites, ABC Online, Flight Centre and iPhone application WotsGoingOn.

Entry into ATDW for regional events is done exclusively by Capricorn Enterprise for eligible events. Events not eligible for ATDW entry, such as entries into the brand new Gig Guide, can also be found in the calendar.

The calendar currently contains over 315 listings in ATDW and approximately another 30 events and gigs. Comparably, other Queensland RTO’s ATDW listings are as follows:

• Brisbane: 466
• Capricorn: 315
• Fraser Coast: 146
• Sunshine Coast: 114
• Southern Downs: 73
• Gold Coast: 71
• Toowoomba Golden West: 50
• Outback: 47
• Bundaberg: 40
• Tropical North Queensland: 29
• Townsville: 20
• Gladstone: 16
• Whitsundays: 10
• Mackay: 2

To submit an event to the Capricorn Events Calendar or find out what’s going on in your area, please visit www.capricornholidays.com.au/events.

To help secure the future of our thriving food industry, local businesses are invited to apply for grants of up to $100,000 as part of the State Government’s plan to double the value of Queensland’s food sector by 2020.

The Food Innovation and Productivity Incentive (FIPI) grants are being facilitated by the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), and are available to Queensland food businesses, organisations, cooperatives and associations with innovative projects.

DEEDI’s executive regional director for central region Joe Pappalardo said that food companies from across the supply chain were eligible to apply for grants of between $25,000 and $100,000, on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

“Preference will be given to projects that embrace new processes and technologies, increase opportunities for collaboration and embed innovative practices,” Mr Pappalardo said.

“If a project is found to have exceptional merit, funding of more than $100,000 may be considered.

”These grants will help to bolster the profitability of food businesses and industries across Central Queensland.”

The food value chain is one of Queensland’s economic strengths, worth around $18.7 billion and supporting around 267,000 – or 1 in 8 – Queensland jobs.

As the state’s first ever whole-of-chain food policy, Food for a Growing Economy aims to grow the value of the food industry to $40 billion by 2020.

While the scheme is open to all eligible Queensland food businesses, small to medium enterprises are particularly encouraged to apply.

The first FIPI funding round will open on 6 February 2012 and close on 2 April 2012.

For further information on the FIPI grants please contact Peter Long on 4936 0240

More details and instructions here:  http://www.business.qld.gov.au/food/food-innovation-productivity-incentives/index.html

Download Full Media Release

Capricorn Enterprise has launched the Capricorn Region’s first comprehensive online gig guide, with the latest gigs on the Capricorn Coast, Rockhampton and the Central Highlands. Part of the new-look event calendar at www.capricornholidays.com.au/events, this will change the way you plan your weekends in Capricorn.

Updated every Thursday, the gig guide will list the hottest places to go and the best talent on show to keep your weekend pumping. Pubs, clubs, concerts, live, acoustic, DJs and more – if it has a beat, it belongs in this gig guide.

We need your assistance to make it great – gig listings are FREE, so if you are a musician, a venue, a promoter or a friend, get details to events@capricornenterprise.com.au.

Chief Executive Officer of Capricorn Enterprise, Mary Carroll said “The Capricorn Holidays website has seen a 667% increase in traffic during the six months from May to September 2011 compared to the same time in 2012, and visitation continues to grow at an incredible rate.”

“More people are searching for specific events in our region including sporting, music and leisure events which also reflects the increased resources our organisation has focused on marketing and supporting our annual regional events” she said.

The gig guide and new-look events calendar are part of five key recommendations from the Capricorn Business & Events Industry Development Strategy developed by Capricorn Enterprise in 2011.

Capricorn Enterprise Events Executive, Ellie Tonkin said “The Events unit is working hard on a number of projects to deliver a bigger and better events industry for the region. Never before has the region had one place to go to for information on what’s happening in Capricorn.”

“From gigs at your local venue to major signature festivals and events, the Capricorn Holidays website is the centralized online guide for locals and tourists alike to plan your leisure time. We’re looking forward to rolling out other exciting developments in the coming months to help people find out what’s going on.”

List your gig or event for free on www.capricornholidays.com.au/events through the online submission form or by contacting events@capricornenterprise.com.au.