Festive audiences a boost for local businesses

Published by: City of Sydney | 19-Apr-2017
A new guide and seminar will help local businesses tap into Sydney"s booming festival scene, with expert advice on getting the most out of Sydney"s major events crowds. The City"s new events brochure is available at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/sydney-events-business-opportunities The free City Thought Leaders seminars featuring Sydney"s experts in their field are held at Customs House on the last Wednesday of the month until November.
Venue: Customs House
Address: Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia
Date: Wednesday 26 April
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Ticket: Free
Buy / Ticket: https://goo.gl/6FnS6U
Web: https://goo.gl/ktbh0s
: cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
: https://www.facebook.com/cityofsydney
: https://twitter.com/cityofsydney
: https://www.instagram.com/cityofsydney/
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the new guide and seminar are part of the City of Sydney"s work to introduce local businesses to new audiences and growth opportunities.

"Sydney is one of the world"s great event capitals. Our major events, like New Year"s Eve and Mardi Gras, entice millions of visitors and inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy," the Lord Mayor said.

"We"re working with our small business operators to help them benefit from these major events and the influx of visitors they draw into the city."

The City of Sydney-produced brochure, Major events in Sydney - How to maximise business opportunities, provides businesses with an event calendar detailing the breadth of events in the city, offers suggestions for business activations and provides examples of how other small business owners have successfully worked with events.

The seminar, Play hard: how businesses can exploit Sydney's festivals, will be held at Customs House on 26 April.

Adam Lowe, project director of Vivid Sydney, will offer insight on how businesses can tap into Vivid, which attracts 2.3 million people to the city over 23 nights. Stephen Gilby, creative director of Sydney Chinese New Year, will discuss how businesses can leverage Sydney"s popular Lunar New Year celebrations.

A panel of small business owners will also share how they"ve successfully created business opportunities through Vivid Sydney, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival and Sydney Chinese New Year.

Imogen Hayes, marketing manager of Handpicked Wines, says aligning the newly-opened cellar door in Chippendale with local events proved a cost-effective tool for attracting customers and building brand buzz.

"Simple ideas like creating fun cocktails inspired by Sydney Chinese New Year and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras have been popular with our customers and helped us create shareable content, which is key for hospitality businesses," said Ms Hayes.

"We"ve also joined forces with other local businesses such as creative agencies, galleries and business chambers and that has allowed us to support local artists and maximise our audience reach."

Dr Frank Farrelly, principal dentist at Darlinghurst Dental, says the practice used Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and local events to engage with the community and foster good will.

"The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. For a dental clinic to get involved with events like Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras allowed us to connect with locals and give something back to the community," Dr Farrelly said.

"It was about building our reputation and creating brand awareness rather than making sales. That approach resonated with our clients and the community."

The City"s new events brochure will be delivered to shops around the city area and is available at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/sydney-events-business-opportunities

The City offers a range of free marketing and event information, including the whatson.sydney website, a free event marketing platform with 2 million page visits a year, the What"s On weekly e-newsletter is sent to more than 37,000 subscribers, and social media channels, and has around 500,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The free City Thought Leaders seminars featuring Sydney"s experts in their field are held at Customs House on the last Wednesday of the month until November.

Play hard: how businesses can exploit Sydney's festivals

Date: Wednesday 26 April

Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Cost: free, but bookings are essential

Bookings and event information: whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/cult-following-your-brand-your-business

Future seminars are: -No "i" in "team": understanding how vital staff are to a business - 31 May
-Our future is here: Sydney"s startup business revolution - 28 June
-Grass is greener: sustainable business practices - 26 July
-Same but different: how innovation is changing the face of business - 30 August
-Creative enterprises: it"s not as easy as you think - 27 September
-Stand and be counted: women led businesses - 25 October
-Now you see me: how important brand is to business - 29 November

Newsletter Sign Up

Join Our Growing Community

ART NEWS PORTAL is a global crowd sourced art news feed.
Everyone is welcome to share their art and culture related news.