Network and dine with best on show

By Shaun Inguanzo
A MONTH-LONG program of special events to highlight exciting developments and the best of business in Greater Dandenong is under way.
The City of Greater Dandenong council’s Business Development Centre is running Greater Dandenong on Show this month to capitalise on last year’s highly successful Mini Business Week.
The move to stretch a week into a month was one of the many improvements in this year’s event, which aims to promote the vibrant business community to Greater Dandenong residents and beyond.
Business Development Centre manager Ron Ghiggino said the month-long celebration fitted in nicely alongside the State Government’s business theme, Energise Enterprise.
“We became a supporter of Energise Enterprise and that grew into Greater Dandenong on Show,” he said.
“The activities are now within the month rather than being compressed into a week.”
The Business Development Centre is also trying to reach the residential community, a move exemplified by this week’s bus tour of Greater Dandenong’s key developments.
Tour organiser Kay Moran said the tour showed off historical museum Heritage Hill in Dandenong, right through to exposing employment opportunities in Dandenong South’s industrial hub.
It also exposed residents to key developments such as the new Grenda Corporation development near Cheltenham Road, and the Metro 3175 residential estate opposite.
The bus tour was booked to capacity, with more than 40 people registering to see what was happening in their own backyard.
The tour also visited Buddhist temples, stopped at Dandenong’s Yakult factory for a special tour of how the popular probiotic drink is made, and drove past the former sites of the Heinz and GMH factories.
Other events in Greater Dandenong on Show include the much-anticipated Speed Networking for small to medium enterprise businesses, a Showcasing Women in Business breakfast, grant writing workshops, Lunch With the Winners event highlighting the successes of local businesses, and corporate social responsibility seminars.
The speed networking format will be similar to the popular speed dating phenomenon, but will instead offer small businesses who typically lack the opportunity to network the chance to build their contacts in a non-intimidating environment.
The event is next Wednesday, 22 August, at 4pm at the Business Development Centre.
The Showcasing Women in Business breakfast is on Tuesday, 21 August at 7.15am and is hosted by Greater Dandenong’s premier networking organisation, South East Networks.
As the name suggests, the morning highlights women who are leaders in their fields, providing the opportunity for others to hear their stories.
The grant writing workshop hosted by South East Development on Thursday, 23 August will give businesses the chance to learn practical hints on how to ensure grant applications are written correctly, including how to correctly address grant criteria, with the view of improving a business’ chance of obtaining funding.
Lunch With the Winners is a joint South East Melbourne Manufacturers’ Alliance and South East Networks event targeting young managers, supervisors, students and educators.
A panel of successful Greater Dandenong businesspeople will share tales of their success and take questions from the audience to provide handy tips and hints on how to maximise their own careers.
For more information on these events, contact the Business Development Centre on 9238 1550.