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ISSUE 59, Wednesday 29th July, 2009 www.portchamber.com.au New Members A very warm welcome to our new members for July: Master Builders Association Men At Work Business in the Glasshouse Around 110 members and guests joined us for the July Information and Networking evening at the Glasshouse on Tues 21st July. Council General Manager, Andrew Roach, provided an informative update on three top issues for Council and business: Timbertown, progressing the Towards 2030 Forum and Parking. Additionally, attendees gained first hand and back stage insights into the Glasshouse operations and capabilities from Robyn Birrell, Director Performing Arts. In summing up Robyn said, "Our challenge for the future will be curating the right balance for our business which includes servicing the conference and meetings market, supporting community cultural development and access, presenting high quality exhibitions and performances and being a professional venue for hire. We serve many masters and our future holds endless possibilities. It will be an exciting journey." According to Chamber Executive Officer, Liesa Davies attendees were clearly impressed by what they saw and heard. “Obviously, support from the local community and business will go a long way to ensuring the Glasshouse reaches its full potential as a profitable and productive resource”, she said. Council Liaison Meeting Members of the Chamber executive met recently with the Council Administrator and General Manager for their regular liaison meeting. The meeting was a productive exchange of information and views on Timbertown, the airport redevelopment, parking and people movement, development planning and community consultation. Council reiterated that it was seeking all views and options regarding the future of Timbertown. Chamber reiterated its opinion that a national (and preferably international) tendering process should be undertaken to achieve a 20 year (plus 20 year option) lease conditional upon Timbertown’s continued operation. Council would remove risk and deficit while achieving a known and reliable income as well as ensuring continuation of Timbertown. In response to Chamber’s strong support of the airport redevelopment, Council indicated very strongly that this was core business and would be progressed in the context of a regional approach to aviation issues. Chamber representatives indicated they were very keen to see progress on long-term parking and people movement issues (in and around the CBD). Council has committed to progressing this issue, although consultation is some months away. The Chamber will be asking all members to provide input to its position and recommendations on how this problem can be overcome as Port Macquarie continues to grow. We always appreciate hearing from our members, but with the launch of new on-line forums, anyone can provide their views directly to Council as well. To participate, visit the new PMHCListening website. Port Macquarie-Hastings Council aims to host 20 online consultation forums over the next 12 months, including ongoing discussion on the ideas for the Towards 2030 Report, the Timbertown review and the Port Macquarie CBD parking review. Business Relationships = Business Success [source: My Business Magazine] The study revealed a clear consensus that there are seven main characteristics of successful business relationships. They are: the alignment of the values and ethics of a business with those of its partners; a commitment to a long-term relationship; the recognition of a common goal based on mutual interests; clear, transparent and frequent communication; accountability; professional conduct; and rapid dispute resolution through pre-agreed procedures. According to Allsop it is critical that a business enters and maintains relationships with other businesses that demonstrate a commitment to a similar set of values to its own. It’s worth ensuring that business values are tabled for discussion and if things don’t feel right, walk away. Commitment is necessary to build long-term relationships as it provides a solid basis for trust between the parties rather than a one-off transaction. Successful business-to-business relationships are critical to the ongoing success of a business, but they must be sustainable over the longer term and mutually beneficial to all parties. If this is achieved the relationship will improve the commercial outcomes for all the parties involved by decreasing costs and increasing competitive advantage. August Chamber Evening Mr Stuart Goodfellow of ActionCoach will join us as our key speaker at the August Information and Networking Evening. Stuart will explore “The landscape of business in Port Macquarie – where do you fit?”. After extensive research, Stuart has compiled detailed demographic data on business in Port Macquarie. A must see presentation if you’d like to see where your business sits in our business landscape or your market sector. Stuart presented some of this information to Chamber’s Board and they were keen for members to hear from Stuart as well. Commonwealth Bank Greater Port Macquarie Business Awards Tickets for the Awards gala evening on 4 September are now on sale. The event was a sell out last year, so get in early to book your seats or table of 12 by contacting Kerry on info@portchamber.com.au or calling 6583 4412. Ticket costs are $75 (members)/$85(non-members). Voting is also underway! This is your chance to have a say on how your peers are performing, so have your say now! Voting ends on Monday 3rd August. Chamber Board Robert Turner (President) | Kellon Beard | Rosalind Blandford | Peter Buckland | Bob Gillroy | Janette Hyde | Daniel Jordan | Bill Linney | Peter Newman | Hadyn Oriti | Anthony Wilson | Geoff Woodham   To unsubscribe, please email: executive@portchamber.com.au Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce Suite 5, Level 1 Garrison Building Cnr Hay & Clarence Streets, Port Macquarie 2444 Ph: (02) 6583 4412   F: (02) 6583 2766 Email: executive@portchamber.com.au Web: www.portchamber.com.au DISCLAIMER: the views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. All contents are protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers.