Another Very Busy Chamber Month in July

July has been another exceptionally busy month of activities where Hinchinbrook Chamber has either facilitated, collaborated or participated in supporting its membership and the broader business community in a diverse number of ways. With the commencement of the new financial year, drive market visitation and cane crushing season well and truly underway, there has been a noticeable increase in activity and visitors in our community.

Chamber has been extremely active in continuing to support the broader community through the work being undertaken by the Community Recovery Officer. CRO Jane continues to extend the outreach work into the wider community and has been very busy this month, attending multiple events to inform attendees of the recovery support available, as well as engaging individually across her networks.

Chamber has also been facilitating individual appointments for residents to discuss grant information opportunities with Dept of Small and Family Business officer - Gerard Millican, as well as QRIDA Representative Sam Spina. The importance of the support being delivered by the many different government agencies cannot be understated, as these funds are essential to the recovery and rebuilding process to progress, for many in our community.

The very well attended “Women in the Agriculture” coffee morning resulted in many supportive, encouraging and enlightening conversations shared in a relaxed and informative environment. The insight gained from the attendees' perspective was very insightful and will assist in informing future recovery planning.

The third “Markets at the Mosaic” for the year was hosted on July 19 and with the theme being “Christmas in July”. This market day boasts 30 handmade artisans – the biggest markets to date, by way of stall holders, attendance and percentage of visitors from outside the shire. With this time of year showcasing superb weather conditions for our region, and an influx of tourist activity, the markets welcomed a staggering 46% of out-of-shire visitors to this event, with the vast majority surveyed stating they were holidaying for varying amounts of time.

It is indeed encouraging to witness the busyness in the community during this time of the year, and Chamber encourages all business owners to review their marketing plans to ensure they are capitalising on these increased opportunities.

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