National Small Business Summit: ‘Shop small, buy local and support small businesses’

THIS week in Brisbane, the Council of Small Business of Australia’s (COSBOA) Vodafone National Small Business Summit will highlight the vital need for Australians to support the country’s 2 million small businesses.

“With small businesses contributing $3.4 billion to the economy, employing 4.5 million Australians and spearheading industry innovation, initiatives to encourage consumers to show their support for small business cannot be underestimated. However, to ensure that this growth and support continues, the creation of policies that contribute to the stability and growth of small business must continue to safeguard a successful future for Australia,” says Peter Strong, CEO of COSBOA. 

Mr Strong continues: “Small businesses bring diversity to our highstreets, without support to encourage consumers to visit them and initiatives to enable their growth makes for difficult times.”

American Express, a National Business Summit sponsor and COSBOA partner acknowledged the role that big business plays in supporting local businesses.

“American Express founded the national Shop Small movement, and over the past four years has drawn attention to the vital contribution that small businesses make to the Australian economy. We have encouraged individuals, businesses and communities to get behind their local small businesses and show their support”, says Katrina Konstas, Vice President American Express Global Merchant Services.

“We are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s COSBOA Vodafone National Small Business Summit and to be involved in an event that prioritises the needs and interests of the small business community.”

Shopping small also extends to shopping locally – a movement that Ian Harrison, Chief Executive of the Australian Made Campaign, knows the benefits of all too well.

Mr Harrison says the famous green and gold kangaroo logo has been helping producers and consumers for more than 30 years, by giving shoppers confidence in what they are purchasing, and by providing Australian small businesses with an effective marketing tool. 

“Australia has a world-renowned reputation for producing high quality products, which is why making the most of country-of-origin branding can provide Australian small businesses with a powerful competitive advantage. The recent change to mandatory food labelling laws, for example, is an initiative that contributes positively to small business owners, shoppers and the economy by increasing transparency, generating healthy and sustainable competition and increasing consumer choice,” says Mr Harrison. 

Speaking at the Summit is Ben Laurie, Strategic Acquisition Manager at Accertify, Inc., a fully owned subsidiary of American Express, who will present on an ecommerce and small business panel alongside Michael Cooley (Google) and Emma Dobson (Digital Business Council and Westpac), while American Express will headline the Summit Breakfast on the final day of the Conference, and Ian Harrison will present an exclusive case study on the work of the AMC in promoting small business.

To register for the Summit, visit: www.nationalsmallbusinesssummit.com.au

Hashtag: #NSBS16

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