NSW is Australia's most populous state with the largest economy, comprising 33 per cent of the nation's GDP.

The Department of State and Regional Development (DSRD) is the NSW Government's business development agency. We work with business to strengthen the State's global competitiveness, promote investment and job creation and build business capability.

Find out how DSRD can help your business. What grants and programs are available? Are there any workshops you can attend? Who can you talk to about exporting?

With a range of services and programs, the Department of State and Regional Development is keen to help your business. DSRD facilitation and assistance programs include the Women in Business Program, Stepping Up Programs, Innovation Services, Industry Development Activities, Trade Missions, the Home Based Business Program and Business Advisory Services.

Suzette Gaff, a highly experienced Business Development Manager with many years of hands-on experience in assisting small business, will outline how DSRD helps people to start, manage and grow their business.

In this highly informative session James Musgrave will outline the 7 common sense steps for small buisness web-sites from choosing a website address for your business, through design, search engines, stats, to how what to expect from your web-site as a marketing tool. James is the author of Your Business Online: The 90 minute guide to internet marketing for small business.

Every business aspires to having loyal customers.... and why not?! Loyal customers are not only a delight to serve, they help find you even more customers by recommending you to their friends and associates. And they are 'cheaper' to keep than having to continually find new customers.

Ailsa Page, AP Marketing Works, will help you discover the secrets of achieving customer loyalty and lead you through the maze of official loyalty programmes that are on offer.Unless you already have 100% customer loyalty - this presentation is for you.

A website is no longer a luxury - being found online is becoming essential to business success. But how do you ensure that customers can find you in the vast world of Cyberspace? How do you turn your Internet presence into a profit machine?

To succeed in ecommerce, you need an effective Internet marketing plan. That's a process that often starts with effective search marketing campaign. There are prospects searching for companies like yours right now. Effective natural search and pay-per-click campaigns can drive thousands of these hot prospects to your web site.

But that's just the beginning. From running an affiliate program to viral marketing campaigns, there are many ways in which you can generate new customers for your business. And thanks to techniques such as email marketing and RSS, you can then maximise the value of every customer, and bring them back to buy again.

When you learn how to be heard in Cyberspace, the potential is unlimited. Master the art of Internet marketing, and your business will truly reach out to new and profitable frontier

A common dilemma for business owners is knowing how much to budget for advertising, when to advertise, what media to use.Why is it important to understand advertising - Surely there are experts out there who can show you what to do? True - But if you understand the strength and weaknesses of the various media options, if you can evaluate reach and frequency, is you can budget appropriately across the course of a year - you will be armed to evaluate every advertising option that is presented to you.In this session Debra will teach you the basics of advertising - reach, frequency, which media is best at various parts of the buying funnel, how to buy media, when to advertise, and how advertising fits into your other marketing activity.

Would you like to increase your profitability by 10-20% overnight? It is possible - all you need to do is put up your prices! Simple! Or is it? Many businesses face this dilemma everyday. Are you concerned that if you put up your prices you will lose business? You are not alone and sometimes that is exactly what does happen. Pricing is serious business. Knowing when and how to put up your price is vital for business success. In this seminar presented by Ailsa Page from AP Marketing works you will get answers to some of these hardest marketing questions and - who knows? You may leave knowing that you can put up your prices and instantly increase your profits.

You may have a fantastic product or service, strategically focused upon the most profitable customer base; you've got a great looking web-site, and you are really happy with your staff. But if you don't manage the money in and the money out, there is no business. In this session David will delve into the key indicators of a business with a healthy cash flow. This session is for more experienced or advanced business operators who recognise that cash flow management is the only thing holding back their business growth or its value as a saleable commodity.

Starting a new business, thinking about it, or you've been running your business for a short while and haven't quite made it yet?

At this presentation you will get practical tips and tricks to help you make your new business a success.

The session will cover business planning, administration and setup, marketing and getting sales, and building your network and contacts. We will also look at how to get your head into the right space for running a business. A must attend session for the new business owner.

To fulfil customer needs you need to recogise them. And there is stuff going on right now that is dramatically changing the needs and demands of our customers. Trends come and go so quickly, and at an ever increasing rate, that it can be hard to keep up - let alone spot the authentic ones that will impact upon your business. In this session Debra will outline the 5 big trends that are upon us right now and how they are changing the way we do business...NOW

The Internet is changing, and changing fast. The untamed wild child of the 90s is maturing into a more sophisticated business and social platform that affects every aspect of our daily lives. For smart marketers, there are many opportunities to profit from the opportunities Web 2.0 represents. From blogging and video sharing, to social networking and even alternative realities, Web 2.0 properties command massive audiences running into millions of users. There are already many examples of entrepreneurs using this technology to propel their enterprises from obscurity to success. How about the man who traded up from a paper clip to a house, or the unknown band who became world-famous literally overnight? Or even the real estate developer who sells imaginary properties for hard cash? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Are you creative enough to make the most of the opportunities in Web 2.0 and beyond? If you are, the future looks very bright indeed.

If You Want To Be Given The Breaks You Deserve Then Create An Image That Demands Success!
In a highly competitive and fast paced world it is essential to get it right first go! You can be the most intelligent, highly skilled employee in your company, however, if your image says otherwise you will never get the chance to show your talents to their full potential.

This session is designed to equip attendees with immediate knowledge so they can catapult their career to the next level including the 2007 Power Dressing Code.

Your choice of distribution channels is a key ingredient to a successful business growth strategy.Sales channels strategy can not be decided lightly as it can make or break your business or even worse set you on a path of declining profitability.Ailsa Page, Managing Director of AP Marketing Works, share some of the rules around creating successful sales channels and the mistakes that many businesses make that cost profits and sales.This seminar is not for the faint hearted you may discover that your sales channels are heading in the wrong direction

Do you think that franchising your business is beyond you? Do you think that franchising is just for big business? If you have a successful business franchising may be a way of securing its future, generating long term solid income, getting other people to take it further.In this session, Garry will outline things you need to think of when decision to take the huge step of franchising your business including the current state of franchising in Australia,how to know when you are ready to franchise, the time and money you will need to invest and the potential financial benefits to you and your franchisees.

Has your business got a great innovation that it wants to bring to the marketplace? Letters, words, phrases, sounds, smells, shapes, logos, domain names, pictures and even aspects of packaging which may distinguish your products and services from others can be commercial assets for your business in their own right, acquiring their own value. If these things are left unprotected, your business and its products and services are open to exploitation by competitors.

You can protect your business trade marks by registering them.  In doing so, you are granted the exclusive use of that trade mark all over Australia. The registration of your trade mark gives you certain legally recognised propriety rights that the mere registration of just the business, company or domain name simply cannot offer.

Do not miss your opportunity to hear David Prior, Director and Shona d Arbon, Solicitor, speak on how to implement an effective commercialisation strategy that will ensure that your business products and services are market ready and allow you to best exploit their profit-making potential.

Have you ever approached a financial institution for a loan or other finance? Many businesses who need funding leave it too late to apply or are not prepared for the evaluation process. The process involved can be complicated and time consuming, requiring all manner of documentation relating to yourself and your business. Wouldn't it be great to get some useful tips from someone who's been in the industry for over 30 years? Warren Collins is Fellow of the Australian Institute of Banking and Finance and holds a Certificate IV in Financial Planning.

In this session, Warren will share a number of case studies and talk you through the funding process. From the business statements and financial information required, to making sure you ask the right questions and get access to the right funding for your needs.