Projects 2008-2009

The following projects will be delivered by Parramatta City Council in partnership with local and regional organisations during 2008-2009.

Marketing the City

State of the City
The State of the City is an annual event on the Parramatta business calendar which is run by the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Council. The highlight of this event is the Lord Mayor giving an account of Parramatta’s economy, its achievements and major issues. The challenge in 2009 is to build upon the success of the previous year’s event by delivering an interesting address which emphasises Parramatta’s regional significance and gives an honest account of the state of the city’s economy.

Biz Facts
The aim of this publication is to provide businesses and potential investors with relevant and accurate data and information on Parramatta’s economy. In 2008-09, the key priorities will be to improve the distribution of the publication to a more targeted audience and to give it broader appeal through the provision of more local data and content.

Communicating with Business
Establishing effective dialogue with its core market is a key priority for any organisation. An essential component of any business strategy, good communication builds trust, relationships and credibility in the marketplace. The aim of this project is to establish an effective and regular channel of communication between Council and its local and regional economic development stakeholders. Delivered via email and linked to Council’s website, it will provide readers with up-to-date information on business related issues, tools, events and initiatives.

Dining Guide
The aim of this publication is to promote Parramatta’s dining sector to local and regional visitors and help increase the patronage of the city’s restaurants, cafes and bars. Since its inception in 2003, the Dining Guide is one of Council’s most popular publications. To maintain and increase its popularity, the 2008-09 edition will have broader regional distribution and feature dining options in Epping, Carlingford, Northmead, Telopea and Ermington.

Western Sydney Business Connection Membership
Provides Council with the opportunity to promote Parramatta to companies across western Sydney and a forum for developing partnerships. Membership will also assist in developing and promoting a carbon-offset program for local businesses and industries.

Tourist Promotion
Annual contribution to the Visitor and Information Centre to support and promote tourism and visitation to Parramatta.

Proof of Concept
Proof of Concept can come in a variety of forms: testimonials, case studies, reviews, comments or endorsements. In Parramatta, opportunities to demonstrate a strong Proof of Concept happen regularly: decision makers needing to strengthen their case to invest in Parramatta, businesses needing affirmation to make sure their move to Parramatta is the right one, prospective employees might need proof that Parramatta is a good career move. The aim of this project is to provide tangible evidence and encouragement for prospective investors, businesses and employees that Parramatta will deliver on their expectations. Developed in conjunction with the Western Sydney Business Connection, this evidence will be housed on Council’s website.

Discover Parramatta
Parramatta attracts tens of thousands of people every week. With approximately 40,000 daily workers to the CBD, 24 million annual shoppers and large numbers of corporate visitors attending conferences and business functions in the city, Parramatta does little to capitalise on these opportunities to promote its vast tourism potential. In 2008-09, a dedicated website will be created which will showcase Parramatta’s tourism attractors with the aim of boosting visitation to the city. The site will provide a platform for local businesses and operators to reach a wider tourist audience and encourage people to experience more, stay longer and spend more.

Fostering Innovation

Sustainability Advantage Program
Sustainability Advantage is a program for medium to large organisations interested in adopting a holistic approach to sustainable business practices. It provides companies with a clear path to achieve ongoing improvements in their long term environmental management. Run by the NSW Department of Environment & Climate Change, it is delivered by local councils to industry-specific or geographic clusters.

City Centre Business Database
In 2007/08, Council completed a census of all businesses in the Parramatta City Centre and a database was established. Stage two of this project in 2008-2009 will identify the industry sectors these businesses operate in by matching the census data against the ABR register. The database will also be cleansed against Council’s databases such as NAR, Retail database & Dining Guide. Working with UWS, this data will be analysed, mapped and clustered for the purposes of effectively communicating with the respondents as well as looking at the business mix.

Community Atlas and Forecast
This is an ongoing project which provides staff and the general community with information on the Parramatta Local Government Area. Based on the Population Census of 2006, this information provides an insight into the community’s characteristics and how it is changing over time. With more than 100 council’s throughout Australia using this tool, it also allows for comparison with a number of locations and economies. In 2008-09, the aim is to better educate and train staff how to use this data to assist them with internal planning and external submissions.

Western Sydney Industry Awards
Parramatta houses the largest number of companies in western Sydney. Through sponsorship of the awards, Council encourages local businesses to enter and increase their profile in western Sydney.

Business Sustainability Toolkit
Business sustainability is now well in the mainstream with an array of information available on the subject. To assist the western Sydney business community to find relevant information on sustainable business practices quickly, Council is developing a dedicated section on its website in conjunction with its partner - the NSW Department of State and Regional Development. The site will contain: links to relevant websites, details of available programs, mentoring groups, networking events, details of funding available, case studies and the provision of tools such as an Ecological or Carbon Footprint Calculator.

Business Sustainable Expo
In 2008-09, the Business Expo run by the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce will be combined with Council’s Sustainable Business Expo. This will allow for more leverage and better economies of scale. The Expo will be held during Small Business September.

Listening to Business.
As a Council, and in partnership with other business organisations, a number of opportunities will be created through forums, lunches and events to hear about the issues facing small businesses. One of the key focus areas this year will be those businesses which are run by entrepreneurs from Non-English speaking backgrounds as they make up approximately 40% of our business owners.

Supporting Employment

mynewworkcity.com.au
In 2007/08 an employment website called My New Work City was launched. Its aim was to address the difficulties faced by local firms in attracting quality applicants to skilled positions. The site targets professionals and skilled workers and highlights the diversity of industry sectors available in Parramatta and promotes local employment opportunities through a unique agreement with SEEK.
This year the aim is to enhance the website further by listing more employer profiles, more local recruiters, testimonials from employees and information on training providers located in Parramatta.

Social Enterprise Hubs
Contribution of funds to a project focused on creating employment opportunities for local disadvantaged groups.

Chamber Awards
Sponsorship of Suncorp Parramatta Business Excellence Awards run by the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce. Council will work with the Chamber to ensure greater recognition of business excellence in Parramatta.