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www.advancecairns.com Advance Cairns goes to China: twelve days of jam packed meetings, excursions, tours and one monumental trade show. Advance Cairns organised the September trade providers. In Zhanjiang, Cairns’ sister city, mission which visited Hong Kong, Guangzhou, the delegation were welcomed with traditional Zhuhai and Cairns’ sister city Zhanjiang. Advance Chinese dances before being taken on a tour of Cairns CEO Ross Contarino, Cairns Mayor Val Zhanjiang Port, one of the China’s largest. The Schier and stakeholders from Cairns’ research, visit to Zhanjiang also included an excursion to training and education sectors formed part of the the Australian Friendship Gardens which were twelve person delegation. created by a Cairns landscaping fi rms; a tour of The trip’s centre piece was the China International the Ocean University and Vocational Training Small and Medium Enterprises Fair (CISMEF) College and a visit to the Goulian Aquatic held from the 14 – 18 September in Guangzhou. Products, the largest aquaculture and seafood While the Fair was all about small to medium processing company in China. sized enterprises, the event itself was immense. Ross Contarino said the mission was a success. Held in a 120,000 metre square exhibition area with 6000 national and international exhibitors, “We had some incredibly productive meetings the Fair attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors while in China. We are very excited about the over its four days. The Cairns delegation was part opportunities that arose during the mission and of a larger Australian presence which spread its we’ll be working to strengthen the relationships wings in a 10,000 square metre pavilion. and networks we formed while overseas. The Cairns delegation had productive meetings “Zhuhai and Zhanjiang are extremely keen with Zhuhai local government members who to utilise our products, people, resources and expressed interest in forging business relationships expertise. We look forward to bringing the together with the business people of Tropical “The mission was a success and has opened the with Cairns based aviation and marine training business people of our sister city and Zhuhai North Queensland. door for further dialogue and future business.” A New Era or is it? Advance Cairns Board Meeting So the Federal Election is done and dusted up on the many business meetings that were Advance Cairns exists to support the economic Director and Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill and the Governor General has fi nally sworn held in this rapidly expanding part of China development of the Cairns region as a whole. To Shannon did the honours as tour guide and offered in a new Government. Last week the this end, we like to hold our Board Meetings in the Board a real glimpse of what the Cassowary to ensure that TNQ based enterprises are Coast region has to offer. members ventured down to Canberra and the regional centres so the Board can gain a hands - entertainment that is the Parliament is back in positioned well to take advantage of this on understanding of what makes our towns tick. full swing. This has been an election like no burgeoning marketplace. other and whilst it has distracted the media, September’s Board Meeting was held in Innisfail we in regional Australia need to make sense Advance Cairns is continuing to seek out new with re- elected Kennedy MP Bob Katter our guest out of all of the rhetoric and get on with the and exciting opportunities for our region in of honour. Mr. Katter discussed the proposed things our industries and residents require. a concerted effort to diversify our economic Clean Energy Corridor which will run between Advance Cairns has begun discussing the base – whether they be in the resource fi elds Tully and Mt Isa, his unfl agging support for the issues and promises from the recent campaign and communities of PNG, the mega mining sugar industry and the real and present need for with the representatives of the Gillard regions of Western Queensland and Western economic development in Northern Australia Government as well as our new Member for Leichardt and the returned Member for Australia or closer to home in our own – both in urban centres and the bush Kennedy. We are keen to ensure that what has resource rich hinterland, it is vitally important The Board was taken on a tour of Innisfail and been promised for our region will be delivered that every opportunity is captured for surrounds, visiting Mourilyan Harbour, Etty in full. Rest assured that we will be diligent our region. Bay, the site of the proposed Innisfail bypass, the in ensuring that our region is not overlooked TAFE College and Wangan. or left behind. Two new staff members have joined the team On the international front our recent trade at Advance Cairns to assist with the push mission to Southern China, rekindled old towards diversifi cation; they consist of new friendships and allegiances with our sister Corporate Communications Offi cer, Juliana Small Business Conference city Zhanjiang and forged new friendships and commercial connections with the Doupe and Economic Development Offi cer, tourist city of Zhuhai. We will be following Jenny Compton – welcome aboard. Raises $1,400 For Couch The 2010 Small Business Development Conference, which was held in Cairns in mid September, Tropical Innovation Awards 2010 raised $1,400 for COUCH, the charity committed to securing Cairns its own oncology unit. Advance Cairns CEO Ross Contarino and Gulf Advance Cairns Australians are great innovators and have Savannah Development CEO Rob Macalister is proud to be a produced famous products and services presented the cheque to COUCH on behalf of the conference. minor sponsor including the bionic ear, the black box recorder, of the inaugural the solar hot water heater and the Royal Flying The conference was organised by Business Tropical Innovation Enterprise Centres Australia which run the Doctor Service. Austoft’s sugar cane harvester Awards. national network of Business Enterprise is a north Queensland original. Centres. The Awards reveal, recognise and reward local If you’re a tinkerer, love the New Inventors or The Centres, known as BEC’s, provide talent through a competition to discover the best have just had a really, really good idea then quality support and guidance to small and most innovative ideas across the Cairns, check out the Tropical Innovation Awards business at low or no cost. Tablelands and Cassowary Coast Regional website at tropicalinnovationsawards.com for Advance Cairns is in the process of applying Councils and the Cook Shire. entry details and much more. to become a BEC.

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