A local business leader is launching Logan’s first “Digital Discovery Conference and Expo” in a bid to build the city’s workforce and retain small business.
Katrina Puranik, the founder of digital specialist company Ranking Australia and support website DigitalToolkit.co, said the event aimed to give Logan business owners the same tools and strategies used by top-performing companies, but “without the cost barriers”.
The expo, designed for established small businesses in Logan and not “mum and dad” operations, is free to those registered or actively operating in Logan.
Ms Puranik said it was being run by a team of volunteers, driven by purpose and not profit.
“If they come along, they are going to have a waterfall of support for them to scale their businesses, stay in Logan and build a workforce,” Ms Puranik said.
“It all comes back to small businesses helping small businesses.”
The expo will be held on Friday 30 May at Fitzy’s Loganholme, and feature a range of experts advising on digital marketing, search engine optomisation, cyber security, financial management, ATO compliance, brand development and more.
“We are pushing for 150 businesses to be in the room and we are all collaborating as contributors to support these businesses,” Ms Puranik said.
“And not just with this event, but a follow-up event in August which will be a cluster of workshops and one-on-one support.
“And it is completely free. They can access up to 30 hours of support training and events through this program.”
Ms Puranick said the idea was born about five years ago, but delayed due to Covid lockdowns.
“I had got this amazing group of experts together that we ready to give back to the community, but we were all stuck. So we kept moving forward and took it online.
“We created a mammoth library of online webinars and Zoom sessions that we had together to access on the Digital Toolkit website.
“It was about eliminating the questions around digital and giving businesses the right advice.”
Now the original plan is finally coming to fruition. Ms Puranick described it as a “grassroots effort” to strengthen Logan’s economy by upskilling local businesses, connecting them with talent, and encouraging digital innovation.
Register for the free event via digitaltoolkit.co.
