FAMILY BUSINESS BIG GUNS HEADING FOR COAST

AUSTRALIA’S small business capital is poised to host some of the biggest names in family business when a major conference returns to the Gold Coast next year.

Family Business Australia (FBA) has confirmed it will hold its annual conference next August at the Sheraton Mirage and Palazzo Versace.

It is the first time the conference has been held on the tourism strip since 2010 and is expected to draw about 500 delegates.

FBA chairman Nick Bloor says the conference is a major coup for the Gold Coast and Queensland, with the family business sector worth $4.3 trillion to the Australian economy.

“The sector accounts for over 70 per cent of all businesses and employs 50 per cent of the country’s workforce,” says Bloor, the Gold Coast-based founder of weed solutions company Technigro.

“International research has found that consumers are twice as likely to buy from, or use the services of a family owned business, providing a strong competitive advantage over non-family competitors.

“With statistics like these you can see why it’s important to recognise the role family business plays in our economy, and the conference will play host to some of the country’s most influential business leaders.”

FBA has more than 2500 members and identifies family businesses as those that have been established and run by two or more members of the same family.

FBA is announcing the conference details today to coincide with National Family Business Day.