Resort Management Sales Industry Blog

Additional local bus services will operate on New Year’s Eve to make it easier for people to get around the Coast during this busy time. Sunbus service routes 600, 620, 626 and 627, which operate between Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Noosa and Tewantin, will run more frequently in the evening on Monday 31 December through to 2am on Tuesday 1 January. New Year’s Eve is a very busy time with local people and visitors enjoying the region’s various events and activities. Passengers  are encouraged to use the extra bus services available to them for an easier and hopefully more relaxing trip than dealing with busy roads and trying to find a car park. These services will also be free of charge for passengers as part of council’s Free Holiday Buses program, which provides free travel on all Coast public buses from Boxing Day to 6 January. A special service (University Park ‘n’ Ride to Mooloolaba) will also run express from the University of Sunshine Coast direct to a temp

Christmas is quickly approaching. So it’s time to enjoy and indulge in plenty of  Sunshine Coast  Christmas celebrations. There are festivities across the region so start planning now. Lights on the Lake Enjoy a night out with the family on 9 December at Currimundi with  Lights on the Lake . There will be food stalls, arts and crafts, music and entertainment for the young and old, it will sure be filled with festive cheer and fun. Christmas concert Enjoy the beautiful music of  Attila Sautov , along with Mueller International Orchestra on December 15 at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Buderim. Mooloolaba Yacht Club Christmas boat parade Enjoy a Christmas parade, with a twist.  Mooloolaba Yacht Club  is bringing you the Christmas boat parade on 15 December. Bring the family and a picnic and enjoy a day of entertainment and all the Christmas decorations you could ask for. Christmas Lights Bus Tour Soak in the beauty of  Christmas lights  and decoration, with a tour of some of

The annual Christmas Tree Trail is bigger and better than ever with 32 community trees lighting up across the region. These are not your average Christmas trees – they range size and species – from fabulous figs to pretty paperbarks and each will have a unique set of dazzling decorations. The community is invited to celebrate the launch of the festive season on Wednesday 21 November with the lighting of the region’s signature Christmas Tree on Mooloolaba Esplanade at 7.00 pm. Australian designed environmentally friendly Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting features across council’s decorated trees, in keeping with our vision for the  Coast   to be   Australia ’s most sustainable region – vibrant, green and diverse. The trail began three years ago when council spoke with  Coast   communities about how they celebrate Christmas and what they’d like to see in the region to mark the occasion. Resoundingly, locals asked for Christmas trees to be displayed in places where everyone

On Saturday 10 November the winners will be announced at the Gala Celebration Function to be held at the Innovation Centre at University of the Sunshine Coast. The Awards Gala has been hailed as the’ hottest business party in town’ and attracts close to 650 guests. Guests include the region’s business, community and government leaders and is a fitting tribute to the Awards program.   The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of the diverse and dedicated Sunshine Coast business community. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to nominate a business or person that they believe excels at what they do or to self-nominate. Finalists undergo a three tier judging process consisting of written submission, on site business interview and mystery shop. Each section is judged by two judges and all six scores are added together to determine the large and small winner of each category. All judges scores are included in the totals to maintain impartiality.

Management Rights Seminar nights provide general information on this exciting and rewarding industry, with expert guest speakers from the areas of Accounting, Law, Finance, Training and Experienced Managers telling it like it is. Phone 07 5444 7966 / 0407 594 142 to contact John Hellyer for bookings or send an email to  info@managementsales.com . You can download seminar flyer   here . WHERE:  Complete Property Training Office, Unit 5, Capital One Building, Capital   Place, Birtinya Qld DATE:  Tuesday 30th October 2012. TIME:  6.00pm to 7.30pm COST:  Free of charge - sponsored by MRE

Sunshine Coast Environment Council  is proud to present the   2012 Sunshine Coast Environment Awards . The Awards recognise those who have made significant contributions to achieving positive environmental outcomes in the Sunshine Coast region.  Be inspired by the stories from your local community regarding the great work being done towards sustainability in this beautiful region.   Date :    Friday, October 5, 2012 Time :    5.45pm Venue : TAFE, Mooloolaba, 34 Lady Musgrave Drive, Mountain Creek

Following on from its 2007 Master Plan and the lodgement of relevant project documentation with the Queensland and Australian Governments in 2010/11, Sunshine Coast Airport will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the airport expansion project during 2012. The 2007 Master Plan identified a need to expand the airport to cater for population growth, growth in regional tourism and business, and community need for improved aviation services to and from the Sunshine Coast. The proposed project includes: A new 2,430 metre runway, which will operate in an east/west direction. Runways are orientated on compass bearings. On this basis, the runway direction is also described as 13/31 New terminal for passenger and baggage processing, including retail facilities Expansion of the existing regular public transport (scheduled jet aircraft) apron Expansion of the aviation business precinct Benefits of the airport expansion project: Additional passenger capacity Access

EcoBiz is a free eco-efficiency program which provides the tools, training and detailed information to help your business improve efficiencies and reduce resource use for financial and environmental benefits. Businesses that complete the program and re-assess their eco-efficiency may be recognised as ecoBiz partners. Many Sunshine Coast businesses have already become ecoBiz partners including: Gourmet Gardens Accounting North Sheraton Resort and Spa Noosa Library More information on the ecoBiz program and how to join, visit the  Queensland Government ecoBiz website .

Sunshine Coast Council wants to hear from anyone interested in conducting business from council-controlled land. Registrations of Interest are invited until 31 August. Th is   process will help council gauge the level of interest in the use of council-controlled land for commercial purposes. Council will look at how much, and in what location, community space should be offered for commercial use. Council will assess the information and determine the types of activities that can take place at various locations – a need highlighted by the review of council’s   Commercial Use of   Community Land   policy. In March next year, all interested members of the community will have the opportunity to submit an Application when the   2013 Commercial Use of Community Land application process   – including the agreed locations and activities – is advertised. For further information, or to register your interest, visit council’s website or one of council’s Customer Contact Centres.

WHERE: Complete Property Training Office, Unit 5, Capital One Building, Capital Place, Birtinya Qld DATE: Tuesday 28th August 2012. TIME:  6.00pm to 7.30pm COST:  Free of charge - sponsored by MPP Management Rights Seminar nights provide general information on this exciting and rewarding industry, with expert guest speakers from the areas of Accounting, Law, Finance, Training and Experienced Managers telling it like it is. Phone 5477 1989 / 0410 343 219 to contact Matt Campbell for bookings or send an email to  info@managementsales.com

Fast-tracking of the Sunshine Coast Airport’s expansion took out the number-one position in the wish-list at recent Sunshine Coast Business Leaders Round Table. The suggestion was among a number of similar proposals to help stimulate the Coast’s economy and underlined a passion among business leaders to find positive solutions. The conference, involving more than 60 business, industry and government representatives and hosted by Sunshine Coast Council, opened to hear a "state of the economy" report by demographics compiler AEC Group. The report noted that according to the 2011 Census, the Coast’s population was closer to the 307,000 mark – which suggests the rate of population growth is slowing. Reassuringly however, was the report suggested that the Coast’s economy - when compared to other non-mining regions - was in competitive shape on many counts.

Nominations are open for the Sunshine Coast Business Awards.  The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of the diverse and dedicated Sunshine Coast business community. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to nominate a business or person that they believe excels at what they do or to self-nominate. On Saturday 10 November the winners will be announced at the Gala Celebration Function to be held at the Innovation Centre at University of the Sunshine Coast. The Awards Gala has been hailed as the’ hottest business party in town’ and attracts close to 650 guests. Guests include the region’s business, community and government leaders and is a fitting tribute to the Awards program. For more information on how to nominate phone 5443 5661, or nominate online .

SCENE – the Sunshine Coast Events Network, consists of a series of educational event management workshops and networking evenings. These workshops and evenings are available for anyone to attend and are held at various locations throughout the year with the following objectives: to strengthen the quality and enrich the diversity of events in the region to increase job opportunities within the region's events industry to provide a forum for discussion and innovation in the events industry to provide an opportunity for event management students to network and volunteer. The educationals are event management workshops for those who are new to event organisation, are looking to run a new event or would like to further develop existing events or skillsets. A variety of topical subjects are addressed by presenters with valuable knowledge and experience in the relevant area.  Networking evenings are held after each educational and provide an opportunity for those in the events i

Small- to medium-sized tourism operators are encouraged to complete a CSIRO survey to assist in identifying strategies to minimise impacts and take advantage of opportunities that arise from future climate change and variability. The purpose of this questionnaire is to understand the different perceptions of climate change across the tourism industry in the Sunshine Coast.  This questionnaire is completely voluntary and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is being administered to a large sample of tourism businesses in the Sunshine Coast region to yield representative views of the industry.  When completed, you will be invited to include your address for the chance to win one of three Coles Group & Myer vouchers, each worth $100.00 (only one chance per business). Your address will not be linked to your responses in order to protect your identity. The survey will close at 9am on 11 June 2012.

Celebrate all things eco-friendly by getting involved in Green June, the biggest environmental event month of the Sunshine Coast calendar year.  The month-long festival includes a range of events to help Sunshine Coast residents reduce their environmental footprint and contribute towards a more sustainable future for our region. Discover the latest in green technologies, practical hands-on solutions, relevant local information and a diverse range of fun-filled events and activities.  This extensive program of events is centred on a number of signature ‘green’ events including: Sunshine Coast World Environment Day Festival, The Living Smart Glossies Awards EcoFlicks, The Green June Movie Festival, Lake Macdonald Festival of Water, Treeline, and workshops galore! Check out the events listings for all the Green June event details.

Businesses, residents and community groups now have until Monday 21 May to enter the 2012 Living Smart Glossy Awards. Sunshine Coast Council had extended the date to give businesses more time to enter. This extra week should allow sufficient time for the region’s sustainability champions to enter, whether they are a business, individual or part of a community group. The Awards, due to take place on Friday 15 June, celebrate achievements in sustainability and offer great promotional opportunities for winners. The 2012 Living Smart Glossies Awards are hosted by Sunshine Coast Council and sponsored by University of the Sunshine Coast, TAFE, Noosa Biosphere, Seven Network, and Sunshine Coast Daily. Visit Living Smart  website  to nominate by Monday 21 May.

WHERE: Complete Property Training Office, Unit 5, Capital One Building, Capital Place, Birtinya Qld DATE:  Wednesday 27th June 2012. TIME:  6.00pm to 7.30pm COST:  Free of charge - sponsored by MPP Management Rights Seminar nights provide general information on this exciting and rewarding industry, with expert guest speakers from the areas of Accounting, Law, Finance, Training and Experienced Managers telling it like it is. Phone 5477 1989 / 0410 343 219 to contact Matt Campbell for bookings or send an email to  info@managementsales.com More information   http://www.completepropertytraining.com.au/blog/?p=656    

A big THANK YOU to the Coast's business owners and managers who recently completed the March 2012 Business Confidence Survey.  A lthough Sunshine Coast businesses reported that the past six months have been very tough, 40% of respondents stated they were expecting an increase in profit in the next 6 months.  1 in 5 respondents also indicated that they would be increasing capital investment.  For more details on the survey series including a link to the full report, please see dedicated Sunshine Coast survey web page .

Sunshine Coast Airport  is currently being reconfigured to accommodate international passengers in preparation for the first-ever Air New Zealand scheduled passenger flights commencing 1 July this year. That achievement follows the airport’s winning of the 2011 Major Airport of the Year award, and coincides with commencing the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement relating to the airport’s proposed new east-west runway. The future of the airport looks very bright, as it prepares to expand to accommodate increasing international travel.  Tickets and package deals associated with the new Air New Zealand service are selling well, supporting substantial demand from Kiwis seeking to holiday on the Sunshine Coast this winter.

Investing in an apartment or unit is a financial decision more and more Australians are making. It might seem relatively hassle free, until you inadvertently accept an unruly tenant.  Unfortunately the by-laws of the Body Corporate and Community Management Act don’t give the body corporate or the body corporate manager direct powers to evict problem tenants, as they are not a party to the Tenancy Agreement in place between the unit owner and the tenant. Bodies corporate are able to control unruly tenant behaviour, to some extent, through their by-laws, and it’s important that owners understand how to work with their body corporate managers to help solve tenant problems before they get out of hand. If a tenant breaches the tenancy agreement the owner or agent can issue them with a  Notice to Remedy Breach . A tenancy agreement will automatically require the tenant to adhere to the body corporate by-laws and a breach of these by-laws constitutes a breach of the tenan

As part of the Small Business Support Program,  Sunshine Coast Council  in partnership with industry is investigating possible impediments to local business success due to “red tape” issues. Council’s Economic Development Branch is seeking feedback on what specific “red tape” issues are currently or have historically impeded business success locally. Please email feedback to  economicdevelopment@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au  and include your name, business name, industry sector (eg health services, plumbing, retail etc) and contact details, as well as the “red tape” issue you have experienced. Council will collect the information and with industry input, determine how an approach might be made to the relevant legislator to argue a case for change.

The March 2012 installment of the Business Confidence Survey series is now open.  To complete the survey please click here .  All survey participants that leave their contact details will go into the draw to win some prizes.  One lucky respondent will receive an "Holiday at Home" package including 2 nights accommodation at Rimini by the River and an all day Family Pass at Aussie World. The report and results of the survey will be launched at a dinner to be held at Cartwrights Restaurant, Sunshine Coast TAFE Mooloolaba Campus on Tuesday May 1st from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. The dinner will feature key regional stakeholders analysing the results to determine how the results align with the national and local economy and what they mean to you.  Invitations will be distributed, however to reserve your seat now, please confirm your attendance by emailing EmployerAcademy. SCIT@det.qld.gov.au or contacting Tracey Singh on 07 5457 1143.

Specialist local firms are being called on to join a panel of Professional Service Providers to assist Sunshine Coast Council deliver its Local Business Support Program. The Local Business Support Program has been established by council to assist local businesses reach their potential and to access good quality advice to enable them to make the best decisions about the future of their business.  The firms that are selected for the panel of professional service providers will need to be available to approved local businesses seeking advice. The program was established in October last year and is now being expanded to better reach and support a larger number of businesses.  Establishing the Professional Service Panel is one major way that council can link local specialists in law, accounting, business planning and town planning to other Sunshine Coast businesses who either need help or are looking to grow.

MyCouncil is a new way to interact with the Sunshine Coast Council. Register with MyCouncil to: gain access to Online Services to manage all transactions manage council news subscriptions manage CommunityHub listings offering comprehensive community information Register here.

Air New Zealand will begin scheduled passenger flights direct to and from Sunshine Coast Airport this winter, marking the first-ever international scheduled passenger flights in and out of the airport. Two flights a week to and from Auckland will commence on a seasonal trial, connecting with scheduled flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and other northern US cities. To celebrate the new service, Air New Zealand is offering a special introductory fare from Sunshine Coast to Auckland from AUD$149 per person one-way. The sale ends Friday 2 March and a code share alliance with Virgin Australia means passengers can book through either airline’s website. The initial seasonal service will run from 1 July to 18 September 2012. Air New Zealand’s new direct service between the Sunshine Coast and Auckland will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Sundays utilising an A320 aircraft offering Air New Zealand’s popular ‘Seats to Suit’ fare structure.

Sunshine Coast Council are in discussions with several unnamed mining companies and airlines to increase services and offer more employment to residents. The news follows mining giant Rio Tinto's move to increase its fly-in, fly-out services to four times a week through locally based aviation company Skytrans. Council is talking to several mining companies and other airlines at the moment, but are not in a position to say who or when it will happen. The additional services go with council's development of the Resource Sector Action Plan, which aims to support growth and economic development in the mining sector and the local community. This growth will depend on partnerships across the public and private sector to deliver quality accommodation options, transport connectivity, a skilled and ready workforce, and business location that attract resource industry-related organisations. It's an overarching perspective of how to engage the Sunshine Coast with the resou

With increasing water bills, many managers now write “excess water” to be charged on tenancy agreements but when does that actually grip? The RTA’s Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation 2008 Act has a set of requirements that need to be met in order to be able to charge for water. Lessors are only allowed to pass on  the full water consumption costs to  tenants if: • the rental premises are individually metered (or water is delivered by vehicle); and • the rental premises are water efficient; and • the tenancy agreement states the tenant must pay for water consumption. If the  premises are individually metered  but not water efficient, and the  agreement states the tenant must  pay for water, the lessor must pay  for a reasonable amount of water.  That is based on the amount of  people on the premises.  It is best practice that the lessor and the tenant should agree upon what is a reasonable amount at the start of  the tenancy, include the frequency of  the charges and

The Stafford Report into Sunshine Coast Council's Visitor Information Centres recommended the centres be managed by the tourism industry to allow; a greater focus on visitors a greater focus on the needs of the tourism industry a more effective and efficient model improved synergies with tourism marketing a better experience for tourists Following this report, the Visitor Information Centre Advisory Panel (VICAP) was formed with representation from Sunshine Coast Council, SCDL, tourism industry from across the region, Visitor Information Centre staff and volunteers to have input and work towards the best way forward for this recommendation. A transition will occur over the next 6 months for Council's nine Visitor Information Centres to be managed by SCDL from July/August 2012. The change in management means the Sunshine Coast will still have 17 Visitor Information Centres, nine run by SCDL, six by volunteers and two by Tourism Noosa.

On 24 August 2011 council resolved to deliver light rail service to the Sunshine Coast and to  establish a Sunshine Coast Light Rail Taskforce with representation from council, business and the community.   The role of the taskforce is to collaborate with community and business sectors and to facilitate the business case for light rail on the Sunshine Coast. Council invites you to have your say on the light rail project and will be developing online forums and consultation early in 2012. Council will also be inviting community participation on the taskforce. You can  register your interest  on line.

WHERE: NAB Building - Carnaby St Maroochydore DATE: Monday  - TBA TIME:  6:30pm for 6.45pm start & finish 9.00pm COST:  $10 per person includes light refreshments and information pack Management Rights Seminar nights provide general information on this exciting and rewarding industry, with expert guest speakers from the areas of Accounting, Law, Finance and Experienced Managers telling it like it is. Phone 5477 1989 / 0410 343 219 to contact Matt Campbell for bookings or send an email to  info@managementsales.com