Reporting from the Chamber of Commerce

The Docklands Chamber of Commerce has been very busy throughout April.

A deputation from the Docklands chamber had a productive meeting with Minister Lisa Neville in relation to the Waterways Governance for the Lower Yarra and Victoria Harbour. This was attended by Joh Maxwell, Kay Setches and Bill Reid. We thank the Hon Lisa Neville for meeting with us and we received an exceptionally positive response.

The outcome of the meeting was that Minister Neville has confirmed she will be our CHAMPION for change to a single model of governance. Minister Neville indicated that she will be discussing this with the Ministers for Ports, Tourism and Planning and will confirm with them that she is enthusiastic in her support. Minister Neville also advised that she would be allocating a senior member of her team to work with us to assist in facilitating the next steps in this process, along with the outcomes of the work undertaken by the Lower Yarra River Use Future Directions Group.  Jeff Gordon who is an executive member of the Docklands Chamber of Commerce, is representing the Charter Boat Association on this committee.

In April we welcomed our new executive officer, Stefanie Shultz. Stefanie has extensive experience in this role having worked with a chamber of commerce in Canada.  In her role as executive officer, Stefanie oversaw the chamber grow to 600+ members and instigated strong governance and support for business. 

We look forward to Stefanie bringing this knowledge to the DCC.  We thank Alan Maxwell for undertaking the acting role of executive officer in the interim.  Stefanie is looking forward to meeting and working with our members and will be another positive influence within the Docklands Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is delighted to announce the Messaging Project, a training program for all Chamber members. John Douglas from Brand Clarity will facilitate an interactive workshop on Docklands messaging. The Messaging Project will deliver a number of defined approaches to marketing messages, which can act as a foundation for all communications for our business community involved in Docklands.  Getting the message out in a consistent format will benefit all. 

Ensure you attend this workshop and find out how your business can benefit. This is a members only opportunity, so make sure you are a member. Invitations to members have been issued. Make sure you RSVP as numbers are limited. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 12 from 6pm-8pm.

The Chamber has lodged its 2015-16 funding application to the City of Melbourne. This funding enables the Chamber to deliver more training and business information sessions to our membership.

Docklands Aged Friendly Precinct Program continues to develop and the Chamber will be hosting a number of training sessions in May in relation to this program.  The Department of Human Services and the City of Melbourne will assist in the facilitation of this training.  Docklands will this year host the closing festival for Seniors Week and the Chamber is currently working on a program of events for the weekend of October 10 and 11. 

A festival of music, ferry services and intergenerational activities is currently being planned.  Last year’s Seniors Festival was a huge success and we anticipate this year’s festival to be even bigger.  As a business, are you part of the Seniors Program? If not it’s time to join the program.  Contact the Chamber for information and assistance with applying to be a Seniors Program Partner.

The City of Melbourne has just announced plans for winter fireworks in Docklands. There will nine dates throughout July and August scheduled for the normal Friday nights. As always, these displays bring a good crowd to Docklands and it represents a great opportunity to activate the various precincts around the harbour. If you are a business that could benefit from the fireworks, it would be advantageous to run special fireworks packages to attract customers through your doors. The Chamber and Destination Docklands are here to help you get that message out, so contact us today for more information on how to activate during the fireworks.

The Chamber has lent its support to help the dedicated team at Alma Doepel achieve their objective of having the iconic tall ship back in the water by 2016. Restoration is well underway with most of the initial work complete. However, there is still plenty to do to reconstruct the vessel, and it is only a matter of money! The Chamber, along with Alma Doepel supporters, announce a Gala Lunch on Friday, August 28 at Etihad Stadium.

Etihad Stadium management have generously offered the venue for the event and we are asking the business community to purchase tables of ten to attend. There will be a notable key guest speaker and VIPs in attendance. Final arrangements will be announced next month. It will be a memorable lunch and will be a lead up to the Melbourne Regatta and Blessing of the Fleet festivities scheduled for Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30, being Melbourne’s 180th birthday. The Alma Doepel will be berthed in Victoria Harbour on her barge. Visitors will be able to get close and view the work being done.  Contact Bill Reid for further information on the Gala Lunch - 0416 153 116.

Chamber members enjoyed an evening of networking and entertainment at the Wonderland Spiegeltent in April. Melissa and Colin of Wonderland Fun Park put on a great evening with entertainment and provided yet another opportunity for businesses to meet and mingle. Thank you to Colin and Melissa.

All in all a great month for Chamber members, and there is much more happening as we speak. All members are welcome to attend our networking lunches and evenings where you can learn more about what is happening in Docklands and the work we are doing to make Docklands the destination of choice for Melburnians and visitors.