The City of Swan in Western Australia is helping local businesses become digital-ready.
According to a recent study by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), 80 per cent of traditional businesses will no longer exist in ten years.
The City of Swan is acutely aware of the changing economic landscape, which is why it’s so heavily invested in supporting and developing local businesses, and why it has organisational plans in place to deliver on sustainable business capacity and growth.
A new digital and innovation hub called ‘The Growth Box’ was launched in Malaga on Tuesday, July 18 – the first of its kind outside of the Perth metropolitan area.
The Growth Box is a collaborative business initiative between the Malaga and Districts Business Association (MDBA) and the City of Swan to connect with, develop and nurture local businesses and help them prepare for a digital future.
The Growth Box houses an enterprise space, a showcase space, networking and meeting facilities (including a board room), a green room, meeting rooms, a coffee space and fully equipped training rooms that accommodate up to 30 people, and high speed broadband provisions – 100Mbps up and down.
Providing affordable shared office and administration spaces, the hub will be a welcome home for local entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to develop and progress their innovative ideas inexpensively.
The City’s Business and Tourism Services team will be based at the centre on a rotational basis to offer face-to-face support and advice to businesses and entrepreneurs as part of its Swan Business Engagement Program.
In future, the City hopes to run workshops, hackathons, digital literacy programs and tech events for those using the space.
Through this innovative collaboration, the City and MDBA are confident they will be able to build sustainable businesses and generate economic growth throughout the region.
