Hobart’s renown Salamanca Market has launched an innovative opportunity for new Tasmanian businesses called the Innovator Program.
The program allows start-up businesses to test their products and gain feedback at Salamanca Market as part of their research, development and business planning, without the risk of setting up a permanent store.
Salamanca Market is Tasmania’s most visited tourist attraction with nearly one million visitors every year. The market supports a diverse range of local small businesses, including everything from Tasmanian timber designs, hand-worked glass, ceramics and art, organic produce, artisanal cheese, bread, wine and spirits.
Over its 47 year history, Salamanca Market has traditionally been a small business incubator and the Innovator Program is a formalisation of this role and one way in which the City of Hobart is actively supporting economic development.
To assist program participants, partnerships have been created with the Department of State Growth and Business South, to provide free mentoring to help develop business plans to become market ready.
Participants are then offered a four week trading period at Salamanca Market. The market team also works closely with participants to provide mentoring, market set-up assistance and marketing support through social media and website promotion.
The program has mentored a number of successful businesses to date, including an aboriginal street food business, a small batch spirits distiller and a tonic water syrup producer.
