Mainstreet Australia

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement of online deals and big-box retail discounts. But, it's also a vital time to remember the unique value that our local main streets and small businesses bring to the community. Supporting bricks-and-mortar stores during this shopping season doesn’t just sustain small businesses; it also strengthens local economies, fosters community connection, and helps preserve the character and vibrancy of our main streets. By prioritising local businesses this holiday season, we can create a balanced approach to Black Friday and Cyber Monday - one that champions both convenience and community values. #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #OnlineSales #MainStreets #SmallBusiness #SmallBiz #ShopLocal #SupportLocal #LoveLocal

Join us for Mainstreet Australia’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Christmas celebration! Come together with fellow members, colleagues, and friends to reflect on the year’s successes and look forward to an exciting year ahead. Why Attend? > Get involved in the decision-making process during the AGM > Celebrate our shared achievements from the past year > Connect with other members, traders, and business leaders > Enjoy delicious food, drinks, and festive cheer 📅 Date: Thursday, 21st November 2024 ⏰ Time: 6pm - 9pm AEDT 📍 Location: The Leveson, 46 Leveson Street, North Melbourne Ticket Prices: Members: $25 Non-Members: $50 RSVP: Please secure your tickets by 18th November 2024, as space is limited. If you're interested in a role on the Committee of Management, complete and submit the nomination form by 5pm on 14th November 2024: https://lnkd.in/gtt54JXE Let’s wrap up the year with a celebration of the vibrant community that defines Mainstreet Australia. We look forward to seeing you there! Warm holiday wishes from all of us at Mainstreet Australia. #AGM #Christmas #MainStreet #EOY #EOYParty #Business #Traders #Leaders

Mainstreet Australia is proud to partner with City Nation Place Australasia, providing our members with an exclusive 20% discount to attend this essential forum, City Nation Place in Sydney 12 & 13 February 2025. Join placemakers, government leaders, destination marketing organisations, investment attraction teams, and economic development professionals as they explore the connections that make a place great for living, working, visiting, and investing. With insights from Australasian and international place leaders, the conference offers actionable strategies to: • Build the economic case for a place brand strategy • Implement data-driven approaches to destination development with transparent impact measurement • Strengthen your place brand for resilience and economic growth, even in challenging times • Integrate destination stewardship into your destination positioning • Engage private sector stakeholders in the long-term vision for place shaping and economic development • Develop innovative strategies to differentiate your place brand Don’t miss this opportunity to gain fresh perspectives and effective ideas to drive real impact for your local main street community! If you're a Mainstreet Australia member, use the below link for a 20% discount – or you can book via the website using the code Mainstreet20 https://lnkd.in/g59Qb4wy #CNP #CityNationPlace #Sydney #SydneyEvents

The Queensland Small Business Commissioner has partnered with Renew Australia to offer a do-it-yourself (DIY) place activation program tailored to support small businesses in small towns across regional and remote Queensland. The Regional Place Activation Program aims to help local small businesses evolve and cultivate more vibrant and active precincts. It is a collaboration between Small Business Friendly Program members and property owners to offer local creative small businesses and entrepreneurs rent free access to vacant commercial spaces in main streets and town centres. Earlier this year, it was announced that numerous expressions of interest (EOI) had been received from eligible Small Business Friendly (SBF) Program members for the 10 fully funded places in QSBC’s Regional Place Activation Program with Renew Australia, as well as for the four councils selected for Cohort 1. It has now been recently announced that the following six councils have been selected for Cohort 2! A big congratulations to: BANANA SHIRE COUNCIL Barcaldine Regional Council Charters Towers Regional Council Douglas Shire Council Isaac Regional Council Winton Shire Council If you have a small business is located in one of the activation areas, keep an eye out for information on how to get involved when the EOI for creative Queensland small business participants opens in early December 2024. You can do so here: https://lnkd.in/g7NMj-fZ #QSBC #RenewAustralia #LocalCouncil #QLD #RegionalPlace #Activation

Today the Sydney Road Brunswick Association launched a short documentary, produced by the hugely talented Guido Pezz, built around the business community that call our precinct home. Our precinct is so much more than an activity centre, or place of economic importance, it’s a place where people welcome the sharing of their experience, talent and time. The precinct is home to so many who are making their business dreams come true, and to so many who are proudly continuing a generations long legacy. More than transactions and bottom lines, they are embodiments of family tradition, heritage, passion and community. This documentary calls on people to come back to the shopping strip. It’s real. It’s passion. It’s all sorts of people and all sorts of business. #mainstreet #sydneyroadbrunswick #precinct #community #tradition #legacy #supportlocal #lovelocal #localisethelove #businessassociation #specialcharge Mainstreet Australia Merri-bek City Council

My greatest joy is bringing public spaces to life through transformative projects. Witnessing the revitalisation of this laneway in the St Albans Town Centre has been incredibly encouraging, as it provides an important vehicular and pedestrian link.  Creating a safe and attractive space for our community has been a top priority. Earlier this year, we began the transformation with pavement artwork inspired by local artist Jo Mott. Recently, we continued with the installation of a spectacular mural titled “Intersections” by local artist KATIRA. Spanning 50 meters and standing 6.5 meters high, the mural took almost two weeks to complete. Throughout the process, it activated the laneway as people stopped to watch the artist at work and capture photos of the mural as it came to life—a fantastic way to energise a space! KATIRA describes her work as a celebration of nature, where native flora takes centre stage, pollinated by bees and integrated with two women on either side. These women, blending into the natural elements, represent the cultural diversity of St Albans and the balance between urban and natural spaces, tradition and modernity, body and spirit. The arrows in the design symbolize that all our actions impact the environment, emphasising the need for positive choices. Bees, as everyday pollinators, remind us of this essential connection. A big thank you to all involved in the project, including Woolworths a longstanding business in St Albans Town Centre and occupier of the building. Later this year, we’ll be adding feature lighting along the entire length of the wall. This lighting will replace existing fixtures and enhance the community’s experience of the space with programmable colours to reflect seasonal events and activities. We’re also upgrading a parklet, which will add more vibrancy to the public realm and support a local hospitality business. It is a privilege to deliver these projects as part of the GO St Albans Place Management program and see the positive impact on St Albans Town Centre. #StAlbansTownCentre #Brimbank #KATIRA #PF35Media

Join us for Mainstreet Australia's Annual General Meeting (AGM) and EOY Christmas celebration, where you can participate in shaping our future by nominating for a position on the Committee of Management! Nominations: https://lnkd.in/gtt54JXE Gather with fellow members, colleagues, and friends as we celebrate our achievements and look forward to an exciting new year! Why Attend? > Be part of the decision-making process by participating in the AGM > Reflect on our collective milestones from the past year > Network with fellow members, traders, and local business leaders > Enjoy the festive season with great food, drinks, and conversation 📅 DATE: Thursday, 21st November 2024 ⏰ TIME: 6pm - 9pm AEDT 🌐 LOCATION: The Leveson, 46 Leveson Street, North Melbourne RSVP: Please secure your tickets by 18 November 2024. Early registration is encouraged due to limited spaces. If you’re interested in joining the Committee of Management, please complete the nomination form and return it by 5pm on 14th November 2024: https://lnkd.in/gtt54JXE Let’s celebrate the vibrant community that makes Mainstreet Australia special as we close out the year on a high. We can’t to see you there! Happy Holidays from Mainstreet Australia! 🎄

John Charles Henshall 01.07.1947 - 25.10.2024 Main streets have lost a champion. Whilst only formally involved with the Mainstreet Australia Committee for a relatively short time, John was a “true believer” and a passionate lifetime supporter of main streets across the world. He was always there when we needed him and could always be counted on to support a main street cause.  I met John in 1984 and collaborated with him on many main street and town centre projects over the last 40 years. John was a quiet, humble, strategic thinker who had a real love and passion for worthwhile urban planning and activity. He had an inquiring mind and a great grasp on the all-important facts and figures that ultimately determine whether something will work or not. He was a meticulous report writer and reviewer. It was always enjoyable and educational to work with him. He founded and lead several highly regarded consultancies, including John Henshall Associates, Henshall Hansen and Essential Economics. Names that are synonymous with countless town centre strategies, retail assessments, economic development projects and strategic plans. His approach and a blending of urban planning and economics enabled him to produce plans and strategies that were practical, effective and viable, rather than being in anyway academic or theoretical. He was a sought-after advocate and greatly enjoyed the thrust and parry of arguing his case before planning panels and tribunals, well respected by the legal community. Whilst being sought after by the major private sector players, John remained committed to taking on projects for main streets. One day he could be representing Coles and the next he could be advocating for small businesses in a main street. Beyond his professional interests, John loved Delta blues music and made almost annual pilgrimage to Mississippi to hear it live. Even during these trips, he found time to combine his passions for music and main streets by volunteering to prepare a town centre regeneration strategy for Clarksdale “Downtown revitalisation and Delta Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi.” The local community were so impressed they made him an honorary citizen and presented him with the keys to the city. I greatly enjoyed the projects that John and I worked on, and more recently, our longer lunches where we regularly (to our way of thinking) solved Victoria’s planning issues. John was to me, both a valued professional colleague and a true friend, a rare combination. I will miss him greatly. - Stephen Sully, Mainstreet Australia Life Member In addition to Steve’s personal tribute, the entire Mainstreet Australia Committee would like to extend its sincerest condolences to John Henshall’s family and friends who are grieving his loss. We will forever be indebted to him for his guidance, support and passion for all things main streets. Thank you John!

A great revitalisation initiative from Maribyrnong City Council

A recent study by SafetyCulture reveals that despite feeling overworked and under pressure, 83% of workers in Australian SMEs report overall job satisfaction, surpassing their counterparts in larger businesses. However, job dissatisfaction remains a concern, with 71% still feeling dissatisfied with some aspect of their work. Key factors contributing to dissatisfaction include unreasonable expectations, pressure to cut corners, and lack of relevant training. To bridge the "Us vs. Them" mentality between managers and frontline workers, improvements in pay, communication, and recognition are essential. As SMEs represent 98% of Australia's businesses and are critical to our local economy, understanding and addressing frontline challenges is crucial for enhancing both employee satisfaction and business performance. View the full article by Inside Small Business here: https://lnkd.in/gH_BJvfG #SmallBusiness #SMEs #SmallBusinessOwner #MainStreets #LocalEconomy #Australia