Small regional Queensland business representatives are invited to attend a Trade and Investment Queensland forum being held in Cairns on Thursday, focusing on successfully tapping into burgeoning export markets.

The forum follows Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement in Parliament that Trade and Investment Queensland will host similar events across the State over the next six months.

Michael Healy, Member for Cairns said he was looking forward to meeting representatives from small and medium businesses wanting to attract investment or take their first steps into exporting.

“Cairns export industry is already thriving, with our transport, postal and warehousing generating record exports,” he said.

“Of course, we always want to see small business continue to grow and thrive, and these forums are a fantastic opportunity for local enterprises to be involved in and hear more about all that is making Queensland the country’s leading export State.

“As the Premier has made clear, last year’s Queensland’s merchandise exports reached a new high of $81.7 billion, exceeding that of New South Wales and Victoria combined.

“Cairns plays a significant role in that achievement and we remain committed to supporting our small businesses to become even more involved in our State’s development.”

The Trade and Investment Queensland Regional Business Growth Essentials Series includes:

• How to Attract Funding and Creating Winning Investment Proposals workshops aimed at businesses looking for investors. These workshops will provide participants with assistance on where to start in looking to attract investment and funding, global investment trends affecting investors decisions and­ address the important components of a business case and how these can be used to attract high-quality investment for a project

• Explore e-commerce workshops will include how to integrate digital platforms into a business to expand its reach in the global marketplace and access new markets for export

• Build Cultural Awareness workshops provide SMEs and stakeholders with a vital understanding of cultural differences when negotiating with export agents and investors in international markets

• Get Pitch Ready workshops provide SMEs and stakeholders with the skills to pitch their products, services and projects to enable export and investment attraction outcome

Thursday's forum will be held from 7.30am–9.00am, Lagoon Room, Shangri-La Hotel, Pierpoint Road, Cairns.

To register to attend one of the first in the forum series – How to Attract Funding – please go to https://www.tiq.qld.gov.au/event/attracting-funding/

For more information about the workshop series please go to https://www.tiq.qld.gov.au/workshops