Now in its third year, CommBank SmallBiz Week returns with even more opportunities to connect suppliers from diverse industries with small business owners and leaders. from 28-30 May 2024, this free-to-attend event being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will highlight emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. The event continues to attract support from big businesses, including Salesforce, Nine Ad Manager, Cisco and Optus, who are proud to be official partners of CommBank SmallBiz Week.
“Optus is a champion of small business,” said Emma Jensen, Vice President for Small Business, Optus. “According to RMIT and Deloitte, the digital skills gap is costing Australian businesses $9m per day. That’s why we see digital education as such a critical initiative to support the growth of small businesses, and why we have brought our FutureFit workshops to the Expo. It is vital for small businesses to understand and harness the power of technology to help them thrive – and Optus are committed to playing a key role in that.”
Opportunities will be presented through workshops and the live stages to learn about the latest products, services, and technologies. Delegates will hear from over one hundred thought leaders, business leaders, and industry experts covering topics directly affecting small businesses.
“Nine Ad Manager’s objective is to support and champion SMBs and their business growth,” said Ben Campbell, Nine’s Director of Data and Advertising products, who will be a keynote speaker at the event. “Utilising the power of one of Australia’s most recognisable Free To Air Broadcast Video On Demand platforms in 9Now, and Artificial Intelligence, Nine Ad Manager allows small businesses to reach highly targeted, local premium audiences at easily accessible rates. We are thrilled to be associated with the CommBank SmallBiz Week 2024.”
The CommBank Live Stage will cover topics relating to the latest AI technologies, operations, human resources, and marketing. The annual event is a must-attend for small and large businesses and attracts thousands of visitors with delegates provided the opportunity to jump the queue and get up close with industry leaders and professionals.
The CommBank Young Hero Awards dinner will kick the week off on Tuesday 28th May at The Langham Hotel and will be hosted by Tony Nikolakapoulos. Awards include the CommBank Entrepreneur of the Year, Nine Ad Manager Rising Star Award, Optus Sustainable Entrepreneur Award and Salesforce Indigenous Entrepreneur of the Year.
“We’re proud to be a sponsor and look forward to meeting growth-focused leaders we can work with to help solve their business challenges. We’re joined by trailblazing Salesforce customers like Pay.com.au and Law Squared to demonstrate how we can help businesses grow the impact of their sales, service and marketing by leveraging the power of CRM + AI + Data + Trust.” Said Adrian Towsey, Area Vice President, Growth Business Salesforce.
The final day will start with the CommBank Business Leaders Breakfast on Thursday 30th May. Keynote speakers at the breakfast include the newly appointed Lt. Gen. Michelle McGuiness, Head of Cyber Security, Australian Government, and Rebecca Warren, Executive General Manager, Small Business Banking, CommBank with others to be announced.
“The success of Australia’s small business sector relies on government, industry and business working together with a shared goal to see small businesses prosper, each doing our part to remove barriers and angst, and moments of stress, for small businesses.” Said Rebecca Warren, CBA Executive General Manager Small Business Banking. “Small Business Week is all about coming together to partner with a common goal to facilitate growth in Australia’s small business sector. This is why we’re really proud to once again be a naming sponsor for CommBank SmallBiz Week. It’s a small part of how we deliver on our broader commitment to support our SME customers to achieve their goals”.
“Small businesses are the lifeforce of the Australian economy with so much opportunity to adopt the capabilities of leading-edge trends such as cybersecurity, AI, innovation and digitisation. Cisco is here to support small to medium enterprises to accelerate and capitalise on the opportunities that technology presents us.” Said Kelly Sabo, Cisco’s Head of Small and Medium Enterprise business. “Cisco is also proud to sponsor the ‘innovative tech product of the year’ award which is focused on recognising and celebrating the achievements of small to medium businesses and how they are leading the way.”
