Contents
Contents ................................................................................................................................ 1
About October Business Month ............................................................................................. 2
Goals and objectives.............................................................................................................. 2
2015 outcomes ...................................................................................................................... 3
Business participation ............................................................................................................ 4
Keynote speakers .................................................................................................................. 5
Highlight events ..................................................................................................................... 7
Calendar launch ..................................................................................................................... 8
Promotional campaign ........................................................................................................... 9
Examples of Advertising ...................................................................................................... 12
Finding out about OBM ........................................................................................................ 14
OBM closing ceremony ........................................................................................................ 14
Future directions .................................................................................................................. 15
OBM 2016 key themes ........................................................................................................ 15
Testimonials ......................................................................................................................... 16
Linkages and benefits to OBM stakeholders........................................................................ 16
Appendix A – Data comparisons .......................................................................................... 18
Appendix B – Statistics for OBM 2015 ................................................................................. 19
Appendix C – Website analytics........................................................................................... 22
Appendix D – Social media .................................................................................................. 23
October Business Month 2015 Evaluation Report
1
About October Business Month
October Business Month (OBM) is the Northern Territory’s premier business event, aimed at
assisting small to medium sized Territory businesses. OBM offers businesses across the
Northern Territory a month long program of inspirational and educational business events.
This year OBM celebrated 21 years of supporting Territory businesses and saw 9,332
business people attend 183 events.
OBM 2015 delivered Territory businesses a range of high calibre keynote speakers,
business dinners, world class presentations, workshops, seminars, professional
development, training and networking events at low or no cost.
The seven high calibre presenters included:
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Ruslan Kogan - The Kogan.com Story
Naomi Simson - Live What You Love
Lisa Messenger - Cultivating Self-Belief
David de Garis - The Outlook For Australia’s Economy And The Top End
Steven Bradbury – Passion, Persistence And Teamwork Leads To Success
Matt Moran - Matt’s Business Success Story
Carolyn Creswell – How I Turned $1000 Into A Multinational Company
OBM featured several highlight events featuring internationally recognised speakers
including Li Cunxin, Jenny McGregor, Tracy Harris, Simon Griffiths, Bernard Salt and
Robert Louie.
The 2015 keynote themes had a strong focus on Women in Leadership, Indigenous
Business, Finance, Marketing, Social Media, Business Technology and Business in Asia.
Goals and objectives
OBM aims to:
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Deliver a business development program that both inspires and builds the
capability of local businesses.
Recognise the Northern Territory Government’s commitment to business
development in the Northern Territory.
Maximise awareness of October Business Month events and increase attendance
across all regions.
Ensure event hosts, sponsors and presenters are given appropriate exposure
throughout the marketing campaign and at October Business Month events.
October Business Month 2015 Evaluation Report
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2015 outcomes
2015 was OBM’s most successful year and featured key themes derived from 2014
attendee feedback and evaluation forms.
OBM 2015 key themes:
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Women in leadership
Indigenous business
Finance
Marketing and social media
Business technology
Business in Asia
OBM was delivered across all regions of the Territory:
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Darwin
Alice Springs
Katherine
Nhulunbuy
Tennant Creek
The success of OBM 2015 was measured through an evaluation process, which
encouraged comprehensive feedback from all attendees.
2015 highlights include:
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9,332 people attended events across the Territory, an increase of 327 compared
to 2014.
183 events were held across the Territory, representing an increase of 30 events
compared to 2014.
87% of participants indicated that as a result of attending, they had learnt
something new that could be applied to their business.
83% of participants expected to improve or change some aspect of their business
practices.
112 events were free to attend.
Full reports of all the OBM 2015 outcomes can be found in Appendices A - D.
October Business Month 2015 Evaluation Report
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Business participation
A total of 183 events were delivered across the Northern Territory during OBM 2015; 107 by
Territory Government departments and 76 by private sector organisations (a further 29
events were registered but cancelled before going ahead). Total participation and
attendance at OBM events was 9,332.
Of those who attended OBM in 2015:
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66% of attendees were female.
64% of attendees were business owners/managers.
29% of respondents were first time attendees at an OBM event.
OBM attendees span a wide variety of age ranges with 40% of audiences aged
31 to 45.
80% of attendees represented small-medium enterprise (less than 200
employees).
29 partner events cancelled after registering their event.
The official opening featuring keynote speaker Ruslan Kogan drew an audience of 672
attendees.
Ruslan Kogan, founder of Kogan.com presenting ‘The Kogan.com Story” in Darwin.
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Keynote speakers
OBM 2015 featured the following seven high calibre and reputable speakers:
Speaker
Presentation
The Kogan.com story
Ruslan Kogan, founder of Kogan.com, a multinational
consumer electronics and online retail business, which
challenges brands in some of the most competitive industries in
the world.
Live what you love
Naomi Simpson founded RedBalloon in 2001 and went to
become one of Australia’s tech success stories.
Cultivating self-belief
Lisa Messenger is the vibrant, game-changing Editor in Chief
of Collective Magazine and owner and Creative Director of The
Messenger Group. She has worked globally in events,
sponsorship, marketing, PR and publishing.
Matt’s Business Success Story
Matt Moran is an industry icon. A renowned chef and
restaurateur, he has an ever-growing list of successful
restaurants that consistently garner praise from the food
industry, media and general public alike.
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Speaker
Presentation
How I Turned $1000 Into A Multinational Business
Carman’s founder Carolyn Creswell is an inspirational leader
whose success proves that you can run a multinational
business and still love what you do, having a genuine work-life
balance.
Outlook For Australia’s Economy And The Top End
David de Garis is the director and senior market economist for
NAB where he keeps his colleagues up to speed with the
economy and markets on a day to day basis.
Passion, persistence and teamwork leads to success
Four-time Winter Olympian, Gold medallist and businessman,
Steven Bradbury brings a fresh and uniquely Australian
corporate feel to the corporate world.
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Steven Bradbury engaging the audience at his keynote presentation in Alice Springs.
Highlight events
Winning International Business for the Northern Territory
featuring Li Cunxin
Asian engagement was a key theme for 2015,
complementing the ongoing government policy of planning
for the future of north Australia. Renowned motivational
business speaker Li Cunxin (commonly known as the Mao’s
Last Dancer) mesmerised the crowd with his Winning
International Business For The Northern Territory
presentation which showcased services available to the
Territory business community under InvestNT and the Trade
Support Scheme while delivering a thought provoking and
insightful account of his life.
7th Indigenous Economic Development Forum
This two-day forum is one of the largest Indigenous
Economic Development focused forums in Australia, and
gives Indigenous people in business the opportunity to
develop new skills and networks.
Attendees listened to high calibre speakers including Robert
Louie, Chief of Westbank First Nation, Canada and
representatives on numerous advisory boards for Aboriginal
recognition.
Working with Asia: The Skills You Need featuring Jenny
McGregor, Asialink CEO
Asialink CEO, Jenny McGregor, and Singapore Trade
Commissioner, Tracy Harris, outlined the skills a business
needs to grow and build partnerships in Asia.
The Business of Making a Difference featuring Simon
Griffiths, CEO of Who Gives a Crap
This year OBM proudly presented a stream of both dedicated
and complementary events designed to empower, upskill and
inspire those within and those looking to engage with not-for
profit organisations in the Territory business community.
Simon Griffiths, CEO of ‘Who Gives a Crap’ delivered a
social enterprise success story which received strong
attendance in both Alice Springs and Darwin.
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Highlight events
Northern Australia in 2050 featuring Bernard Salt
The Northern Australia Development Office hosted a special
presentation focusing on the leadership role of the Northern
Territory. The event helped raise awareness of what
Australia, especially the Northern Territory, may look like in
the future and how this future is influenced by the massive
changes taking place in countries to the North.
Over 250 business people attended this event in Darwin that
was live streamed to various regions across the Northern
Territory.
Supporting Business to Start, Run and Grow
A Territory wide roadshow demonstrating the practical
services and programs that the Department of Business can
offer to assist Territory businesses and non-for-profit
enterprises to Start, Run and Grow competitively, responsibly
and successfully.
Calendar launch
On 31 August, the OBM calendar launch was held at the newly renovated Paspalis
Business Centre, Darwin. The launch featured a video of the OBM calendar booklet
travelling the Territory, passing through all regions before stopping at PASPALIS for
Minister for Business, the Hon Peter Styles MLA to officially launch October Business
Month.
Darwin Roller Derby Girls surprised guests wearing #OBM shirts and handed copies of the
calendar to guests and the general public in Raintree Park and Cavanagh Street.
Hon. Peter Styles MLA with Paspalis Business Centre holding the travelling calendar.
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The launch featured a live video call from keynote speaker Li Cunxin (commonly known as
the Mao’s Last Dancer); from Brisbane and a testimonial video from businesses across the
Territory pledging their support of the OBM program.
Promotional campaign
The 2015 marketing and promotional material included:
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Printed, eBook and online calendar of events
Print and online advertising
Television ads and online videos
Radio advertisements
OBM e-newsletter and database mailouts
Newspaper and magazine feature articles
Signage and banners
OBM hub events
OBM Competitions
Promotional materials
Social Media
Printed, eBook and online calendar of events
OBM 2015 had a 40-page printed calendar of events with 2,000 copies distributed to
Territory Business Centres across the Territory and available at keynote events and
sponsor’s businesses. The printed calendar was also converted into an eBook by Sprout
and made available to the business community via the OBM website, OBM e-newsletter,
social media sites and the Territory Q smartphone app.
In addition to the printed calendar of events, OBM events were also accessible via the
calendar on the OBM website with links for registrations and OBM keynote events were also
hosted on the Eventbrite event directory.
Print and online advertising
The OBM program and keynote events were promoted through newspaper advertisements
across the Territory (NT News, Centralian Advocate, Katherine Times, Tennant Creek and
District Times and Arafura Times). Sponsor logos were included on all OBM printed
advertising and sponsors were also thanked via a specific advertisement placed in the NT
News and Centralian Advocate. OBM was also promoted on NT News online through a half
page and leaderboard advertisements.
Television advertisements and online videos
Southern Cross Television provided a solid platform of media support airing the 15 second
and 30 TV commercial broadcasting across stations 7Darwin, 7Mate, 7Two and 7Central.
All television commercials included 2015 OBM sponsor logos and were broadcast from
September through to November 2015.
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Additional promotional videos were developed for the OBM program including a travelling
calendar video used for the OBM calendar launch and a testimonial video featuring various
Territory businesses which was featured on the OBM website and YouTube.
Radio
Radio advertisements, including pre-records, top of the hour sweepers, live reads and
interviews with OBM keynote speakers were broadcast on Mix104.9, Hot100, SunFM, 8HA,
ABC Radio and Katherine Community Radio.
Live crosses were held starting from the date of the OBM calendar launch (end of August)
throughout September at the Business Hubs in Raintree Park and Darwin Corporate Park.
Mix104.9 promoted OBM with their street team giving away free promotional items and the
OBM printed calendar of events throughout October.
Mix104.9 also hosted their Best Boss competition in conjunction with OBM that was
advertised and promoted on air calling for nominations.
OBM e-newsletter and database mailouts
The OBM e-newsletter provided updates to subscribers about OBM at periodic intervals
once every two to three weeks as necessary with a reach of over 1,500 Territory
businesses. Additional targeted emails promoting OBM events were sent out regularly
through the Department of Business database which has a reach of over 8,000 businesses
across the Northern Territory.
Newspaper and Magazine feature articles/editorial
Territory Q Business Magazine launched its October business quarter at the beginning of
OBM. The OBM program of events was published in the Territory Q Magazine and was
handed out at each keynote event for OBM 2015. This marketing was very successful and
was further supported by editorials about OBM keynote speakers and events.
Editorial articles on the OBM program and keynotes were included in newspapers across
the Territory including the NT News, Sunday Territorian, Centralian Advocate, Darwin Sun
and Tennant Creek and District Times.
OBM was also featured on the NT Business Bulletin, a bi-weekly announcement on
business developments in the Northern Territory with a distribution list of over 7,000.
Media releases were published by the Northern Territory Government on a weekly/daily
basis promoting upcoming events on the OBM calendar.
Signage and banners
OBM 2015 displayed various banners and signage promoting the 2015 program including:
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Five pull-up banners featuring OBM sponsors distributed across the Territory and
set-up at all OBM keynote events and as many partner events as possible.
Two media walls (one each in Darwin and Alice Springs) set-up at all Darwin and
Alice Springs keynote events.
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Large out-bound billboard from the Darwin Airport promoting the program.
Floor decals promoting the OBM program in the Darwin Smith Street Mall and all
Territory Business Centres.
A large 3x3 metre marque with OBM branding used for all OBM hubs.
Three #OBM photo frames used for selfies and competition photos.
Large, light-up letters spelling out #OBM provided by Love Letters Darwin
displayed at all keynote events in Darwin and at OBM hubs.
OBM hub events
OBM set up stalls across Darwin in the lead-up to October to promote the OBM program
which we called our OBM hub. This hub provided the OBM calendar to the public,
information on our speakers and competitions and partnered with other sponsors and
partners to increase promotion of the program of events. This hub was setup at Raintree
Park for three days with our #OBM love letters, reptiles brought from Crocodylus Park and a
number of other sponsors. The hub was also set up at Darwin Corporate Park, the
Palmerston Markets and at Casuarina Square.
OBM Competition
OBM held a number of competitions in conjunction with our sponsors to help increase
engagement with OBM attendees. These competitions were:
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SilkAir competition: A chance to win a holiday package to Koh Samui by
completing the OBM evaluation form.
Area9 Competition: A chance to win a HP Elitebook Folio 1020 by registering on
the Area9 website.
Mix104.9 Best Boss Awards: Competition with the winner receiving a holiday
package to central Vietnam.
Virgin Australia Competition: A chance for Tennant Creek and Alice Springs
attendees to win return flights to Darwin on Virgin Australia.
Facebook competition: By sharing a photo at an OBM event on the OBM
Facebook page attendees could win a Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet courtesy of
The Good Guys Darwin.
Promotional materials
There were several promotional items that were given out at OBM events to further extend
the OBM brand. These include:
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Silicone business card holders that stick onto the back of mobile devices
OBM stylus
DL Flyers promoting keynote speakers, highlight events and competitions
A3 poster available for partners to download from the OBM website
OBM ‘King of the Kitchen’ aprons
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Social Media
This year, OBM ran an extensive social media campaign.
OBM promoted social media interaction through our existing social media channels,
Facebook and Twitter and established a LinkedIn group page to extend our social media
reach. OBM also utilised targeted Facebook advertising to promote the OBM Facebook
page, increase awareness of the program and encourage registration and attendance to
keynote events.
Below are some examples of our promotional material for OBM 2015. Refer to Appendix D
for a breakdown of OBM’s social media interaction.
Examples of Advertising
Calendar of Events
Pull-up Banner
2x2m Media Wall
Floor Decals
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Examples of Advertising
Selfie Frame
OBM Darwin Love Letters
Darwin International Airport Billboard
Vinyl Street Banners
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Finding out about OBM
The Calendar of Events remains the key media used to boost the awareness of the OBM
program and promote all events and sponsors in each region.
The four key media channels through which Territory businesses heard about OBM were:
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Direct email/OBM e-newsletter
Calendar of events booklet
Word of mouth
OBM website
Email marketing continues to be the strongest channel for promoting OBM, with 34% of
attendees hearing about OBM events throughout direct e-mail marketing. Traditional media
such as TV, radio, magazine and newspaper advertising accounts for 9% of the marketing
channel.
OBM closing ceremony
The 2015 OBM closing ceremony was held on 29 October at the City of Darwin council
chambers. The event was coordinated and managed by the City of Darwin. All OBM
sponsors were formally invited to this event.
The Lord Mayor of Darwin gave the welcome and introduction to the guests and the Hon
Peter Styles MLA gave an address to officially close OBM 2015. Guest speaker, Jason
Neave, a digital and direct marketing practitioner, gave a presentation on “what makes a city
smart” focusing on Darwin and the City of Darwin’s digital strategy.
The winner of the OBM SilkAir major prize winner was also announced at this event and the
prize was presented by the SilkAir Northern Australia Manager.
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Future directions
Suggestions for OBM’s future focus include:
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Continued exploration of new ways to engage and interact with audiences via
social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Engage new members of the business community who have previously not
attended OBM.
Ongoing promotion and increased marketing presence of OBM throughout the
year via the OBM website, social media channels and Department of Business
programs.
Continue to engage the Territory business community through quality national and
international speakers.
Introduce a new, 1-page information sheet to assist partners to plan and market
their event.
Continue to provide and develop an online registration system for internal use and
OBM partners.
OBM 2016 key themes
OBM evaluation forms indicated five top themes to be explored in 2016 which are:
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Leadership/Motivation
Marketing and Social Media
Human Resources
Work-Life Balance and Health and Wellbeing
Start-ups and Entrepreneurs
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Testimonials
“The events provide a fabulous opportunity to network in social and intimate atmosphere”
Comment on OBM keynote speakers in Darwin.
“Certainly not a dull presentation. In fact probably the best I have been to.”
Comment on the Tennant Creek Gala Business Dinner with Steven Bradbury.
“Best speaker that I have heard at an OBM dinner for many years.”
Comment from attendee on the Darwin Gala Business Dinner with Matt Moran.
“A great inspirational speaker. Overall a success!”
Comment from attendee on the Katherine Gala Business Dinner with Lisa Messenger.
“A great speaker for the opening, would highly recommend others to attend.”
Comment on the Darwin opening event with Ruslan Kogan
“Funny, engaging and inspiring speaker. I really enjoyed this event!”
Comment from an attendee at Alice Springs keynote event with Naomi Simson
Linkages and benefits to OBM stakeholders
Linkages and benefits to OBM stakeholders
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Business
Community
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Sponsors
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Network with industry leaders and peers in the business
community in all regions of the Territory.
Receive exposure to products and services offered by
DoB, sponsors and partners to assist in the development
of their businesses.
Increase business management capabilities and improve
business practices through access to events at little or no
cost.
Increase ability to directly market to the NT business
community and increase customer base.
Fulfil corporate social responsibility obligations.
Promote products and services throughout the month.
Network with the business community in all regions of the
Territory.
Host own events in addition to those conducted by the
department.
Business exposure through the OBM calendar of events.
Marketing and media benefits.
Recognition and exposure to established small to medium
enterprises.
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Linkages and benefits to OBM stakeholders
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Event Hosts
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Minister for
Business
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Northern Territory
Government (NTG)
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Department of
Business (DoB)
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Opportunity to host an OBM event.
Receive exposure through the OBM calendar of events
and website.
Promote products and services throughout the month.
Networking opportunities with the business community
throughout the Territory.
Promote the programs and services offered by the NT
Government e.g. Northern Australia Development Office
with links to developing the north.
Develop stronger relationships with the business
community, partners, sponsors and large corporate
entities around Australia.
Encourages networking between government, the private
industry sectors and local businesses pursuant to the
Government’s Three Hub economy vision.
Facilitates strategic and economic growth by assisting in
the growth of local business through provision of
educational training and motivational events pursuant to
the Government’s Three Hub economy vision.
Prosperous Economy - An economy that creates wealth
and jobs, an economy that is open, competitive and
innovative, an economy that captures the ideas, energy
and opportunities across the Territory.
Links with start, run, grow initiative, Upskills, Business
Growth, ecoBiz NT, Innovation, NT WorkSafe, Defence
and Workforce Growth, programs including InvestNT and
Industry Development.
Supports DoB’s corporate values:
o Promotes and facilitates industry and business
development;
o Stimulates innovation, research and knowledge
development;
o Maintains and improves the Territory’s business
operating environment.
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Appendix A – Data comparisons
The total number of attendees increased by 327 between 2014 and 2015.
There were 30 additional events delivered in 2015 compared to 2014.
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Appendix B – Statistics for OBM 2015
The number of OBM events in 2015 significantly increased in all regions of the Northern Territory.
The number of attendees at OBM events in 2015 greatly increased in Tennant Creek, Katherine and Alice Springs and
decreased in Nhulunbuy, Darwin and online.
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Appendix C – Website analytics
The below chart compares OBM website visitor growth and page views in 2014 and
2015.
Note: The following information has been obtained using Google analytics.
The above chart demonstrates the increase in the number of new visitors to the website during 2015.
The above chart shows a significant increase (more than 20,000) in page views by visitor in 2015.
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Appendix D – Social media
509 Twitter followers, increase of 170 followers during the course of the
OBM program.
This graph shows the OBM Twitter page gained 170 followers from late August (the date of the calendar launch)
and through October.
59 LinkedIn connections were received in 2015 and will be a strong focus in
2016 to increase engagement. LinkedIn was a new platform for OBM,
introduced in 2015.
This graph shows the OBM LinkedIn page gained 58 followers, with 26.1% of them being from government.
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1,697 Facebook followers, increase of 239 followers in comparison to
October 2014.
The graph above shows a significant increase in page likes in late September to early October.
The graph above shows that 77% of OBM Facebook fans are women and 21% are males.
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