2021-03-09 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                           9 MARCH 2021


    Duties                         Resourcing Plan
    Barception                     SevGen Indigenous Corporation were engaged in 2019 via an EOI to
                                   provide an experimental coffee kiosk and reception service – this
                                   arrangement has been extended on a month by month basis
    Procurement admin              Assistance with purchase orders, invoice processing and purchase card
                                   reconciliations being provided by EcDev Department staff.
    Finance admin                  Assistance provided by Economic Development and Department
                                   administration staff where possible.
    Event catering                 Handled by Hub Team with assistance provided by Economic
                                   Development and Department administration staff where possible.

4.      PROGRAMS, EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
The Digital Hub continued delivering its ambitious program of capacity-building activities which
have generated significant value for Noosa’s digital sector and provided a valuable public service
to the broader Noosa community. These activities have helped to put The Digital Hub and Noosa
on the map as a destination for digital talent and innovation.
Ecosystem Organisation Program
The Hub continues to play the lead role in developing the broader digital/tech industry in the region.
Through its Ecosystem Organisation Program, launched in January 2019, the Hub invests in the
underlying professional networks that make up the digital industry by providing them with
organisational support, infrastructure and other resources.
The growth of these networks is indicative of a fast-developing digital sector.

Digital Sub-sector              Network Name               June        Dec         June         Dec
                                                           2019        2019        2020         2020
Technologists                   Coding from Beach          489          532         589         601
Digital Agencies, Creatives & REBOOT                       180          250         318         369
Marketers
Screen Professionals            Screen Collective          104          160         211         258
(Film/TV/Video)
Electronic Music Producers      Sunshine Coast              68           84         115         150
& DJ’s                          Producer Group
Tech Startup Founders           Founders Network            20           40          40          44
e-Commerce Merchants            UNBOX Noosa                   0           0          75          85
TOTALS                                                     861        1066         1348        1507

The ecosystem development program is producing tangible benefits with growth in collaboration
between locally-based digital companies. These collaborations are resulting in business growth
and new investment for participating companies.
As this ecosystem has grown and becomes more cohesive, it has started to attract interest and
opportunities from outside of the region.
FireTech Program
After its near miss during the Peregian Beach fire in September 2019, Council made the
advancement of Bushfire-resilience Technologies (Firetech) a top priority for the Digital Hub. There
are a number of compelling reasons why the Digital Hub should apply specialised focus to firetech:
        Firetech is a technology category akin to fintech (financial technology), agtech (agricultural
         technology), biotech (biological technology).
        The category represents a multibillion $ market with huge export potential.

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