PORT Douglas will be hosting two workshops in March as part of TNQ’s Tourism Small Business Development Program.

On March 7, there will be a buying and selling online workshop and on March 16 the Tourism Tools Online workshop, which are both slated for the port.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Alex de Waal said conducting business transactions online was a way of evening out the playing field for small business against larger competitors, but it must be done correctly to be effective.

“The Buying & Selling Online workshop will explore e-commerce opportunities and explain how small businesses can overcome the common hurdles,” he said.

“Attendees will learn about online integration with payment networks and gateways, explore connectivity and communications best practice and discuss online revenue planning products with workshop facilitator Steve O’Malley from Travelism.”

The Buying & Selling Online workshop will be held both in Port Douglas (March 7) and Cairns (March 21).
De Waal said digital tools could increase productivity, give valuable insights, increase the visibility of a small business and manage business assets.

“Knowing who to connect to, how to use digital tools and what resources are out there can get you ahead of your competitors,” he said.

In the Tourism Tools Online workshop, TTNQ’s Data and Content Manager Chris Jahnsen will look at online tools including Google Analytics, Evernote, Scannable, Similar Web, Pocket, Screaming Frog, Dropbox, Upwork, Skype and Lightroom.

Kelly Hensley from the Australia Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) will provide information on using the national platform for digital tourism information. ATDW helps tourism operators make the most of online opportunities and allows them to attract and facilitate more online bookings.

The Tourism Tools Online workshop is being held in three locations – Cairns (March 14), Mission Beach (March 15) and Port Douglas (March 16).

The workshops are part of the program supported by the Australian Small Business Advisory Services – Northern Australia Tourism Initiative, an Australian Government initiative. The TNQ Tourism Small Business Development Program is for TTNQ member and non-member businesses (or start-ups) that receive a significant portion of revenue from tourism and have fewer than 20 full-time equivalent employees.

Businesses and business intenders can participate in as many activities they would like.
Both workshops are just $20 per person and can be booked online.

To book your workshop spot or for more information go to ttnq.org.au and click on Resources and then Small Business.

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IT'S PANCAKE DAY TODAY!

IT’S the one day a year where it’s perfectly acceptable to eat nothing but pancakes and crépes.

Pancake Day arrives on Tuesday 28th February and it’s serious business, from the recipe, to the flipping technique, to the topping. So we’re here to guide you through this treacherous process and make sure every pancake is flippin’ great (pun intended).

Get your pancake fix at Taste on Macrossan this Tuesday with their exclusive Pancake Day special. Indulge in their delicious Daintree Stacker, topped with local fruit and Daintree vanilla syrup, paired with a local Skybury tea or coffee for only $16!

If you intend on making your own pancakes this Tuesday, make sure you do it properly with a Crépe pan from Port Douglas Hospitality Supplies. The perfect non-stick, low brim crépe pan is designed to make the perfect pancake every time. For only $19.95 for a 260mm crépe pan, you can’t really go wrong!

Whether you’re a sweet of savoury kind of person, we have a simple recipe for you, perfect for the topping of your choice:

300g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
500ml milk
2 eggs
60g butter, melted

Love pancakes? Celebrate Pancake Day in Bazaar QT Port Douglas with even more pancakes than usual. Will you have them sweet or sour? Decorate these versatile treats with all your favourite toppings like Nutella, bananas, strawberries, zesty lemon and crispy bacon with maple syrup. Open from 6.30am – 10.30am.

4 Fun Facts about Pancakes

1. Pancake Day itself came about as a way to use up the ingredients in the pantry before the 40 days of fasting for Lent, in the run up to Easter.

2. The most tosses of a pancake in 60 seconds was achieved by Australian celebrity chef Brad Jolly, completing a grand total of 140 flips in 60 seconds back in 2012.

3. In 2012, a Melbourne chef won the World Record for the Largest Stack of Pancakes (76cms) however this was beaten by two British chef’s in 2016 (101.8cms).

4. The largest pancake ever made was in 1994, in the UK. Measuring 15.01 metres in diameter and 1 inch thick, the pancake weighed almost 3 tonnes!