Last week Thursday saw a well-attended Kouga Business Forum launch at The Links. With the rain starting to come down, there was an air of optimism at The Links. This, combined with several very positive speeches and some delicious snacks from the Links kitchen, made for a beautiful evening full of information, ideas and inspiration.
The Kouga Business Forum (KBF) is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Kouga region. It has organised itself into 10 industries: Tourism, Agriculture, Ocean and Water, Green and Alternative Energy, Real Estate and Development, Manufacturing and Construction, Transport and Automotive, Trade (Wholesale and Retail) and Finance, Emerging and SMME’s, Health and Education.
Other industries could be included later, but these are the industries that were listed as part of the launch.
Kouga Business Forum Chairperson Dries Du Preez introduced the KBF to the audience. Dries outlined some ideas and thoughts about the way forward with the KBF.
Wayne Furphy spoke after Dries, and he outlined some upcoming key events and opportunities for local businesses. St Francis Bay has several very exciting events this year. However, they all could do with the collaboration of local enterprises to possibly improve these events and increase their value to organisers, contestants, and the local community.
He was followed by several speakers, including Jeff Clause from The Links, who spoke about the PGA tournament held at The Links. He was followed by Kimon Augoustatos, the organiser behind Concours sur Mesure, Craig Northwood from the Wine On Water Festival, and Nevil Hulett.
The speeches and talks were followed by some drinks and snacks and some serious networking, with business owners and event organisers getting to know each other and opening to synergistic ideas and collaborations for the upcoming events season.
The KBF aims to strengthen our local business community and improve our communication, coordination and sharing of the benefits of business opportunities.
St Francis KBF has developed a plan around our events that will be an enriching experience for visitors to the area and benefit the local businesses with various opportunities.
The KBF is on a membership drive and would like to invite individuals or business owners to join. For individuals or businesses with 5 or fewer employees, it is R630/annum. For those businesses with 6 and more employees, it costs R1260/annum.
For any enquiries or for membership, please contact Leilani Coetzee at 084 681 3702 or at office@kougabusinessforum.com
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