MEDIA RELEASE – JANUARY 2021
BRAND SA’S VISION LIVES ON IN SHOWCASE SA
Yesterday, South Australian Labour leader Peter Malinauskas released a statement calling for the South Australian Government to bring back Brand South Australia, backed by an $8 million campaign urging buying local. To continue the hard work Showcase South Australia does to encourage South Australian businesses to succeed and grow, we welcome the financial support proposed by Peter Malinauskas.
Whilst Brand SA did cease to exist on the 30th June 2019 after Government funding cuts, Showcase SA, a privately-funded organisation, was officially chosen and endorsed by Brand SA to continue the business networking and events program, and to be custodians of the ‘I Choose SA Business Directory,’ which was rebuilt from scratch. The new ‘I Choose SA Business Directory,’ allows South Australian owned and run businesses to list a profile for free on the privately funded website.
Showcase SA has become Adelaide’s premier business networking organisation, providing South Australian organisations with upskilling masterclasses, inspiring lunches, and insights into key industry opportunities.
Since Showcase SA launched, we have run over 100 SA business events and 39 free webinars showcasing over 5,000 businesses and raised almost $500,000 for the 2019 South Australian bushfire appeal.
Brand SA had a long history supporting South Australian business in its many iterations, including SA Great, and Advantage SA. This is a legacy that Showcase South Australia has proudly continued.
Showcase SA also runs the #ichoosesa and @ichoosesa social media channels, used to promote local products, services, and ideas, to foster collaboration over competition. Just as Brand SA did, Showcase SA uses the ‘I Choose SA’ campaign to promote local businesses, encouraging them to work to keep skilled workers and their intellectual property in South Australia, ensuring the money injected into our economy circulates locally.
In February 2020, Showcase SA, together with the Glam Adelaide Foundation, collaborated to create the SA4SA Bushfire Gala. With over 1,400 people in attendance the event raised almost $500,000, which was donated directly to the bushfire affected communities. At the event, Showcase SA announced free I Choose SA premium business directory listings for all bushfire affected SMEs.
Brand SA & I Choose SA have continued to live on since Showcase SA’s inception in July 2019. This year’s business event’s schedule is set to be the best yet.
