TSBE 'a leader of regional economic development'

TSBE is looking to get another international delegation into the air before the end of the next financial year, after postponing this year's Access HK trip.

The TSBE branded Qantas A330 set for Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport to Shangai for the AccessChina'16 trade mission. Picture: Contributed

TOOWOOMBA and Surat Basin Enterprise is looking to get another international delegation into the air before the end of the next financial year, after being forced to postpone this year's Access Hong Kong trip due to lack of interest. 

TSBE executive chairman Shane Charles said the organisation was currently consulting with members about why Access Hong Kong didn't get the support it needed to get off the ground.

"We just started meeting Monday last week on that trip, and looking at what worked, what didn't," Mr Charles said.

"We're going back to members about whether it was price or location." 

Mr Charles said he hoped to be able to make an announcement of a new destination before Christmas, and that the organisation was "determined to get a trip up and running by the end of next financial year". 

His comments come off the back of the recently released TSBE 2016/17 annual report, which showed the non-profit economic development group return a surplus of $4,107 despite the postponement of the Access Hong Kong trip, initially scheduled to take off in early September. 

"I think it's really clear that over the past 12 months, TSBE is certainly being seen as a leader of regional development around Australia," Mr Charles said. 

TSBE is being talked about by local, state and federal governments around the nation, Mr Charles said. 

"It's actually been quite extraordinary," he said.

Mr Charles pointed to the success of the Access China trade delegation as one of the ways in which TSBE was providing bang for buck. 

In the annual report, Mr Charles said the week-long trade mission generated over $1 million in publicity for the region, as well as $350 million in potential business revenue for the region.

"That first trip to Shanghai was the most extraordinary networking event I have ever been involved with," Mr Charles said.

"We received clear feedback from our members that something like that should occur again, we just need a sharper focus on where the actual location is and what the price point is." 

Figures in the report show Access China generated $1,275,938 for TSBE, at a cost of $1,098,318. 

Total revenue for 2016/17 was $3,465,110, up from $2,274,185 last financial year. 

Prepayments for Access Hong Kong have been put down as a $228,440 liability, however Mr Charles was confident the organisation would be able to recoup most of that outlay if another trip was to go ahead before the end of the next financial year.

TSBE organised 33 events in the 2016/17 financial year, including three international conferences that attracted a combined attendance of more than 3600 people. 

Advocating for infrastructure and projects across the region was an ongoing, core role of TSBE, and the Federal Government's $8.4 billion announcement for the Inland Rail project was "a testament to the work that we have all done as a region", the annual report stated. 

The report said media coverage reached more than 3.5 million people. 

Originally published as TSBE 'a leader of regional economic development'