Information for businesses
Overview
We’re committed to working closely with local businesses to manage disruption during construction.
How to stay up-to-date
As a local business owner or operator, we understand the need to plan for any disruption arising from construction activities. If your business may be directly affected, we will let you know in advance, keep you up to date via regular communications and work with you to manage any impacts.
Our community team will regularly engage with you through:
door knocks and face-to-face briefings
direct contact via phone and email
group presentations
contact us on 1800 312 600 or submit an enquiry to request a briefing.
Operators can stay up-to-date on construction and traffic changes by:
registering to receive electronic updates including notifications and regular email updates construction.
visiting our interactive construction map to see what current and upcoming works are taking place near you.
How we support local businesses
The GCLR3 team have developed a business engagement program which:
provides a dedicated support team, business engagement advisor and information line for business
provides practical and relevant information on construction and traffic changes
supports initiatives that encourage increased foot traffic into construction areas
outlines the Love Your Local campaign which encourages the community to support local businesses
encourages involvement in the Work Local, Shop Local initiative
ensures that locals and ‘regulars’ remain connected to their precincts and local businesses.
Click on each tab to find out more about each initiative.
What is Love Your Local?
The Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 (GCLR3) project team developed the Love Your Local campaign to encourage Gold Coast residents and visitors to shop locally during Stage 3 construction.
The campaign is now active, encouraging all Gold Coasters to keep shopping, eating, drinking and staying along the light rail alignment. The campaign includes digital and print resources for your business, as well as live location crosses with local radio stations, a Shop Local and Win competition, a workforce work local program, shop local campaigns, and partnership opportunities with local events. Support materials have been designed to reflect the unique personalities of Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami and Burleigh Heads.
How do I get involved?
Your business can play a key role in marketing and supporting the campaign and we encourage you to get on board as soon as you can. Head to the Business information resources tab.
Shop Local and Win competition
The Shop Local and Win competition is an initiative which will inject dollars back into the local business economy through the pre-purchase of vouchers and store credits for people to win thousands in prizes every month.
To be eligible, customers are encouraged to spend $10 or more at a local business to enter each month and win prizes sourced from local businesses.
How your business can participate
Promote the competition in-store by displaying the ‘Love Your Local’ sticker in your store window and the SHOP SCAN WIN entry QR code postcard or sticker at your point of sale
Direct your customers to enter the competition here.
Register your business in our trader directory. Your registration provides the project team with a pool of businesses to source competition prizes.
Note: Businesses do not need to register to be involved in the competition.
If you would like to know more or need any of the prepared promotional material, please email our Business Engagement team at contact@gclr3.com.au
Work Local, Shop Local
The Work Local, Shop Local initiative encourages our 700-strong workforce to support local businesses while working of GCLR3. We encourage businesses to consider ways to promote their goods and services to our project team.
There are opportunities to promote businesses through weekly toolbox talks, promotional material at our site offices and through word-of-mouth. Reach out to our team if you have any ideas or feedback.
How your business can participate:
Register your business in our trader directory
Consider deals or opportunities to engage the GCLR3 workforce
Speak with our Business Engagement team by phoning 1800 312 600 or email contact@gclr3.com.au.
Local trader directory
The trader directory is live on the interactive map.
The directory is a digital version of a traditional booklet-style business directory. Using the GCLR3 interactive map, the directory features information about your business and can include promotions and deals you may have on offer. It provides a direct link to your website and social media, further encouraging the community to shop local.
This directory is for businesses located along, or within a 300-metre radius, of the Gold Coast Highway, between Broadbeach South station and Burleigh Heads.
We want to promote your business and support our community to ‘love their local’. Please register for the directory by using the link below.
Activating spaces
Each month, through our partnership with local radio stations, we promote businesses through life-crosses on the Gold Coast local radio network. A live location cross includes:
promotion of the business live on air
visit by the station ‘Drive Crew’
radio network vehicle positioned in front of your business (or as close as possible) to encourage people to stop
in some cases a social media post uploaded to the station’s social media
If you would like a chance to promote your business on the radio, please contact our Business Engagement team via email at contact@gclr3.com.au
Events and local activities
Love Your Local is committed to supporting communities and small business along the stage 3 alignment.
In 2023 we were the proud sponsors of:
BLEACH* Festival in North Burleigh, sponsoring as the Love Your Local hub with $10,000 of vouchers to local businesses given away throughout the event.
Nobby Beach Street Fiesta, with $5,000 of vouchers to local businesses given away throughout the event.
Our commitment to business continues through our engagement and membership with the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce (GCCCOC).
We’re proud to be a Platinum Plus Member of the GCCCOC. The GCCCOC strives to advocate and support the Gold Coast business community and facilitate economic growth across the region through various business-to-business activities.
We will continue to work with the chamber to support businesses along the alignment during the construction of stage 3.
Business resources
The GCLR3 project team has developed resources to assist your business and encourage customers to continue supporting local.
Resources include:
A business information brochure with top tips, outlining what’s available to help your business
A business handbook to guide you on how you can use the Love Your Local campaign
A suite of social media templates designed to reflect the unique personalities of Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami and Burleigh Heads. You can personalise these with your own images!
Love Your Local social media templates so you can play a key role in marketing and supporting the campaign
Stickers with a QR code linking to information about GCLR3, showing customers how they can support you. These stickers can be placed in shop windows, counters, and tables.
Posters for display in your business. These include QR codes encouraging your customers to keep loving their local
Project factsheets with more information about GCLR3 like the Five Phases of construction, traffic and parking changes and more.
Click on the sections below to find out more
The social media templates can be used on Facebook™ and Instagram™. The templates have been designed to reflect the unique area personalities of Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami and Burleigh Heads.
Social media is a great way to reach your customers and get the Love Your Local message out there. Using these templates can help to:
- attract customers and strengthen customer loyalty during construction
- let your customers and followers know that you are open for business
- advertise Love Your Local with your customers and followers
- increase your business profile to new customers
Here is an example of a social media pack for Burleigh businesses.
Use the Canva links below to access and download the social media pack for your local area.
You can personalise the posts and stories by replacing the existing precinct image with your own business or logo.
You will need to create a free account in Canva and the Canva app can be used on your smartphone or via a web browser on your laptop/desktop computer.
Click on the links below and download the posts and stories for your local business area. The images can be downloaded as individual files.
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Mermaid Beach |
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Nobby Beach |
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Miami |
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Burleigh |
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Love Your Local |
How to personalise the images:
- Follow the link to Canva and login (or create a free account if you don’t have one yet)
- Click the ‘Uploads’ tab on the left side of screen
- Drag and drop your photo into this panel, or click upload media to find your image
- Once uploaded, drag your image on top of the existing photo to update it
- Click share in the top right, then click download from the drop-down menu to save the updated social media tile to your own device
- Download file and upload to your social media account as usual
Stickers and Posters have been designed and printed and like the social media templates, these are tailored for your local business area.
To request a pack to be delivered to you, completing this webform.
Stickers have a QR code linking to useful information about GCLR3 and details on how the community can love their local business, which can be placed in shop windows, counters and tables. A sticker is also available which is dedicated to our our Shop Local and Win competition, SHOP SCAN WIN, this QR code will link customers straight to our competition entry form.
Posters for display in your business. These include QR codes and promoting Love Your Local to your customers.
A business handbook to help your business utilise the Love Your Local campaign and promotional resources
We’ve developed the fact sheets with information to help your business and community during the project. These include:
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Business Information Brochure |
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Parking |
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The Five Phases of Light Rail Construction |
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Managing construction impacts |
Business support services
The following business support services are available at low or no cost to Gold Coast businesses. More information on these services are available on each organisation’s website.
Advocacy and financial counselling services
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Advocacy & Assistance with business disputes |
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Free Impartial & Confidential Financial Counselling |
Business coaching and mentoring
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Through Small Business Coaching, our expert Business Mentors will help you achieve your business goals. Receive tailored support for up to 12 months, from your very own Business Mentor, who will have your back every step of the way. |
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Mentoring for Growth (M4G) offers eligible businesses free access to volunteer business experts who provide insights, options, and suggestions relating to challenges and opportunities you are experiencing in your business. The M4G program assists Queensland businesses to grow and succeed in the current business environment. The M4G program includes:
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Digital support
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Sands Media are a local digital and marketing specialist with close to 40 years combined experience in digital marketing, consulting and retail operations, the team are here to support you. Providing specialised services such as website audits to support businesses with Search Engine Optimisation and provide a good starting point for better understanding your digital presence. |
Employing staff and training
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The Workforce Connect Fund is an initiative designed to increase investment in industry and community-led projects that address attraction, retention and participation issues within the workforce. |
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From start-ups to multinationals, and apprentices to sole traders, we provide the training, advice and partnerships required to facilitate growth and project strength. Our courses and contextualised training solutions are spread across a diverse range of industries, skill sets, roles and specialisations. All training packages have been informed by experts and designed to deliver a return on your investment – whether that be time, money or manpower. |
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Digital technology touches every aspect of business, professional and personal lives. It has changed, and will continue to change, the way we work and live. For business to survive and thrive in this ever-changing digital landscape, it is vital to stay up-to-date. At Business Chamber Queensland we know business matters. And we know that that what matters to business is staying relevant through ongoing learning. Our Digital Skills Hub opens a world of possibilities by giving you free access to thousands of training courses – from the Basics to an Introduction to Digital Marketing to understanding SEO to Demystifying ChatGPT, and everything in between. |
Business wellness coaching and mental fitness
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Business Wellness Coaching offers free and confidential emotional coaching and wellbeing support. The Business Wellness Coaches can help with stress from many areas of your lives, such as stress from your business, or other challenges including personal, relationship or health issues. All the Business Wellness Coaches are qualified mental health and wellbeing professionals with a background in business. So you’re talking with someone who can help you ‘take the next right step’. |
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NewAccess for Small Business Owners is a free and confidential mental health coaching program, developed by Beyond Blue to give small business owners, including sole traders the support they need. |
Government support and grant finders
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Information, grants, services and support from across government to help your business succeed. |
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Information on Tax obligations and Reporting. Also great resource for Small Business and key topics and information to support small business. National Tax Clinic ProgramThe National Tax Clinic program is a government-funded initiative to help people who may not be able to afford professional advice and representation with their tax affairs. This program is available to eligible individuals, small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and charities |
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Small Business Hotline
Phone the Small Business Hotline on 1300 654 687 for information on support programs, grants and services for Queensland small businesses. |
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The Gold Coast is Australia's sixth largest city with a fast-growing economy. We're continuing to support and enable future growth to create a modern, globally connected city. Find out about the services and programs we offer businesses to support the development of one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. |
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Destination Gold Coast operates as a membership-based destination marketing organisation representing the sector and generating increased visitor demand, visitor arrivals, and visitor expenditure for the benefit of the city. DGC employs a staff of marketing and sales professionals to positively promote the Gold Coast as a leisure and business event destination through global consumer, trade, media and travel industry channels. |
Chamber of commerce
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The Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce is the only organization that champions all businesses across all industries in the City. We attract, support, and grow business through advocacy, economic development, and business development. We facilitate quality business-to-business activities and services for our members and provide a common voice to act as an intermediary to communicate business preferences, issues, and priorities to Local, State and Federal agencies. |
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The goal of the Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce is to provide a leadership role in achieving economic growth and encourage sustainable development of the local area which will enhance and benefit the business and general community. We achieve this through regular meetings, networking opportunities, and other functions, which include members from the local, state, and federal governments and other business leaders from around the area. The Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce is also a proud member of the Gold Coast Combined Chambers of Commerce and CCIQ |
Traffic and parking changes
As major construction progresses, traffic changes and on-street parking closures are required along the Gold Coast Highway and in some side streets.
We have developed a suite of information to help business operators stay up to date with these changes and ensure that your suppliers, customers, clients and stakeholders can navigate the changed conditions.
Parking changes
Where the Gold Coast Highway is too narrow to accommodate the light rail tracks, stations and vehicle traffic lanes, some on-street parking will need to be removed. Visit our interactive design map to see the latest designs and find out where parking will be retained.
Parking closures during construction
For the latest traffic and parking changes visit our current works map.
You can also view the dedicated precinct construction pages for Nobby Beach and Burleigh Heads for information about parking changes during construction in each local area.
A parking factsheet has been developed which provides information about how we’re managing parking changes. This information can assist in communicating to your customers or suppliers.
Local vehicle access
Vehicles accessing businesses will be different during construction with barriers and traffic bollards in place to help ensure the Gold Coast Highway remains safe for the community and our workforce.
Access to driveways and off-street parking will be maintained with a local access arrangement.
A local vehicle access factsheet has been developed to help understand local access arrangements.
Wayfinding signage
Traffic and wayfinding signage will be installed along the project alignment to assist motorists and pedestrians with navigating around construction zones.
Wayfinding signage will ensure that the community is aware that local businesses along and near to the Gold Coast Highway continue to operate as usual throughout GCLR3 works, as well as communicate important construction-related changes such as the relocation and removal of parking, pedestrian routes and vehicle detours.
