Griffith Business School (GBS) has secured a $20,000 Queensland Government grant to help inspire a new breed of young entrepreneurs in the tourism, sport and events industries.

The grant, from the Advance Queensland Young Starters Fund, will be applied to a project being undertaken in partnership with GBS’s Griffith Institute for Tourism, the University of Queensland and Gold Coast-based start-up technology company Me Media.

The project plans to create a series of five webinars and a new networking forum that will build upon the existing start-up website Mentor Revolution, which was established last year by Me Media founder Chris Hogan.

Mentor Revolution provides a platform for entrepreneurs to access information to help launch their new start-up project or take their existing business to a new level.

Dr Sarah Gardiner, senior lecturer at Griffith’s Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management, said the planned webinars will feature interviews with young entrepreneurs operating in the fields of tourism, sports and events. The interviews will highlight the hurdles and milestones they have hit on their journey to business success.

“These are important recruits in the Queensland start-up ecosystem, as the industries in which they operate have high growth potential and are particularly important to Queensland in the lead-up to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games,” said Dr Gardiner.

Young entrepreneurs

“The webinars will be actively promoted to potential young entrepreneurs, targeting students at Griffith University and University of Queensland through a range of media channels.”

Dr Gardiner is collaborating with Dr Sheranne Fairley, a senior lecturer with UQ Business School, to bring the project to fruition.

The planned launch in October will comprise separate events at each university campus where representatives from Queensland’s start-up ecosystem, including the business, government andeducation sector, will be invited to attend.

“These events will provide an opportunity for networking between students, entrepreneurs and business leaders with the aim of encouraging conversations that can facilitate a start-up culture among university students across Queensland,” said Dr Gardiner.

“Our overall goal is to encourage young high performing university business students to consider starting up a business.

“The project will also build a strong entrepreneurial culture that values innovation, which is already evident in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.”