Loading Ruapehu Week

LOADING RUAPEHU WEEK AIMS TO GET LOCAL BUSINESSES TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES

Ruapehu District Council (RDC) wants to get all Ruapehu businesses and organisations online and making the most out of the opportunities the internet offers.

As part of this drive Council has organised Loading Ruapehu Week' (1-5 August) with a series of Social Media for Business Workshops which includes the release of an inspirational video featuring Ruapehu businesses successfully using social media and the internet, and the offer of a free hosted web page for all Ruapehu businesses.

RDC Environmental Planner Lauren Gram said that these activities were part of the Digital Enablement Plan (DEP) that was submitted to government in September last year advocating for Ruapehu to be included in the next round of government's broadband investment rollout.

The DEP needed to show how Council would support our communities with getting connected and enable them to reap the benefits of improved internet services, she said.

The Social Media Workshops are designed to do just this and help give local businesses the practical skills they need to get online and take full advantage of the opportunities and benefits this brings.

They are being held in Taumarunui (Council Chambers 2 August), National Park (The Park 3 August) and Ohakune (Council Chambers 4 August) all starting at 6.30pm.

The inspirational video featuring Ruapehu businesses succeeding through social media and internet use has been produced to help encourage others to do the same and contains a range of different enterprises including; farm based specialty products, Iwi, tourism and retail.

People will be able to see how being online is helping these enterprises to be more effective and successful and hopefully be inspired to do the same.

Ms. Gram said that in addition Council is offering all Ruapehu businesses and organisations a free hosted web page on Ruapehu's AboutUs website.

For anyone who isn't yet online, or even if they have their own website, they should take advantage of this opportunity.

AboutUs provides a free online presence along with lots of helpful advice on how to best use the internet to increase sales, reduce costs and grow the bottom line.

More information on Loading Ruapehu Week can be found on ruapehudc.govt.nz or alternatively please call either myself or Samantha Arthur-Curtis via your local Council office.

For more info and to register for the Social Media Workshops see: http://goo.gl/7vbOq3

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