Networks and professional groups

Whether you work within professional services, the tech industry, a startup or advanced manufacturing, in Wollongong there are professional groups, business networks and networking events to align with your business.

The city’s supportive business community will help you further develop your skilled workforce by helping you and your team to grow professionally, as well as provide the opportunity to create new business relationships and meet new supply chain or project partners.

Inclusive and welcoming business community

There are many reasons why you’ll find Wollongong’s business community welcoming and inclusive. One of these is that welcoming spirit is at the very essence of our community. In day-to-day life, having a conversation with people you don’t know is the norm rather than the exception.

Business owners and company executives within Wollongong are also eager so see our city thrive, for more jobs to be created locally and for more people to enjoy our vibrant coastal city as their workplace. We all appreciate the privilege and benefits to our work-life balance we get to experience by being able to live and work in one of Australia’s most liveable cities, Wollongong.

Diverse local economy, national and global companies

There are hundreds of successful businesses based in Wollongong and many businesses with national and global reach. These include NEC, Mercer, Peoplecare and Cardno.

Exposure to local businesses will give you and other key decision-makers in your business peace of mind that Wollongong is a superior business location many successful brands have chosen as a base.

The reasons for selecting Wollongong vary, but key reasons include the city’s large talent pool, proximity to Sydney and supportive business environment.

Global university

The University of Wollongong (UOW) was founded on the donations of local people with a vision of a brighter future for our region. Since then, UOW has earned its place as one of the top-ranked universities worldwide through world-class research and teaching.

The University’s work with industry, research partners, governments, and communities is helping to address society’s most critical challenges. Its researchers, graduates and teachers inspire a better future through education, research and partnership – and they are recognised as some of the best in the world.

UOW has many faculties, research initiatives, institutes and opportunities for companies of any size to learn from or collaborate with. It is providing solutions that support emerging businesses and transform core industries to adopt advanced technologies and innovative systems.

The University’s focus on local industry has often been mentioned as a major benefit for businesses who are looking for a new base where they can join an innovative ecosystem and thrive in a supportive business environment.

Support and advocacy from government

Wollongong City Council and NSW Government are passionate about assisting businesses in Wollongong to grow, and attracting more businesses to our region.

Invest Wollongong itself is a partnership between Wollongong City Council, NSW Government and the University of Wollongong.

There are many ways that we can help you including introduce you to people within your specific sector, and across the Wollongong business community.

Infrastructure and support services

Wollongong is well connected to Sydney and Canberra by road and rail. It also has its own airport within the region with daily flights to Melbourne and Brisbane. Our CBD provides a diversity of real estate options for businesses including A-grade, B-grade and co-working spaces.

Our vibrant coastal city is also digitally connected allowing businesses in Wollongong to easily access and export to markets across the world. To complement the high-quality broadband network with double and triple fibre redundancy options, NBN has been rolled out throughout the city, providing local businesses with a fast and reliable connection.

Wollongong is also home to the Digital Living Lab that has deployed a radio communication network across the Wollongong region using LoRaWAN and other technologies for businesses to use. It is an open free-to-air Internet of Things (IoT) network that allows for the transportation of data from sensors to the user using a number of gateways.

“We find that the ecosystem of business here in Wollongong support us and will continue to support us for the future.”

— John Kollaras, Managing Director, Kollaras Group

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