The Bass Coast community came together on Friday, 23 August, to proudly celebrate the achievements of our local businesses at the 2024 Bass Coast Business Awards. Held at the beautiful RACV Resort Inverloch, the event brought together 170 business owners, operators, and supporters for an evening of recognition and celebration.
This year's awards highlighted the incredible diversity and talent within our region. The event featured locally sourced food and beverages, trophies crafted by local artisans, and local entertainment - all coming together to underscore our commitment to celebrating what makes Bass Coast unique.
A standout moment of the awards was the incredible participation in the People's Choice Awards. This year, we saw a remarkable increase in community engagement, with over 3,000 votes cast. This enthusiastic involvement showcases the strong support our local businesses receive from the community, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who took part.
"We are incredibly proud of the exceptional talent and innovation showcased at the 2024 Bass Coast Business Awards. Congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding achievements. These awards highlight not only the diversity of our local businesses but also the strong sense of community that supports them" said Bass Coast Mayor Cr Clare Le Serve. "Thank you to everyone who made this event such a wonderful celebration of all that makes Bass Coast unique."
We were thrilled to receive 54 applications from businesses for the judged categories across a wide range of industries, including home-based businesses, construction, health, retail, tourism, hospitality, and professional services.
This year we also had two Hall of Fame winners. Wildlife Coast Cruises in the Environmental Sustainability category and TerraLab in the Business Innovation category. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a business must have won that category three consecutive years in a row.
The judging panel, consisting of seven distinguished industry leaders, dedicated their time and expertise to selecting this year's winners. We extend our gratitude to:
- Chris Francis, Sustainability Victoria
- Jennifer Carroll, TheGoTo Solutions
- Kim Storey, Destination Phillip Island
- Melissa Cashman, Phillip Island Nature Parks
- Nicole Harman, Harman Wines
- Rebecca Massaro, Interchange Gippsland
- Terry Robinson, Destination Gippsland
Our sincere appreciation goes out to our sponsors for their invaluable support, which made this event possible:
- Westernport Water (Platinum Sponsor - Business of the Year)
- Destination Phillip Island (Gold Sponsor - Marketing and Communications)
- Harman Wines (Gold Sponsor - Environmental Sustainability)
- nbn Local (Gold Sponsor - Business Innovation)
- Phillip Island Business Network (Gold Sponsor - New Business)
- Phillip Island RSL (Gold Sponsor - Access, Equity and Inclusion)
- Watersure (Gold Sponsor - Event Excellence)
- Interchange Gippsland (Silver Sponsor - Health & Lifestyle)
- Telstra (Silver Sponsor - Online, Mobile and Home-Based Business)
- RACV Resort Inverloch (Venue Sponsor)
The 2024 Bass Coast Business Awards was a night to remember, celebrating the innovation and excellence of our local businesses. Council is honoured to support this event.
Business of the Year winner - Ocean Sounds 2024
Comments from the judges:
The submission stood out with great detail and impressive statistics. The Hills Are Alive Group provided extensive insights into visitor profiling, demonstrated significant sustainability initiatives, and showcased a clear vision for the future. Despite having a small team, they successfully organised a large-scale event, and had a comprehensive understanding of customers and markets, and excellent supporting documentation.
Congratulations to the full list of winners and runners-up:
Judged Awards
Access, Equity and Inclusion
- Inverloch Healthcare - Winner
- Brinnie T Design - Runner Up
Business Innovation
- TerraLab - Winner (Hall of Fame)
- Native Seed Box Pty Ltd - Runner Up
Environmental Sustainability
- Wildlife Coast Cruises - Winner (Hall of Fame)
- Native Seed Box Pty Ltd - Runner Up
Event Excellence
- Ocean Sounds 2024 - Winner
- Tidal Seafood Festival - Runner Up
Marketing and Communications
- NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park - Winner
- Bass Coast Boat & Caravan Storage - Runner Up
New Business
- Native Seed Box Pty Ltd - Winner
- Made. By Bronte - Runner Up
People's Choice Awards
Accommodation and Tourism Attraction
- Anchor Belle Holiday Park - Winner
- Maru Koala and Animal Park - Runner Up
- NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park - Runner Up
Food and Beverage
- The Muffin Lady - Winner
- Harman Wines - Runner Up
Hair and Beauty
- Hair By Karra - Winner
- Dead4eva Designs - Runner Up
Health and Lifestyle
- Cor Pilates - Winner
- Balance Health Phillip Island - Runner Up
Online, Mobile and Home-Based Business
- Made. By Bronte - Winner
- Foodies On Phillip Island - Runner Up
Retail and Services
- Bass Strait Direct - Winner
- Bass Coast Boat & Caravan Storage - Runner Up
Trade
- C&K Welding and Fabrication - Winner
- ESI Solutions Pty Ltd - Winner
