What does innovation mean to you? Do you seek to be innovative to help you adapt, grow and succeed? If so, have you thought about entering the Excellence in Innovation award in the 2016 Shoalhaven Business Awards?

Sponsored by Quest Apartments Nowra, this award recognises businesses that have made significant contributions to their industry through the introduction or improvement of an idea, method, technology, process or application.

We talk with James Blanchett, Quest Apartments Nowra franchisee, about the importance of innovation and his synergistic approach to doing business in the Shoalhaven.

 

Why does Quest Nowra sponsor the Awards?

Sponsoring the Awards is a fantastic way for us to help foster a strong business community in the Shoalhaven. The Awards process calls on businesses to analyse not only what they have achieved and how they’ve done it, but to look forward to how they can improve in the future and other areas in which they might grow. It’s a very valuable business improvement process. The gala event itself is wonderful celebration of all these achievements and provides new benchmarks for us all to strive for in the coming year.

 

What does innovation mean to you? 

Innovation is about finding a way to do something better. It’s about empowering people to put forward their ideas and provide the support they need to transform these ideas into positive change.

 

Why do you think it’s important to think innovatively in business? In your industry?

Innovation is the key to driving business success. In our industry, innovation is critical to improving the overall experience for our guests. Thanks to a wide range of new channels that capture guest feedback, such as booking portals and review sites, we can now access lots of information about what our customers expect. Our job is to use this information to innovate, finding ways to better meet or exceed their needs and improve their experience with us.

 

What does Quest Apartment Hotels do that’s innovative?

Quest Apartment Hotels has this year become the first official accommodation partner of Thankyou. Participating Quest properties, including Quest Nowra, now supply Thankyou bottled water in our apartments. Supporting Thankyou contributes to life-changing work to provide safe drinking water to communities in need. Not only are we supplying a product our guests would routinely seek out, but we have found a way to do this while making a real difference to those less fortunate.

 

What’s the best example of innovation you’ve come across in 2016?

A really exciting innovation that I came across recently is the development of transparent solar cells that can be used to harvest ambient light and generate electricity. Unlike existing solar panels, the transparency of the newly designed cells means they can be used on a range of products that we use everyday. Everything from smartphones to skyscrapers windows. Imagine a smartphone that never runs out of battery, or a skyscraper completely powered by the sun. Amazing!

 

Our Awards theme this year is Synergise. Why do you think it’s important that businesses in the Shoalhaven find opportunities to work together?

I think it’s important to think and act beyond the bounds of our own businesses. We all share the same common goals of wanting to support a dynamic and robust business economy in the Shoalhaven while providing the best possible service for our customers. Exploring ways of partnering with local businesses opens up a whole range of opportunities for both businesses to grow and improve what they do. Providing support for each other helps us all to rise to the next level.

 

In the spirit of synergy and innovation, James is this year offering something new to guests of the Business Awards gala. Every Awards guest can continue their night in style, by staying at Quest Apartments Nowra with an exclusive and generously reduced rate. A unique promotional code will be provided upon purchase of your Awards ticket.

Thanks James and the team at Quest Apartments Nowra for your innovative and synergistic support of the Awards!

If you would like to show us how you’re being innovative in your business, enter the Excellence in Innovation award here.

Quest

 

 

 

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