Local Networking Nights November 2026

Most small businesses tell their story one post at a time. Same message, same picture, pushed out on four different channels, hoping something sticks.

There's a better way — and in November we're going to build one in the room, live.

Dr Karen Sutherland joins us for a 40-minute interactive workshop on transmedia storytelling: telling one connected story across different channels, where each channel adds something new and your customers help shape where the story goes next.

This isn't a slide deck. Karen will take one business from the room—its products, its customers, its actual goal—and build a campaign for it in front of you, using AI to develop the story, generate the images, and fold in ideas contributed by the audience that night. You'll watch a campaign go from a two-minute brief to finished assets before the session ends.

It's designed specifically for small business owners working with limited budgets and no marketing team.

What you'll take away

• What transmedia storytelling actually is — and why one story across many channels beats the same post everywhere

• How to give each channel its own job, so your audience gets something new wherever they meet you

• Practical ways to invite customers into your campaign, so they expand and shape the story instead of just watching it

• A live look at how AI handles the heavy lifting — story development, campaign images, even short video

• A repeatable approach you can run on your own business, on a small-business budget

How the session runs

Karen takes a volunteer business from the room and builds a single campaign across three live AI demos:

• Welcome and introduction — the three moving parts: storytelling, multiple platforms, audience participation

• Meet our volunteer business — what it sells, who buys, what the campaign needs to achieve, and which channels it already uses

• Demo 1 — Storytelling — campaign story directions generated live, with the owner and the room picking and refining one

• Demo 2 — Multiple platforms — two real campaign images for different channels, each carrying a different part of the story

• Demo 3 — Audience participation — designing how customers contribute, then generating a new image from the room's input

• Reveal and wrap-up — the connected campaign start to finish, plus questions

Want your business to be the one on screen? Let us know when you register — Karen works best with a business chosen ahead of time, ideally with a product or business photo ready to go.

About Dr Karen Sutherland

Dr Karen Sutherland is an educator, researcher and author at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) and Co-Founder and Director of Dharana Digital. Her work focuses on social media, storytelling and the practical use of AI in communication. She is the author of Transmedia Brand Storytelling, AI for Strategic Communication and Strategic Social Media Management. Karen works with businesses to apply these ideas to their own communication through training, consulting and speaking.

Sponsor spotlight: Emple

November's Local Networking Nights is proudly sponsored by Emple — "Your Sales Success, Systemised."

Emple builds Sales Engines for B2B founders ready to scale: documented systems, playbooks, and leadership structures that turn a founder's personal sales ability into something an entire team can run without them. Their clients typically see 30–40% higher conversion rates, and Emple was named Sales Consulting Practice of the Year at the 2026 Global Stevie® Awards — the only Australian firm recognised in the category.

Michael Dunne, Sales Strategist at Emple, will speak briefly on the night about what changes when your sales process stops living in your head. [TO CONFIRM — slot length and exact topic]

If sales still depend entirely on you, it's worth a conversation: emple.com.au

More than a talk

Local Networking Nights is about connecting beyond the profile. Alongside Karen's workshop, you'll get a relaxed evening of face-to-face networking with Sunshine Coast business owners, leaders and professionals — the kind of room where genuine conversations happen, not hard-sell pitches. Food and refreshments are included, and it's free to attend.

First time coming along?

You're in good company — plenty of attendees come on their own, and the format is built to make connecting easy from the moment you walk in.

Reserve your free ticket now — spots fill up.

Buy Local Sunshine Coast is hosting the event. Thanks to Buy Local Sunshine Coast for supporting this event. Local businesses can join for free to promote their services, increase visibility, and help the Sunshine Coast business community thrive.