Some awards feel different.
Winning Best Innovation Business at the 2026 MidCoast Business Awards is one of those moments I'll never forget.
When I stood there accepting the award, I wasn't thinking about trophies or business plans. I was thinking about every dancer who walked through our doors with butterflies before their first pointe shoe fitting. Every mum who messaged on a Sunday because one ballet shoe had mysteriously disappeared before Monday class. Every family trying to juggle school pickups, rehearsals, competitions and everything in between.
This award belongs to them just as much as it belongs to us.
The Question That Built relevé
Since bringing the relevé brand to life in 2023, I've asked myself the same question over and over:
How can we make this experience better?
Better for the magical moments.
Better for the stressful moments.
Better for the last-minute moments.
Better for the "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing" moments.
Innovation isn't always about inventing something completely new.
Sometimes it's about looking at an everyday experience and asking, "How can we make people feel better?"
For me, that's where innovation lives.
It's in the honest conversations.
The Sunday morning emergency messages.
Staying back after hours for a mum who works out of town.
Closing the boutique for one dancer so she has our complete attention during her pointe fitting.
It's making every customer feel genuinely supported ... not because we're trying to make a sale, but because we understand just how important these moments are.
A Dance Mum's Perspective
relevé was never created from a boardroom strategy.
It was created from lived experience.
I'm a dance mum.
Before purchasing Taree Ballet Gear in 2023, I experienced the same frustrations as so many regional dance families. The store was tired, stock was limited and it often wasn't open when families actually needed it. Like many parents, I found myself shopping online instead.
That became my greatest advantage.
I already knew exactly what regional dance families needed because I was one of them.
So instead of simply opening another dance store, we built something completely different.
Today relevé combines a vibrant retail boutique with a thriving online store, local delivery, click-and-collect in Forster, after-hours customer support and personalised services that fit around the chaotic schedules of dance families.
We even created our Mum Chill Zone—a comfortable space where parents can fix hair, change uniforms, catch their breath and reset between school pickup and dance drop-off.
Every decision starts with one simple question:
"Would this make life easier for dance families?"
Our Biggest Innovation: Pointe Shoe Collective
While our entire business has been built around improving the customer experience, our biggest innovation has been the creation of Pointe Shoe Collective.
Until recently, regional dancers had very few options when it came to professional pointe shoe fittings.
Families regularly travelled to Newcastle, Sydney or even Brisbane simply to access an accredited fitter.
That meant significant travel costs, missed work, accommodation expenses and long days on the road.
I knew regional dancers deserved better.
To bring that expertise home, I travelled to Melbourne to become an accredited pointe shoe fitter before completing advanced education with internationally recognised pointe shoe brand Gaynor Minden and further specialised training with globally respected pointe shoe expert Josephine Lee.
But professional fitting was only part of the vision.
I wanted to completely transform what receiving your first pair of pointe shoes felt like.
More Than Just A Shoe Fitting
For many dancers, their first pair of pointe shoes represents years of hard work, dedication and dreaming.
It's their Cinderella moment.
So we treat it that way.
Every fitting takes place privately after hours, with the boutique closed exclusively for one dancer and their family.
There are no interruptions.
No queues.
No pressure.
Just time to understand their feet, explain every shoe, answer every question and ensure they leave feeling confident.
Every dancer receives a keepsake Polaroid to take home while another signed photo is added to our in-store Pointe Wall ... a growing celebration of our incredible dance community.
The result isn't just a shoe fitting.
It's a core memory.
Innovation Beyond Pointe Shoes
Innovation at relevé extends well beyond Pointe Shoe Collective.
We've partnered with local business WorkWise Clothing to produce custom studio uniforms.
We launched our Model for a Day campaign, featuring local dancers as the faces of our brand, photographed by local creative Jake Davey and Lenshead.
We've continued investing heavily in our online shopping experience so regional dancers across Australia can access quality dancewear with confidence.
And now we're entering our next chapter.
Our Rebrand Era is refining our visual identity, marketing and boutique experience to better connect with teenage dancers, pre-professionals and professionals while staying true to the vibrant community we've built.
The Impact
Winning Best Innovation Business isn't simply recognition for a new service.
It's recognition that putting people first works.
Today families travel from across regional New South Wales, including Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour for our pointe shoe fittings.
Our educational content has grown our social community.
Our personalised experiences have created loyal customers who return year after year.
Most importantly, regional dancers now have access to specialist expertise that was once only available in major cities.
That's something I'm incredibly proud of.
Thank You
To my biggest supporter (and resident handyman), Adam…
To my beautiful family…
To my incredible team, Tami and Kirra…
Thank you for believing in this vision and helping turn big ideas into reality every single day.
And finally, thank you to every customer who has trusted us with your dance journey.
Whether you've visited us once or a hundred times, supported us online, shared our posts, booked a pointe fitting or simply recommended us to another family, you've helped build something incredibly special.
This award may have our name on it…
But it belongs to our entire dance community.
Here's to continuing to innovate, celebrate milestones and prove that world-class dance retail can absolutely thrive in regional Australia.
Emma Webster
Founder, relevé dance collective 🩷