Council has decided to continue funding the marketing and activation of central Geelong.
At its meeting on Tuesday, Council voted to include $700,000 in its Proposed 2022-23 Budget, to deliver a program of activities and marketing campaigns for central Geelong, and to develop a three-year marketing strategy to inform future funding and activities.
The funding allocation follows Council’s decision in May 2021 to not declare the Central Geelong Special Rate, which had previously applied to 1466 commercial properties in the central business district.
Instead, Council allocated $700,000 in the 2021-22 Budget to deliver activation and marketing activities, ahead of a review of the program.
The review and recommendations, undertaken by consultants TownSquare, were presented to the Council at its meeting.
Brownbill Ward Councillor Peter Murrihy said Council was committed to continuous improvement and aimed to deliver meaningful support to businesses and organisations in central Geelong.
Council recognises that a thriving city centre is in everyone’s interests, as it will have flow-on benefits for the wider region. We sought the review to help identify clever and creative opportunities to promote central Geelong and attract more visitors to the area.
The report highlights how Central Geelong is our ‘economic engine room’, supporting over 27,000 jobs, and embodying Geelong’s identity and civic pride.
TownSquare’s report recommends the new marketing program for central Geelong is aligned with the City’s Clever and Creative Vision and Our Community Plan 2021-25.
It calls for six identified ‘precincts’ within central Geelong to be highlighted and promoted, delivering equitable benefit to businesses across the city centre.
The report also recommends creating a marketing program that “will put its strategic focus on the needs of the people of Geelong first, as these are the people whose choice to spend time in Central Geelong will determine the long-term fortunes of the area and the businesses that operate within it”.
