The results of Geelong Design Week have come in, making the event the City of Greater Geelong’s most successful Geelong Design Week to date.
From 19-29 October, Geelong Design Week celebrated the City of Greater Geelong’s UNESCO City of Design designation. The event spanned 52 free and ticketed events across eleven days including topics from sustainability, First Nations, through to technological innovations and architecture.
Geelong Design Week provided an extensive array of activities tailored for families with children, youth, design enthusiasts through to professionals.
Event highlights included Tim Ross’ Designing a Legacy’ Live Show, ‘Challenges of Small Business and Design’ Talk with Greenhouse Interiors and a Geelong Urban Design Walking Tour – all of which were booked out.
Geelong Design Week shattered previous attendance records, confirming an astounding 17,288 attendances at events. This notable figure signifies a remarkable surge of 172 percent from last year, affirming the event’s growing popularity and appeal.
Among the attendees, an impressive 67 percent hailed from Geelong and its surrounding suburbs, underscoring the local community’s interest in design topics and need for events opening the conversation to design-thinking.
Furthermore, 26 percent of participants journeyed from the Melbourne Metro area, compared to eight percent in 2022, indicating an expanding regional draw and heightened interest in the event.
This year’s event witnessed a significant milestone with attendees recorded travelling from interstate for the first time, and six percent of attendees hailing from regional Victorian areas other than Greater Geelong. This signals the event’s widening national allure and attracting visitors from across state border and diverse audience base.
High-level estimates suggest that the impact of visitors attending Geelong Design Week events from outside Greater Geelong alone injected $1.6 million revenue into the local economy.
Recent recognition of projects included in this year’s program include Deakin’s Perpetual Pigments: Sustainable Colour Continuous Culture exhibition announced as a finalist for the international Anthem Awards for product innovation in the Sustainability, Environment & Climate category. The City’s Dell Eco Reef has just been announced as the winner of the international Dezeen Award for Sustainable Design (Building Product) of the Year 2023.
The event stimulated professional development within our local design sector and created avenues for critical discussions.
By facilitating interactions and collaborations among designers, Geelong Design Week encouraged the exchange of ideas and skills, nurturing a vibrant creative ecosystem within our community.
The event’s emphasis on critical conversations and thought-provoking discussions spurred the exploration of pressing issues in design, fostering a deeper understanding and awareness among participants.
Geelong Design Week advanced the dialogue on positioning Geelong as Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design with the potential to grow into an ongoing major annual event.
Mayor Trent Sullivan
The overwhelming response and diverse representation at this year’s Geelong Design Week validated Geelong’s position as a premier destination for design engagement.
Geelong Design Week’s success in enhancing Geelong’s reputation as a hub for creativity and design excellence has reinforced the city’s standing as a trailblazing centre for innovative design.
The multifaceted Geelong Design Week events provided a platform for local design talents to showcase their works, expertise, and innovations to the wider community and visitors, as well as amplifying their visibility and recognition.
