Marketing of central Geelong pays off

THE Central Geelong Marketing Committee is getting bang for its buck, with the latest figures showing it is generating $15 for every dollar of income it gets.

The committee’s role is to market, promote and activate Central Geelong, and during the past financial year, it brought in $1.066 million via the special rate and delivered a Total Economic Output (TEO) of $16.74 million through its flagship activities.

More than 136,346 people participated in a Central Geelong Marketing activity during 2017-18.

The initiative with the greatest financial impact was the Central Geelong Sidewalk Sales + Shopping Festival, which attracted 26,295 participants and produced a TEO of $4.9 million.

Other successful activities included Christmas in Central Geelong (51,592 participants, TEO $3.77 million); the Central Geelong School Holiday Fun Program (30,442 participants, TEO $3.19 million); Tastes of Central Geelong (23,540 participants, TEO $2.49 million); and the May Magic Spend and Win promotion (4677 entries, TEO $832,000).

The committee’s programs in 2018-19 will include development of a new program aimed at informing and engaging Central Geelong residents, and an increased focus on the Professional Services Campaign, which encourages people in Wyndham and surrounding areas to choose Central Geelong as an attractive and viable alternative to the Melbourne CBD for doing business.

“The ongoing success of Central Geelong as the ‘heart’ of our region is important, and provides broad community benefit,” Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said.

“These figures are very positive, and clearly show that the activities resulting from the special rate are adding to the vibrancy of Central Geelong.

“Importantly, the majority of programs delivered by Central Geelong Marketing are free to attend, providing entertainment for children and families.”