The golden opportunity of the Olympics has been seized by Penrith City Council with the launch of its biggest bid yet to market Penrith Valley to the world.
A year on from the start of the Penrith Valley: River, Mountains, Lakes marketing program, Penrith City Mayor John Bateman has launched a range of new tools for local business, tourism providers and Council to showcase the city internationally.
Two videos, a CD ROM, postcards, fact sheets, a visitor guide, web page and a range of professional photographs form the basis of the Penrith Valley Olympic Showcasing Program.
It is in kit form to be used by anyone in the City to attract business, investment and visitors in the years to come. It has been developed to maximise the international opportunities presented by the worldwide interest in the area because of the upcoming Olympics.
With two Olympic venues and three Olympic events being held in the City, it is hoped the world’s television and print media will want to tell their audiences more about the region as part of their ‘beyond the venues’ Games coverage.
Mayor John Bateman said that the showcasing tools have drawn together the many options in the modern world to target and inform a potential audience.
“The CD ROM and website provide the IT tools to access information about the area, while the videos and photographs can illustrate more about our region through pictures than words could,” he said.
“We hope the free postcards will be sent around the world to bring Penrith Valley into the homes of potential visitors everywhere.”
The Penrith Valley: River, Mountains, Lakes Marketing Strategy has brought Penrith City a long way forward to give the region a distinct identity separate from other parts of Western Sydney.
The theme was developed by consultants Creative Response, who discovered through intensive research with locals and outsiders that the three major geographical features of the region were not appreciated.
“The term Penrith Valley was found to evoke a more positive perception of the area than the word Penrith on its own,” said Councillor Bateman.
“It emphasises the link with the natural assets and the existence of space and a more relaxed lifestyle.”
He said the idea of developing a program such as this to be used by everyone in the City to promote the region, rather than just the Council, was believed to be the first in Australia.
One of the most important outcomes of the initiative will be to attract business investment to increase the local jobs to workforce ratio and offer the City’s residents a more attractive lifestyle choice with jobs close to home.
Tourism is also hoped to be boosted as part of a longer term strategy for the region to be identified as an aquatic recreation centre, located at the foot of the scenic Blue Mountains.
This is supported by the conversion of the former gravel quarries to the innovative Penrith Lakes Scheme and the establishment of the only manmade whitewater stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, built especially for the Sydney 2000 games.
For further information contact Paul Page, Penrith City Council, telephone (02) 4732 7866 or visit the Penrith Valley website at www.penrithvalley.com.au
