While City Link will be familiar to Victorian readers as the name of the widesweeping infrastructure changes revolutionising road transport in Melbourne, in Burnie Tasmania, City Link refers to the road to better promotion of its Central Business District with Burnie City Council playing a pivotal role.
While Burnie has a robust economy, being Australia’s fifth largest container terminal and a gateway to the major tourist areas of the scenic north west coast of the State, until recently there had been little effort put in to marketing the attractions of the City itself. Previous attempts had wallowed through lack of direction and cohesion.
In 1997, Council’s Community and Marketing Services Department endeavoured to get the ball rolling with the appointment of a Projects/Promotions Officer to facilitate meetings between local business people.
While there was support for the idea, funding was an issue. Instead of direct funding, Council gave ‘in kind support’ in the form of services provided by Promotions Officer, Stephen Hite, and some administrative funding.
This ensured the business people themselves retained ownership of the organisation and its direction. The result was the establishment of City Link which is set to recreate the Burnie CBD as a vibrant hub.
In just a few months, City Link has organised several major promotions, including a ‘Cash Giveaway’ competition that generated 70,000 entries and ‘Sidewalk Sellout’ activities in closed main streets.
Burnie City Council believes that not only has this resulted in a more vibrant and cohesive City, it may be the cheapest promotional body established in Australia. Council’s contribution of part salary and some administrative costs together with money raised through levies and sponsorships totals just $40,000.
Stephen Hite said the new promotional strategy is not the only answer to all issues in the CBD. However, he sees a challenge in getting more business people involved and keeping everyone informed about new developments.
For further information contact Stephen Hite, telephone (03) 6431 3896.
