Over the course of this year, a common topic of conversation has been how do we define the Geelong-ness of Geelong?
What is it about Geelong that makes it what it is, that we use to spruik our city?
A common answer is, if you know you know. For those of us already here, that’s all well and good, but it doesn’t really explain Geelong’s awesomeness to an external audience.
How do we continue to attract people, business and investment here?
What is the Geelong identity?
The Committee for Geelong was fortunate enough to have the CEO of Brand Tasmania, Todd Babiak speak at our AGM recently.
Todd spoke to the development of the “Tasmanian” brand. A simple, but powerfully effective way of capturing the essence of what makes Tassie unique, appealing and special. It’s the identity of the people, the places, and the products that resonates. When you hear something is Tasmanian, it evokes a certain perception.
Pivotonian doesn’t quite carry the same marketability, but it captures the same essence. We are a growing city. Victoria’s next major city. A city on the rise.
We are a connected city with our proximity to Melbourne, good road and rail connections, Avalon Airport and The Port of Geelong.
We are a clever city, home to a leading university, high quality TAFE, and exceptional educational institutions.
We are a creative city, a UNESCO City of Design. You see examples of this in our iconic architecture, in our advanced manufacturing that we sell to the world and in our creative industries producing global success stories like Back-to-Back Theatre Company.
People are drawn here for our diverse economy and industries, for our proximity to the coast, for our CBD on a north-facing waterfront.
The Cats have become a destination club, in many parts because Geelong has become a destination city and a destination lifestyle.
It’s not one thing, but the total package that differentiates Geelong and gives it it’s Geelong-ness.
At its core, we are a community city. We are built on relationships, networks and communities. It is the people in this city that make it what it is, and our willingness to pitch in for a good cause that unites us.
Whatever the brand, however you define us, we have all the ingredients to see Geelong continue to thrive. We know what we need to make Geelong grow well, but we need to better utilise our strengths to make it happen. And one of our core strengths is our connected leadership.
We have the people and the culture in this city to make things happen; we need to stop waiting around for someone else to do it.
Michael Johnston
CEO, Committee for Geelong