Destination Wollongong Annual Report 2014/15

Destination Wollongong
annual report 2014-15
visitwollongong.com.au
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CONTENTS
Front cover image: William Patino. Back cover image Warren Keelan
Chairman’s Report
4
General Manager’s Report
5
1. Destination Marketing
6
2. City Centre
11
3. Major Events
15
4. Conference and Events
16
5.Visitor Information
17
6. Statistics
18
Financial Statements
19
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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Dear friends,
The time has come for me to move along, so I will take this
opportunity to advise of my resignation from the board of
Destination Wollongong.
I’m extremely proud to have been part of the changes in the
organisation since being first elected in 2006. I said two years ago
that I would do another term as Chairman while we transitioned.
Now that we have the security of a solid new funding relationship
and the structure to move forward strategically, the time is right
to step aside. It’s really time for me to re-focus on my business
interests.
It will come as no surprise to hear that I still have a great passion
for seeing the visitor economy grow to become an even more
significant part of the Illawarra’s future. I believe we’ve established
the ground work and set up the organisation to continue delivering
on its service promise to Wollongong City Council, but also to be
the driver and motivator of significant change in the region.
Our Destination Development Plan is such an exciting document
and it has proven to be ahead of its time. There are many within
Destination NSW, the state government and various tourism
industry groups that are now focussing on the supply side and
product as the true demand drivers. This is another achievement we
can all be proud of, but I feel we have such a long way to go to be
able to deliver an improvement in product for the region.
Our attitude as a region has to move away from thinking
that footpaths and toilet blocks somehow constitute tourism
infrastructure and instead get serious about major projects that will
ensure the Illawarra grows to become a leading regional tourism
destination. Jim Eddy used to explain it as “giving the natural
attractions a hand”.
I’m preaching to the converted I know, but Wollongong absolutely
needs to create a waterfront tourism precinct around Belmore
Basin and City Beach to connect to the CBD. We absolutely need
power and water at Mt Keira lookout and of course we should
have a gondola there, as well as a convention centre in the
Wollongong CBD.
GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT
I also want to acknowledge the strategic role that Greg Doyle has
played in truly engaging with us over the past six years. Destination
Wollongong is very well resourced compared to similar cities in
NSW and in fact Australia. This is in no small part due to Greg’s
willingness to embrace our passion for growing visitation and events
and “believing in the dream”. He has not only learned the true
value of what the organisation is delivering, but become a staunch
advocate.
An early hotel general manager impressed upon me nearly 20 years
ago the advice I always try to heed – “don’t sweat the small stuff ”.
So my advice for the new Destination Wollongong; don’t get
bogged down in the minutiae and don’t let vocal minorities and the
red tape brigade steal your imagination and motivation.
As you all know,
Wollongong has amazing potential and the
Destination
Wollongong
unparalleled opportunity to capitalise on our proximity to the
burgeoning Sydney population, instead of just becoming part of it.
ABN: 83 002 291 590
Directors'
Report
I’ve genuinely
learned plenty from my time on the Tourism
For
the Year Ended 30
Junethen
2014 Destination Wollongong boards and I truly
Wollongong
and
feel privileged to have met and worked with so many amazing
people.
Auditor's independence declaration
I wish you all good luck in this next phase of the Destination
Wollongong story. Stay focussed on setting big picture goals and
delivering the strategies to make things happen.
The lead auditor's independence declaration in accordance with section 307C of the Corporations Act 2001, for the year
ended 30 June 2014 has been received and can be found on page 5 of the financial report.
Signed in accordance with a resolution of the Board of Directors:
Matt Davidson
Chairman
I’m very excited to announce that Destination Wollongong has
recently entered into a new five year funding agreement with
Wollongong City Council, with tenure taking us through to 2021.
This has involved some changes to governance arrangements,
aligning us more closely than ever with our major stakeholder –
Wollongong City Council.
Having guaranteed funding for such a period gives us the
opportunity to concentrate on developing a visitor strategy aligned
with the NSW Government Visitor Economy Taskforce report
which aims to double the overnight visitor economy by 2020. At
a time when many Councils are re-considering their investment
in the visitor economy, our Council has shown great strategic
appreciation of the role that visitors play in a vibrant and diversified
economy. We thank the Lord Mayor and Councillors for having such
confidence in our organisation.
We have also recently announced a major funding partnership with
Destination NSW relating to the relaunch of Grand Pacific Drive.
This has been three years in planning and we thank Destination
NSW for their ongoing support and guidance.
Recently, we have seen a significant change in the narrative around
the visitor economy.
With the release of the Visitor Economy Taskforce report, we
transitioned to the visitor economy, and started talking about how
much money visitors spend in local business and how many jobs the
visitor economy supports.
Wollongong
Matt Davidson
Chairman
20 October 2014
This has been a critical change in messaging. It has made business
leaders and stakeholders recognise the importance of increased
visitation. There is no business in town which isn’t genuinely affected
by the number of visitors who are coming to town.
We have come a long way, but we have not scratched the surface
of the real opportunity. We are located 73km from Sydney, and a
population of 5 million people, and 10 million overnight stays per year.
We’ve started conversations and convinced many in the community
of the economic importance of visitation and events. You can
clearly see this at the quarterly networking functions that are
now attended by heads of various industries, business groups and
government alike, as well as our valued members.
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As another year draws to a close, what better time to look back
over what has been a fantastic, one could say game changing, year
for the visitor economy of the Illawarra.
Historically we discussed tourism and associate visitors with visiting
beaches or lookouts, with few opportunities to contribute to
growing the local economy.
Even though Destination Wollongong is, for all intents and purposes
a “marketing body”, I’ve always been focused on portraying the
importance of the visitor economy to those in the community and
then to build on this understanding to motivate change and growth.
I want to acknowledge the great work of both Greg Binskin and
Mark Sleigh. Destination Wollongong (and the Illawarra in general)
has been very lucky to enjoy the service of two of the most
passionate people you could meet. On paper, Wollongong as a
tourism region should struggle against the much more developed
and established regions surrounding Sydney. The truth is that most
of these regions are envious of our structure, our resourcing and
achievements. I’ve always been impressed with the performance
of the Destination Wollongong staff and have enjoyed seeing staff
develop and move up in the organisation, or on to bigger and better
things as a result of their experience.
Friends,
We have accommodation capacity year round, even during the
extremely constrained Christmas and New Year period in Sydney.
These two factors give us a genuine competitive advantage over
other regions.
4.
It's time we were aspirational, there is absolutely no doubt that we
could double our visitor economy by 2020 and that should be our
goal. To do that, we need to concentrate on growing the supply
side of the visitor economy, we need to give visitors reasons to
put their hand in their pocket and spend money. In a true tourism
destination, a Queenstown or a Gold Coast, every business in town
understands the value of visitors. We need to embrace the tourism
culture and concentrate on having the best possible customer
service, we need to see other operators as our partners not
our competitors, we have to accept that visitors don't just come
Monday to Friday between nine and five.
We need to advocate to Local and State government about the
importance of facilitating tourism investment, and we need to make
those attractions come to life.
In August 2015 we made a major announcement regarding Royal
Caribbean bringing their first mega liner to Port Kembla in October
2016. One of the largest investors in tourism infrastructure in the
world sees world class potential in the South Coast as a destination.
It is incumbent upon all of us, to do this opportunity justice. I would
like to pay a particular mention to Councillor Leigh Colacino, who
was vital to bringing this exciting new investment to the region.
The Board of Director’s, have been instrumental in working through
the detail of the new funding agreement and inspiring the strategic
direction of the organisation.
No one will ever realise the time that our outgoing Chairman,
Matt Davidson, has volunteered to make Destination Wollongong
everything that it is. His strategic vision has driven change within the
organisation unheard of in any other region. His advocacy about the
importance of infrastructure has been acknowledged at a state and
national level.
Matt has become a massive part of our team, his friendship will be
sadly missed by all of us. Whilst we are obviously disappointed to
see Matt stand down, I am sure that he will continue a very close
association with the Organisation.
We also farewell Walter Immoos as a director after nine years, the
last three as Deputy Chairman. Walter was the first person I met
when I came home to Wollongong. He shared his vision with me
four years ago, and I am absolutely privileged to have been able to
work alongside him to help bring it to fruition. What Walter was
talking about four years ago, is more relevant than ever today and
has formed the basis for the growth of Destination Wollongong.
With the governance changes brought about through the new
funding agreement, we reluctantly also farewell Simon Hinton and
Sue Baker Finch as directors and thank them for their commitment.
Destination Wollongong is enabled by the long term strategic
support of Wollongong City Council until 2021. We thank the
Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbury OAM, and his fellow
Councillors for their leadership and support over the past twelve
months.
We work extremely closely with Wollongong City Council officers,
and in particular we thank Greg Doyle, Kerry Hunt, Mark Grimson,
Ang Perkovic, Sarah Noble and Luke McNamara for their support
and friendship over the past twelve months.
To my amazing team, it’s an absolute pleasure to come to work
every day and work with such incredible people. Your work is first
class, but more importantly, the way you work together is inspiring.
You make projects come to life selflessly, and you deserve all credit
for how far we have come over the past twelve months.
Last but not least, to all of our members, the growth in the visitor
economy is testament to the quality of what you do every day. We
have world class operators, offering world class experiences.
The Visitor Economy has a major role to play in ensuring the
successful diversification of a new and vibrant Wollongong economy.
And play that role we will.
Mark Sleigh
General Manager
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1 DESTINATION MARKETING
As of June 30 2015 the campaign
had reached over 290,000 people,
generated over 4,000 clicks...
1.1 DOMESTIC
Digital Adventure Campaign
1.1.1 Advertising Campaigns
In May and June 2014 Destination Wollongong created an advertising campaign to highlight Wollongong’s unique adventure offering. This
campaign enjoyed tremendous success reaching over 240,000 people on Facebook.
It’s ON in Wollongong
To build on the awareness this campaign generated in the Sydney market and to encourage conversion Destination Wollongong created a
pure-Facebook campaign to further reiterate the adventure product on offer and encourage bookings through a strong call-to-action.
Destination Wollongong, with the support of Destination NSW, promoted 21 events of regional significance as part of the It’s ON in
Wollongong campaign from October 2014 to April 2015. The campaign focused on two separate campaign clusters that promoted a
grouping of events to encourage overnight visitation. The clusters featured 10 primary out-of-region events, supported by a further 11
events of local significance. The key events within each cluster were promoted to locals and out-of-region visitors from Sydney
and Canberra.
The 21 events generated $23.5 million in economic impact and provided invaluable regional exposure.
The campaign was promoted via digital, outdoor, print and radio advertising. Results were strong with 342,618 people reached through the
organic posts, boosted posts and ad sets created during the campaign period on Facebook.
Industry figures for the YE December 2014 quarter support the assertion that a strong events program during this period, powered by the
It’s ON campaign, is a key factor in increasing visitation in the Illawarra and helping to convert day-trippers to overnight visitors. Domestic
overnight visitors were up by 22.6% in the region, compared to the NSW regional average of 5.5%, while day-trippers were down by 6%,
compared to the NSW regional average decrease of 1.4%.
Destination Wollongong looks forward to continuing the ongoing
partnership with Destination NSW for It’s ON in 2015/16.
The campaign commenced in June 2015, featuring three rounds of two-week Facebook advertising blocks utilising a combination of video
and still-image ads. As of June 30 2015 the campaign had reached over 290,000 people, generated over 4,000 clicks through to the
adventure page on visitwollongong.com.au where the adventure and accommodation deals were housed and had over 24,000 views of the
15-second adventure video created for the campaign. Full campaign results will be reported on in the 2015/16 Annual Report.
Great Gong Giveaway
In December 2014 Destination Wollongong facilitated the second instalment of the Great Gong Giveaway. This campaign was designed in
2013 to educate the community on tourism-related gift ideas for Christmas by giving one away each day from a Destination Wollongong
partner via Facebook in December.
In 2014 24 operators supplied vouchers as prizes for the campaign to a combined value of over $3,900 with the campaign reaching over
570,000 people.
1.1.2 Funding Applications
Visitor Guide Image Campaign
Regional Visitor Economy Fund (RVEF) Application
In October 2014 Destination Wollongong launched a digital campaign
to source and select the images for the front cover of the 2015 Visitor
Guide.
In May 2015 Destination Wollongong prepared and submitted an application to Destination NSW under their Regional Visitor Economy
Program. The funding program is open to destinations in regional NSW seeking additional funding for product development and marketing
activities. The funds are allocated on a matched dollar-for-dollar basis.
This campaign tapped into the content-sharing nature of Facebook by
inviting photographers to submit photos that were voted on by the
Wollongong, NSW, Australia Facebook community. The two photos that
received the most votes secured a position on the front cover with
the photographers also receiving additional destination prizes.
The application process required destinations to show how their project would contribute to the NSW Government Visitor Economy goal
of doubling overnight visitor expenditure to NSW by 2020.
Destination Wollongong submitted an application for $75,000 to contribute towards revamping the Grand Pacific Drive product, specifically
in the domestic market. If successful, funds will go towards the development of a new website, the creation of new video and image assets
and a seasonal marketing campaign to drive domestic awareness and encourage bookings via a new online booking system that would be
integrated with the website.
The campaign was successful in engaging both photographers and
Facebook voters with 110 photos submitted, 686 votes lodged and
over 62,000 people reached on Facebook throughout the
campaign period.
In August 2015 Destination Wollongong was notified that its application was successful and will commence work on the project in
September 2015.
Visitor Guide Facebook Competition
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1.1.3 PR/Communications
PR/Media
Throughout 2014/15 Destination Wollongong continued to engage Waples, a local marketing agency, to support in the generation of local
media stories for Destination Wollongong campaigns, events and messaging.
In addition to regular media release distribution and local media engagement, Destination Wollongong also held a media briefing dinner
in October 2014 with 20 representatives from local media outlets to inform them of Destination Wollongong’s strategic direction and
upcoming projects and events.
EDMs
Destination Wollongong continues to deliver a monthly Consumer EDM to a database of 4,000+ subscribers and a quarterly Corporate
EDM to a database of 1,650+ subscribers. Content in each EDM is targeted to the relevant market and covers a range of topics from trade
news and industry updates to new products, events, research, seasonal specials and giveaways.
Social Media
Destination Wollongong’s social media platforms are an ongoing form of regular communication with locals and potential visitors. 2014/15
saw continued growth in followers across both Facebook (30%) and Twitter (20%) compared to the same time last year.
Destination Wollongong continues to apply learnings from the coaching sessions with Destination Think! to engage followers across these
platforms and facilitate the supply of user generated content. In addition to daily posts/tweets, 2014/15 saw an increased focus on utilising
Facebook advertising to increase the reach of messaging. This focus is reflective of the shift in Destination Marketing to the digital sphere as
well as the Facebook algorithm updates that make it challenging for businesses to reach their followers organically.
Most popular Instagram posts on @visitwollongong
In 2014/15 Destination Wollongong expanded its social media presence to include Instagram. The objective is to increase followers and
engagement by posting a variety of inspiring images of Wollongong from professional and amateur photographers alike. Followers have
increased by 83% since January and the #visitwollongong hashtag has reached over 2 million people with over 4 million impressions since
January 2015.
Destination Wollongong is seeking to grow followers as much as possible in the lead up to the Instaweek Campaign in September 2015.
Instaweek will see five of Australia’s top Instagram influencers visit Wollongong from 21 to 25 September to photograph the area and share
their photos on their page. Together they reach over 840,000 followers!
One of the Instagram Influencers that will be joining the Instaweek is William Patino, a local photographer with over 119,000 followers.
Given his already strong follower base, Destination Wollongong has partnered with him in a content sharing relationship whereby Will posts
Wollongong content on his page each fortnight with the aim to 1) raise awareness of Wollongong and 2) generate more engagement and
followers on the @visitwollongong page.
Website
Destination Wollongong continues to manage the visitwollongong.com.au website with the site experiencing solid results, outperforming
2013/14 across all areas including the number of sessions (19.7% increase), number of unique visitors (15.3% increase) and the number of
pageviews (6% increase). These positive figures demonstrate the site is performing well on Google rankings and is providing users with the
information they are looking for.
In 2015 Destination Wollongong engaged WISDOM to perform website updates to ensure the site remains high-performing and userfriendly. These updates included the implementation of a “Book Now” button, the creation of a blog and updates to ensure the site displays
well across all mobile devices.
2015 Wollongong Visitor Guide
Following the overwhelming positive feedback received on the new design of the Visitor Guide, Destination Wollongong has again produced
the comprehensive publication. The Visitor Guide provides information to visitors on places to eat, things to do and places to stay. 80,000
were printed and distributed via partners, Visitor Information Centres, major cities including Sydney and Canberra and throughout
regional NSW.
1.2 INTERNATIONAL
1.2.1 Advertising & Promotion
Destination Wollongong continues to work closely with Destination NSW (DNSW) to promote Grand Pacific Drive to international
markets. In 2014/15 Grand Pacific Drive was featured in the following:
Scoot Airlines Ultimate Take Off Promotion: As a result of attending Tourism Australia’s Singapore Trade Mission in September 2014, Scoot
Airlines and DNSW invited Destination Wollongong to Singapore to help launch their new Dreamliner 787. Destination Wollongong took
part in the Scoot Ultimate Take Off Event at Marina Square to promote Australia and Grand Pacific Drive packages to consumers. Over
1020 airline tickets to Australia were sold during the one day promotion. Grand Pacific Drive also gained additional exposure via print,
radio and online promotion in Singapore and was also included in the DNSW Stretch or Splurge Scoot promotion which was sold via 15
key Singaporean travel partners.
In partnership with DNSW, Destination Wollongong provided discounted offers that were featured in DNSW’s Love Sydney consumer
trade show flyer which was distributed to over 70,000 people at the NATAS (Singapore) Travel Fair and MATTA (Malaysian) Travel Fair.
Selection of Illawarra Mercury Articles from 2015
As a result of attending the New Zealand New Product Workshop and hosting a media famil, Grand Pacific Drive featured in the Autumn
2015 Edition AA Directions Magazine with a circulation of 545,000 (largest circulation in NZ).
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2 CITY CENTRE
AA Directions Article – New Zealand
1.2.2 Trade Events
Destination Wollongong, under the Grand Pacific Drive banner, attended
four international trade events during 2014/15 to promote Wollongong
and Grand Pacific Drive as a desirable destination to key outbound travel
agents, wholesalers and online travel agencies from around the world.
Destination Wollongong met and presented the region to over 700
industry representatives during the following events: Destination NSW
South East Asia Trade Mission, New Zealand New Product Workshop,
Focus on India Workshop and Destination NSW Greater China Mission.
Summer Party ON Crown
In addition to these trade events and in collaboration with Visit Canberra,
Grand Pacific Drive features in the new Capital Coast and Country
Touring Route, which was promoted at Tourism Australia’s Australian
Tourism Exchange.
Destination NSW Greater China Mission 2015
2.1 EVENT ACTIVITY
1.2.3 Familiarisations
2.1.1 Major Events & Marketing Campaigns
In partnership with Tourism Australia and Destination NSW, Destination Wollongong hosted 15 international familiarisations in the region
with key industry, travel agents and media representatives from Hong Kong, China, India, South East Asia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
and Europe.
Destination Wollongong continues to deliver and manage a range of events in the City Centre on behalf of Wollongong City Council.
November 2014 saw the completion and celebration of the Crown Street Mall refurbishment and the Wollongong Central GPT
development. Over 90,000 people visited the new centre and shopping precinct during the first week.
Through these hosted familiarisations, travel agents and journalists are able to experience the region and the products along Grand Pacific
Drive first-hand. Famils are invaluable as they generate national and international media exposure and often result in international tourism
packages.
November ON Crown
Destination Wollongong would like to thank its partners for the support they provide in hosting these famils throughout the year.
1.3 PARTNERSHIP
To celebrate the completion of the Crown Street Mall, Destination Wollongong created
an integrated marketing and event campaign during the month of November. The two
prong approach included the creation of a new look and feel which was applied to
radio, TV, print, flag banners, bus shelters and digital channels. Alongside the marketing
and promotions, an event program was created over the four November weekends for
consumers to enjoy. Events included:
Destination Wollongong continues to maintain strong relationships with partners while working to acquire new business partnerships. The
collaboration that stems from these partnerships continues to assist Destination Wollongong in promoting Wollongong and surrounds.
– Convoy On Crown
Destination Wollongong held four partner functions and four workshops throughout 2014/15, providing valuable networking opportunities
and education content for partners ranging from digital media to a tourism awards workshop.
– Steel City Sounds On Crown
– Viva La Gong and Rock Climbing
November
ON
CROWN
– Summer Party On Crown + Official Launch of the newly refurbished
Crown Street Mall
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Christmas ON Crown – December 2014
‘What’s for Lunch’ voucher booklet
Christmas on Crown
What’s for Lunch?
Over the month of December, Christmas ON Crown was brought to life with a variety of events, decorations and entertainment.
Partnering with Wollongong Central, a 24 day Christmas event program was created to entertain and excite families. The mall was
decorated with a 20ft Christmas tree, Santa House and photography, 17 flag banners and decorative lighting. The festivities kicked off with
a Santa Arrival Parade and Looney Tunes Show. The $5 Santa Photos and Pet Photography were well received throughout the month.
School and community performances, Circus WOW, and an entertainment program for kids with Big Fat Smile were some of the additional
activations that took place to attract shoppers and consumers into the precinct. Radio advertising, online promotions, competitions, print
and signage material were created to promote the calendar of events.
In April and May 2015 Destination Wollongong created ‘What’s for Lunch’ voucher booklet to target the 11,500 CBD workers in the City
Centre and inform them of the variety of eateries within close walking distance to their office. There were over 30 food retailers featured
and 5,000 copies distributed to key businesses and organisations over a six week period. This campaign was a success, promoting the food
choices and great deals at hand as well as driving new sales into stores.
Easter ON Crown
In April 2015 Destination Wollongong created and executed an Easter event and marketing campaign. The shop-to-win marketing
campaign incentivised shoppers with the chance to win a $1,000 gift card with every $10 spend at a participating store. Retailers were
also encouraged to be involved with the retailer distributing the most entered forms receiving an Easter hamper for their store. Over 50
retailers from Crown Street Mall and Wollongong Central participated and over 1,000 consumers entered the one-week campaign. This
tactical campaign was successful in driving foot traffic and consumer spend in participating stores and was well received by retailers and
consumers alike.
To complement the campaign, a family Easter event was held on Easter Saturday. Activities included child entertainers, a jumping castle, face
painting, arts and crafts, music and special appearances by the Easter Bunny.
Ongoing Communications
In additional to these campaigns, Destination Wollongong continues to promote the City Centre and its retailers and businesses via regular
marketing communications including the quarterly Season On Crown flyer (over 5,000 distributed per quarter), feature tiles on wollongong.
com (which attracts up to 300,000 unique visitors per year), eNewsletters (database exceeds 5,000) and social media activity (Crown St
Mall Facebook page boasts over 3,000 fans).
2.1.2 Community and Other Events
With the refurbishment complete, the Crown Street Mall has
been re-introduced as a space for businesses and communities
to hold events and activations. Over 100 performances, pop up
displays and promotions were held in in 2014/15, making the Mall
a unique experience for shoppers and visitors to enjoy.
Other events that Destination Wollongong facilitated and
provided marketing support to included Tutti in Piazza, Viva la
Gong, Justice Crew - hosted by Telstra Thanks, The Color Run
Dome, 3x3 Basketball plus many more. Retailers are informed
of all events and encouraged to participate by providing deals or
having a stall near the event.
Eat Street is a new market that was introduced in January 2015
and has been hugely popular, giving the community an excellent
dining option on a Thursday evening and an added reason to
visit Crown.
Easter ON Crown – April 2015
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Over 100 performances, pop up
displays and promotions were
held in 2014/15
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3 MAJOR EVENTS
The Color Run – May 2015
Live Sites Open Mic Night – May 2015
Live Sites in the City
In May 2015 Destination Wollongong worked collaboratively with Wollongong Central to relaunch the Live Sites in the City program.
To celebrate the launch, an Open Mic Night was held on a Thursday evening on the Crown Stage. Eight local performers entered the
competition and provided quality entertainment for passer-byes and Eat Street Market consumers. The event was hosted by i98FM’s
Lachlan Kitchen and was successful in bringing live local entertainment and atmosphere to the Mall. Over 500 people watched the
performances throughout the evening.
Destination Wollongong worked strategically with key partners to highlight unique events and locations, including the advent of an
internationally-recognised brand, in National Geographic Live, and showcasing the escarpment via BRAVO Team Challenge, in partnership
with Destination NSW.
An official review of the Wollongong Events Strategy took place in February 2014, with immediate priorities identified including: flattening
the events spike by targeting events in the winter and shoulder seasons, using events to target the strong day-tripper market to convert to
overnight visitation, and attempt to broaden the portfolio in the cultural and business sectors.
Destination Wollongong either directly funded or strategically supported 39 events in the 2014/15 financial year, which collaboratively
contributed $32.2 million in economic impact to the local economy.
2015 Wollongong City Centre Retail & Business Awards
The 2015 Awards once again provided a platform for local businesses and retailers in the City Centre to celebrate their success. The
Gala Awards Dinner was held at the WIN Entertainment Centre with over 420 guests attending. There were finalists and winners in 17
categories including Retail & Business of the Year awarded to OPSM Wollongong, with naming rights sponsor Commonwealth Bank ensuring
a successful event.
Highlights included:
Croatian Soccer Tournament: This was a great addition, with Destination Wollongong’s support of a tireless local organising
committee contributing to a tournament of 6,000 people over three days.
Froth & Bubbles: A shoulder season event held at Wollongong Entertainment Centre, featuring 30 craft beer and cider exhibitors,
which highlighted local product and entertainment.
2.3 RETAILER ENGAGEMENT
Bowls NSW Junior 7-a-side: A small-scale event contracted for two years to boost visitation during winter.
Retailer engagement is another important element for the City Centre. Destination Wollongong works closely with the Wollongong City
Council City Centre team to ensure retailers are informed and engaged in all areas for events, marketing and operations. Quarterly retail
forums are held to provide updates on the City Centre activity. Regular City Centre communications and updates are circulated to retailers
on upcoming events, marketing promotions and key highlights.
Farmer and The Owl: A sell-out concert at Stuart Park that attracted predominantly out of region visitation, being repeated across a
three-day format this year as part of Blender.
Nat Geo Live: Adventure filmmaker Bryan Smith wowed audiences with an awe-inspiring presentation. Wollongong was the first regional
city in Australia to host this iconic speaker series, garnering international exposure through National Geographic’s marketing channels.
Hockey NSW U18 & U21: Destination Wollongong directly supported this series of elite hockey tournaments for the second time in
2014, providing solid out of region visitation and making the most of Unanderra’s excellent facilities.
NSW Touch Country Championships: Utilising Dalton Park’s facilities, this event was signed on a three-tournament deal (alternative
years) and saw 74 teams compete in a three day tournament.
Australian Judo Championships & Continental Cup: The fourth and final year of the national championships saw a record of more
than 800 competitors. The signing of this event also led to successful tendering by the national association to host the Continental Cup for
two years.
NSW Police Games: This saw 1600 police and Emergency Services personnel descend on Wollongong for a five-day program of sports
and socialising, utilising many of the city’s key assets. After labelling the event an outstanding success, they have already signed to return in 2017.
ATP Pro Tour Tennis: Recently upgraded facilities at Beaton Park gave us the ability to secure a Pro Tour event, which saw an influx of
international players over a two-week period. The event returns in late 2015.
4 Nations Tournament: WIN Stadium hosted this major televised rugby league match between Australia and Samoa in early
November, with significant visitation from Sydney among the 14,000-strong crowd.
Wollongong City Centre
Retail & Business Awards
at the WIN Entertainment
Centre
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BRAVO Team Challenge: Another new major event for our portfolio, BRAVO was a three-day bush and beach obstacle course that we
worked proactively with Destination NSW to realise. The event showcased Mt Keira, the heritage mine site and North Wollongong Beach.
CrossFit Games: This event is a boon for the city, with massive out of region visitation among the 6000-strong participants and
spectators. Many of Destination Wollongong’s partners have realised the significance of the event, providing CrossFit menus for competitors.
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Destination Wollongong also offered strategic marketing and communications support to a swathe of events that occurred throughout the
City and wider region, allowing them to promote the destination to a wide audience by accessing the events’ databases and social media.
These included:
Run Wollongong, MS Sydney to Gong, Port Kembla Billy Cart Derby, Australian Beach Soccer Cup, Hawks v Kings, Santa Claus Pub Crawl,
30th Annual Illawarra Folk Festival, Australia Day, Aquathon, Sunset Cinema, Tri The Gong, Seafood & Sail, Swisse The Color Run,
Cross Fit Games, NSW Sausage Making Championships and Hockey NSW Over 40s State Championships.
5 VISITOR INFORMATION
Destination Wollongong also created some valuable industry tools through the year. Crowd Seeker, a new video, is designed to showcase
Wollongong’s assets to the events industry. Proximity to Sydney and the airport, spectacular foreshore precincts and the advent of Council’s
eight generic major event DAs are all competitive advantages Destination Wollongong can push in the marketplace. A Crowd Seeker
quarterly wrap of major events was also introduced and circulated to political and business leaders. This one-page snapshot outlines the
reasoning behind strategic investment in events and showcases industry news.
4 CONFERENCE AND EVENTS
GPT ‘Wollongong Central’ Opening
Southern Gateway Centre
Destination Wollongong continues to service two Visitor Information Centres: the Southern Gateway Centre at Bulli Tops and the iHub
located at 93 Crown Street. These Centres offer expert advice to both visitors and locals on the region and the multitude of experiences
within it.
The location of these Centres enables Destination Wollongong to collect important customer research on a monthly basis. The key visitor
markets serviced by these Centres include local and intrastate (24%), interstate (24%) and international (52%) for 2014/15.
Guy Sebastian PCO Famil - February 2015
5.1 SOUTHERN GATEWAY CENTRE
4.1 MARKETING
Destination Wollongong’s Online Event Planner’s Guide continues to attract over 2000 new online visitors per annum. This interactive
marketing tool is designed to showcase and promote Wollongong as a premier conference and event destination. The sites usability
simplifies the event planning process for event organisers by housing all the information they need on venues, accommodation, pre and
post activities and destination information.
Micenet Magazine and E-Mag (average readership: 56,304) ran a four page spread on Coastal Conferencing in their April/May 2015 edition.
Wollongong was able to secure editorial and imagery throughout the feature.
5.2 IHUB INFORMATION CENTRE
4.2 TRADE EVENTS
With the completion and successful launch of the City Centre refurbishments in October 2014 visitor numbers continue to grow.
Destination Wollongong, attended three trade events during 2014/15 to promote Wollongong to Professional Conference Organisers,
Event Managers, Travel Managers & Executive Assistants. These events included the Associations Forum National Convention, Inspire EX, and
the Asia Pacific Incentive and Meetings Expo.
5.3 MY GONG
4.3 FAMILIARISATIONS
15 Professional Conference Organisers and in-house Corporate Event Organisers from Sydney where hosted by Destination Wollongong
and their partners over two days during February 2015. Organisers sampled adventure and spa product for pre and post conference
activities and partner programs, enjoying lunch with a view, and were treated to dinner and a show with front row seats at the Guy
Sebastian Concert. Bookings were receieved during the famil and enquiries and bookings post famil.
Additional famils and meetings throughout the year were hosted with individual organisers, securing large scale business events for the
region and tourism partners. These include Nan Tien Institute Conference, Australian Local Government Womens Conference, International
Cities and Town Centres Conference, The View Club National Convention, Tertiarary Education Management Conference, Sweet Adeline’s
Convention and the Australian Coal Preparation to name a few.
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The Southern Gateway Centre, aptly known as the Gateway to the South Coast, continues to hold a Level 1 Accreditation status and has
welcomed over 48,000 visitors during 2014/15. The Centre operates alongside two other businesses all of which deliver a great experience
to visitors and locals alike complete with stunning 180 degree panoramic views over the Illawarra. The Centre also offers a unique range of
local and Indigenous souvenirs.
The iHub Level 3 Accredited Visitor Centre continues to enjoy strong patronage. The Centre serviced over 19,000 visitors and locals
during 2014/15.
Australia’s first Mobile Visitor Information Service launched in 2010 and continues to attend key events throughout the region in line with
Destination Wollongong’s major events strategy.
Events attended by My Gong in 2014/15 include: New Year’s Eve and Australia Day Celebrations, Australian Beach Soccer Cup, Illawarra
Folk Festival, Crown St Mall refurbishment Celebrations, UOW’s Welcome to Wollongong, i98FM’s Camp Quality Convoy, the Reebok
Cross Fit Games and the National Judo Championships.
In addition to event attendance, My Gong continues to play an important role in distributing Wollongong’s official Visitor Guide and other
collateral to Partners and businesses on a weekly basis.
Concierge boards remain a key strategy employed by Visitor Services to disseminate Visitor information within the region via Destination
Wollongong’s accommodation partners and Tourism Operators. Visitor Services staff ensure these boards are well stocked and maintained
throughout the year.
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6 STATISTICS
7 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Domestic Overnight Travel
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2015
The Illawarra Sub region received over 1million domestic overnight
visitors, up by 7.5% on YE June 2014. Visitors spent nearly 3 million
nights in the sub region, up by 16.2% on YE June 2014. Domestic
Overnight visitors spent $393million in the sub region, up by 22% on
YE June 2014.
‘Holiday’ (46.3%) was the largest purpose in terms of nights in
the sub-region, followed by ‘VFR’ (42.9%) and ‘business’ (5.9%).
Compared to YE Jun 14, nights spent for ‘holiday’ grew by 27.6% and
‘VFR’ increased by 4.1% while ‘business’ declined by 16.6%.
Domestic Day Trip Travel
Illawarra sub-region received nearly 3.6 million domestic daytrip
visitors - up by 7.0% on YE June 14.
Domestic daytrip visitors spent $377 million in the sub-region - up
by 35.6%* on YE June 14.
‘Holiday’ (51.6%) was the largest purpose of trip for visitors to the
sub-region, followed by ‘visiting friends and relatives (VFR)’ (31.7%)
and ‘business’ (9.2%).
International Overnight Travel
Illawarra sub-region received 61,800 international overnight visitors
- up by 8.9% on YE June 14. Visitors spent 1.5 million nights in the
sub-region - down by 3.2% on YE June 14.
International overnight visitors spent $128 million in the subregion up by 19.3% on YE June 14.
The United Kingdom (13.8%) was the sub-region’s largest individual
source market of visitors, followed by New Zealand (12.0%) and
Mainland China (10.8%).
Domestic Day Trip Visitors spent
$377million in the sub region, up by
35.6% on YE June 2014.
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DESTINATION WOLLONGONG PARTNERS FOR 2014/15
Activate Events
Adina Apartment Hotel Wollongong
AGA Club Germania Ltd
Aish's Seafood & Takeaway
Akorah Day Spa
Alternative Fitness
Altitude 1148
Aoba Sushi Bar
Appin Homestay B&B
Apple Shack
Articles Fine Art Gallery
Au Lac Royal Vegetarian Cuisine
Austinmer Gardens B&B
Austinmer Newsagency & Post Office
Australian Cycling Holidays
Australia's Industry World
Bar Pellegrini
Beach Park Motor Inn
Belmore All Suite Hotel
Bernardis on Crown
Best Western City Sands
Big 4 Easts Beach Holiday Park
Blue Juice Events
Boat Harbour Motel
Bombora Seafood
Bradman Centre
Bulli Beach Tourist Park
Bulli Greyhound Racing Club
Cabbage Tree Motel
Calderwood Valley Golf Course
Canoe and Kayak Adventures
Canons Shuttles and Sydney Day Tours
Char Char Bar & Grill
Chedo's Café
Chifley Hotel Wollongong
Chilby Photography
City Beach Function Centre
City Diggers Wollongong
Cliff to Coast Sports Car Drives
Clique Brothers
Coledale Rainforest Guided Walks
Collegians Rugby League Football Club
Comfort Inn Fairways
Coolangatta Estate
Corn Mill Gallery (Fine Art)
Corrimal Beach Tourist Park
Crust Wollongong Gourmet Pizza Bar
Culinarius Catering & Fine Foods
Dagwood
Dapto Greyhound Racing Club
Dee Kramer Photography
Delano Specialty Coffee
Diggies Café
Downtown Motel
Eden Spa Wollongong
Elders Real Estate
Emerald & Aqua
Escape 778
Flinders Motel
Gelato Emporium
GM Coastwide Canvas
Go Hire the Event People
Greater Union Cinemas
Hangdog Climbing Gym
Hangglideoz
Hangtime Trampoline Park
Hapuku Fishing Charters
Harbourfront Restaurant
His Boy Elroy
Hogs Breath Café
Howlin Wolf Bar
Illawarra Business Chamber
Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk
Illawarra Folk Club
Illawarra Museum
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
Illawarra Regional Information Service
JAi Events
Jamberoo Action Park
Jamberoo Resort
Jervis Bay Wild
Jim's Carpet Cleaning
Jobs in the Gong
Just Cruisin' Motorcycle Tours
Just Looking Trike Tours
Keiraview Accommodation
Kells the Lawyers
Kendall's Beach Holiday Park
Kiama Harbour Cabins
Lagoon Seafood Restaurant
Lakeview Hotel Motel
Lee & Me
Leisure Coast Limousine Services
levelone @ harbourfront
Levendi Wollongong Harbour
Litani's Mediterranean & Coffee House
Living Room Café/Bar
Longboard Beer Brewing Company
Lorenzo's Diner
Lyndon Haven
Mantra Wollongong
Marketview Accomodation
Mercure Gerringong Resort
Mt Kembla Mining Heritage Inc
Mylan
NAM Vietnamese Restaurant
Nan Tien Temple
Normandie Motel
Northbeach Pavilion Café, Restaurant & Bar
Novotel Wollongong Northbeach
Otford Farm Trail Rides
Outback Steakhouse
Pai Tong Thai Restaurant
Park Meadows Bed & Breakfast
Par-tee Virtual Golf
Peoplecare
Quality Suites Pioneer Sands
Quest Wollongong
Radio Doctor Illawarra
Relativity Film Productions & Designs
Samaras Lebanese & Mediterranean Cuisine
Science Centre & Planetarium
Seacliff Function & Dining
Segway Tours South Coast
Thank you for your support
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Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park
Shellharbour Scuba Centre
Sky Accommodation
Skydive the Beach & Beyond
SMART Infrastructure Facility
SOSSA
South Coast Leisure Times
South Coast Party Hire
South Coast Scenic Tours
Sovereign Inn Wollongong
Speciality Tours & Travel
Staging Connections
Stockland Shellharbour
Sublime Point Restaurant
Surf Beach Holiday Park
Sydney Hang Gliding Centre
Sydney Microlight Centre
Symbio Wildlife Park
TAFE NSW - Illawarra Institute
Terralong Terrace Apartments
the [m]eatery
The Australian Motorlife Museum
The Currency Exchange
The Fraternity Club
The Green Room City Beach Café
The Pavilion Kiama
The Sebel Harbourside Kiama
The Shellharbour Club
The Social @ IPAC
The Sugar Cube
The Tops Conference Centre
The VENUE Conference Centre Wollongong
Three Chimneys
Top Choice Chinese & Cambodian Restaurant
Top Gun Australia
Towradgi Beach Hotel
Trainworks Limited
Trees Adventure
UOW Accommodation Services
Waples Marketing Group
Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club
Warren Keelan Photography
Wellness Centre Wollongong
Werri Beach Holiday Park
Wests Illawarra
WIN Sports & Entertainment Centres (Venues NSW)
Windang Beach Tourist Park
Wisdom Advertising + Design
Wollongong Art Gallery
Wollongong Central Shopping Centre
Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Nightspots
Wollongong Serviced Apartments
Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort
Wollongong Town Hall
Wollongong Traditional Arts Society Inc
Wollongong Unicentre Events and Venues
Wollongong YHA
Wombarra Sculpture Garden
Zac's at City Diggers
T: 1800 240 737
E: tourism@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
W: www.visitwollongong.com.au
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visitwollongong.com.au