Gold Coast city leaders in push to make Glitter Strip number one destination for start ups and tourists

City leaders have vowed to ensure the Gold Coast sheds its outdated reputation as unsophisticated, tacky and fake. DO WE DESERVE THE LABEL? VOTE IN OUR POLL

THE Gold Coast can use the coronavirus crisis to shake off its outdated reputation as unsophisticated, tacky and fake while at the same time selling itself as the top destination for domestic tourists and start-ups, city leaders say.

The Gold Coast Future Focus forum was held on Wednesday at the Home of the Arts, with the city’s top business minds delivering their views on how to enhance the reputation of the Glitter Strip during the next decade. The forum was held by the Gold Coast City Council in partnership with the Gold Coast Bulletin. Editor Rachel Hancock acted as MC.

A draft document has been drawn up with the aim of providing a guide to enhance the Gold Coast “brand”, its values, competitive advantages and “city reputation drivers”.

The Gold Coast City Council is developing a new strategy to enhance the city’s reputation.

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Tourism Australia chair Bob East said the city had frequently faced ridicule for “frivolous” aspects of Gold Coast history.

“Gold Coast has an opportunity here to reset the reputation. It needs a galvanising force in order to do that. We are very likely to be the No.1 destination for visitors over the next year,” Mr East said.

“Sydney, Melbourne predominantly have that … but they will have their issues with corporate travel being down … international travellers being completely dried up and major events.

“We will actually be at a competitive advantage and we are very likely to be the dominant domestic visitor choice.”

Gold Coast Suns chairman Tony Cochrane said the Gold Coast should be marketing the city’s lifestyle more effectively, particularly to young people running start-ups.

Gold Coast Future Focus was run by the Gold Coast City Council at Evandale in partnership with the Gold Coast Bulletin. Mayor Tom Tate and businesswoman Rebecca Frizelle reckon the Gold Coast is a great place to live and do business. Picture Glenn Hampson

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“I detected well before COVID that increasingly a number of young people with start-ups are … coming to the Gold Coast because they don’t care about meeting in a boardroom in a high-rise in Sydney or Melbourne,” he said.

“They care about one thing only – themselves – and so lifestyle is everything.

“I really think we need to ratchet up the opportunity to sell our lifestyle a lot harder, particularly now COVID has hit.”

Rebecca Frizelle, the COO of Frizelle Automotive Prestige and a member of Sunland’s board, said there is a prime opportunity to grow the start-up sector.

“We have not got into that far enough but they are easily relocatable and can be anywhere – to me, we should be doing more to attract those,” she said.

Gold Coast Future Focus was run by the Gold Coast City Council at Evandale in partnership with the Gold Coast Bulletin. Gold Coast Bulletin Editor Rachel Hancock opens the meeting. Picture Glenn Hampson

John Witheriff, who heads up Gold Coast light rail operator GoldLinQ, said the ­coronavirus had changed the way we worked and meant there was no disadvantage for residents working for international companies from the Gold Coast.

“I think the big opportunity is the COVID experience that we are all living. The fact that I have not been to Sydney since the end of February and yet the two boards I chair seem to be functioning quite well,” Mr Witheriff said.

“My daughter is the global project manager for a large New Zealand ­coffee company located 200m from where we live and her partner works for a London consulting firm.

“All of a sudden for me the greatest opportunity that has opened up for the city actually is a result of COVID.”

WHAT THEY SAY

ROB BORBIDGE - STUDY GOLD COAST CHAIRMAN

The Gold Coast has a great story to tell in terms of our health and safety record in regard to COVID-19.

Probably you would not want to live anywhere else in the world at the moment.

Former Queensland Premier Rob Borbidge.

TONY COCHRANE - GOLD COAST SUNS CHAIRMAN

If you are going to be caught up in a pandemic would you prefer to have the sun on your back or be sitting in a cold shitty town like Melbourne?

Gold Coast Suns chairman Tony Cochrane.

ROSIE DENNIS - PLACEMAKERS* CEO

When I took the job to come here people did not understand why I would want to come and work on the Gold Coast at all and leave Sydney but I knew it was cool and it is only going to get cooler.

Placemakers* CEO Rosie Dennis.