Team Wood to poach major events for Melbourne
City of Melbourne would create a battle plan to snatch major national and international events from other cities and look at growing events already listed on Melbourne’s own calendar.
Lord Mayoral candidate Arron Wood said his proposed Economic Recovery Taskforce would examine events like the NRL Grand Final, Australian Fashion Week and the World Science Festival, and “aggressively” pursue relocating them to Melbourne.
Team Wood Deputy Lord Mayoral candidate and fashion entrepreneur Erin Deering said she would use her own global connections to help amp up the city’s portfolio of events.
“We know that when our festivals and events in the City of Melbourne are pumping then our local businesses get the biggest benefits,” Ms Deering said.
“Going after global events and supporting our already iconic festivals to grow and expand will ensure that our city gets back in business in a big way.”
Team Wood’s planned Economic Recovery Taskforce would be given the job of making recommendations on how to boost Melbourne’s economic growth and make the city more business friendly. It would be chaired by Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Paul Guerra, while founding members would include Ms Deering, restaurateur Chris Lucas and entrepreneur Paul Salmon.
Mr Guerra said, “Melbourne is without doubt the events capital of Australia, but we can’t rest as other states eye off our mantle.”
“Attracting new major events, including business events like the World Chambers Congress, is vital to Melbourne’s ongoing success and reputation.”
Mr Wood told CBD News that Melbourne’s array of major venues within kilometres of the city’s centre made it uniquely placed.
“Nowhere in the world has better infrastructure for major events than the City of Melbourne,” he said.
“With the right leadership at Town Hall, I’m very confident that the city has the infrastructure and capability to deliver the biggest and best events in the world.” •

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