Geelong has been celebrated on the national stage, with the 2019 Tastes of Central Geelong festival named Victoria’s Best Regional Event at this year’s Australian Event Awards.
Announced at a gala dinner in Sydney this week, the award recognised Tastes of Central Geelong for its special contribution to the local region.
Entries were judged on event quality, management processes and degree of difficulty.
Organised by Central Geelong Marketing, Tastes of Central Geelong featured 758 individual activities over three weeks in July 2019, showcasing 113 different businesses and attracting over 25,000 participants.
It’s estimated the program injected $2.67 million into the local economy, celebrating the wide range of cafes, restaurants and hospitality venues on offer in central Geelong.
Activities included guided tours, cooking classes, workshops and competitions, lunch and dinner events, tea parties, children’s activities, special offers and more.
The festival was rated by 98 per cent of participants as ‘very important’ or ‘important’ for central Geelong, while 90 per cent of participants said the activity they attended was ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.
Central Geelong Marketing is a delegated committee of the City of Greater Geelong Council, funded by central Geelong businesses via a special rate scheme.
Its mission is to ‘market and promote Central Geelong in a coordinated and integrated manner aimed at enhancing its economic and social viability and its general amenity, making it an exciting, and vibrant focus for the whole of the Geelong region.’
