2014-15
2015-16
5.2 Leverage the unique character and assets of the region's centres and
townships
100%
94%
5.2.1 Strengthen and promote a unique calendar of regional and local events.
100%
85%
5.2.2 Develop a brand that positions the region as a business, tourism, lifestyle
and cultural destination.
100%
99%
5.2.3 Identify and plan the next generation civic projects that promote the region,
stimulate economic development and enhance identity.
95%
100%
5.2.4 Plan and support local economic development for regional centres and
townships.
100%
100%
Everywhere you look across the region, our towns,
gardens, open spaces, buildings and people have
a story to tell. With the Jondaryan Woolshed, our
award-winning parks and gardens, our art galleries,
museums, theatres, unique trails, historical attractions
and great country drives, there is so much to attract
new residents and visitors to our unique part of the
world. As important as it is to have a vibrant and
unique calendar of events, it’s just as important to
drive strong economic development and growth in our
region’s centres and townships.
Our challenges
• Establishing relationships with key event
stakeholders to facilitate and attract large events
to our region
• Promotion of new Toowoomba Region sports and
recreation facilities to attract viable sporting events
• Analysis of Toowoomba Region visitors, retention
to overnight stays and the processes in place to
remain relevant and attract future visitors
• Attraction and retention of volunteer staff to
support the Visitor Information Centres and
Toowoomba Region events
• Resourcing online tools like TripAdvisor to promote
the Toowoomba Region
• Defining a Toowoomba Region brand to appeal to
a broad audience including internal and external
stakeholders
• Refreshing Council assets to the new brand within
existing budgets.
Our achievements
• The successful planning and hosting of the annual
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers event
• Hosting the first-ever Queensland World Urban
Gold Day event in Kwong Sang Walk
• Completion of Council’s brand and style guide,
as well as refreshed Council assets
• Completion of Stage 2 of the Regional Signage
Project
• Adoption of the Tourism and Events Strategy
2016-2020
• Completion of a project to update Council’s
website look and feel
STATUS
• The initiation and completion of an image storage
solution, including image architecture, user
manual, guidelines and a consent process
• Completion of the Recreational Vehicle Strategy.
Community outcomes
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has certainly
grown and with an economic return to the region of
over $30 million, it’s easy to see why the event is
turning heads at a national level. The Toowoomba
Carnival of Flowers took out the gold award for
the 2015 Queensland Tourism Award for the Major
Events category as well as winning the national event
category at the 2015 Parks and Leisure Australia
National Awards for Excellence. The 2015 Toowoomba
Carnival of Flowers event was a turning point for the
Toowoomba Region, attracting local, national and
international visitors.
Locals and visitors flocked to the three-day Ergon
Energy Flower, Food and Wine Festival event with
over 19,786 people in attendance; an increase on the
2014 event of 7.7 per cent. A new ticketing system
providing a more streamlined process for festival
visitors saw improved reporting on site numbers for
liquor licensing. The 2015 event saw 70 per cent of
tickets purchased online on the Friday and Saturday
of the Flower, Food and Wine Festival and 55 per cent
of tickets purchased online for Sunday’s event.
But it wasn’t just the Flower, Food and Wine Festival
event that drew in the crowds; the Carnival Floral
Parade was also a must-see for both locals and
visitors alike. The parade route was changed this year
and was favourably received by participants, visitors,
residents and Toowoomba CBD traders. The Carnival
Tours packages were also successfully delivered
this year, with coach group numbers maintained with
a small growth in extended tours. The Talking Pubs
and Progressive Dinner tours were also well received
selling out in 2015 with an expected growth of 3 per
cent in 2016.
The successful media and advertising by New
Zealand Gardener Magazine and the attendance
by the editor of the magazine, has seen a growth
in the number of New Zealand visitors to the region
during Carnival events and this market will continue to
grow over the coming financial years. The new-look
TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL Annual Report 2015 - 2016
Our goals CHAPTER 4
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