Promotional videos highlight Toowoomba CBD businesses, services to residents, visitors

A suite of promotional videos highlighting the fresh and diverse composition of Toowoomba’s CBD businesses and public spaces is aimed at enticing residents and visitors to venture to the precinct for work and pleasure.

Toowoomba Regional Council, The Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce (including the Revitalisation Advisory Committee – RAC) and Southern Queensland Country Tourism today (June 24) launched the joint video project at the Toowoomba City Library Community Meeting Rooms.

Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio said the project, Visit Toowoomba and Visit Toowoomba CBD, which was funded by Council and produced by Toowoomba’s Salt Studios, underlined the organisations’ confidence in the future of the city’s CBD.

“The Coronavirus-enforced interruption to normal business activity over the past year has altered many established business and shopping patterns. We are showing workers, residents and visitors what is on offer in and around the CBD,” Mayor Antonio, who also is TRC’s Economic Development Committee chair, said.

“Each organisation is extremely confident that the Toowoomba CBD will remain the focal point for employment and an attractive business and lifestyle destination for residents and tourists.

“We are a growing regional capital and the Toowoomba CBD is an important centre for retail, professional and financial services, entertainment, healthcare and other sectors for people across parts of southern and western Queensland as well as northern New South Wales.

“The videos showcase the diversity of the Toowoomba CBD, including the laneways, architecture and public art that adorns the transforming city heart.

“Our organisations are encouraging workers and residents to spend time and money in the CBD by raising the profile of existing and emerging businesses.

“We have a fantastic story and a positive vision to highlight. Few, if any, Australian regional centres can point to more than $800 million in private and public investment in their city centre over the past decade.

“Council has invested more than $100 million in civic projects, such as the Toowoomba City Library and Civic Square, Kwong Sang Walk, the Outer Circulating Road Victoria Street extension (a major flood mitigation project completed with state government funding), Ruthven Street North Streetscape project, the Railway Goods Shed (jointly funded with the state government), the current Russell Street Refresh and Carnival Lane, which opened in late 2020, among others.

“Council will continue to progress projects that are identified through our City Centre Master Plan to ensure the Toowoomba CBD is a thriving destination. Council continues to provide CBD investment incentives that encourage more inner city living, promotes CBD-specific business and investment opportunities, and is finalising an expert panel that will advise us on future development projects.

“This year Council will prepare a new Toowoomba City Centre Action Plan 2020 that will outline priorities for the next 10 years to create a more vibrant and attractive city centre. This emphasises Council’s long-term commitment to the CBD.

“Council earlier this year joined the Small Business Friendly Councils, demonstrating our commitment to small business with a focus to support business recovery and resilience, showcase and promote business, and help small business grow and employ more local people.

TRC Tourism and Events portfolio leader Cr James O’Shea said city traders had been hit hard by the flight of workers from the CBD during the height of last year’s Coronavirus shutdown, with foot traffic and general trade yet to fully recover.

“Raising the profile of our CBD businesses will show the mix of retail, leisure, arts, dining (including new bars, wine bars and a brewery), entertainment and commercial operators in the CBD,” Cr O’Shea said.

“We are promoting the different offerings that cater for young families, older families, young couples, adults and children.

“Aside from servicing our residents, the CBD offers plenty to tempt tourists, especially given the opening of new accommodation venues in recent years. Domestic tourists are exploring Queensland and Australia and we have events and touring options to suit different tastes and budgets in the CBD and right across the Region.”

Southern Queensland Country Tourism CEO Peter Homan said Toowoomba Regional Council had done an outstanding job in producing six videos that highlighted some of the wonderful attributes of the Toowoomba CBD.

“From laneway art to showcasing some of the wonderful food and beverage offerings, these videos will be a wonderful asset that we can all use to promote Toowoomba as a destination to visitors,” Mr Homan said.

“Videos are the best way of showcasing and promoting destinations and these six vignettes are tastefully and creatively produced and give the viewer a good taste of what is great about Toowoomba.

“Southern Queensland Country Tourism will promote these videos through all its social and digital networks.”

Toowoomba Chamber CEO Todd Rohl said the CBD-RAC identified a CBD promotion campaign as a key action in supporting the revitalisation of the CBD.

“Working together in the development and creation of the campaign was all about investing in a rich experience in the CBD, rebranding the CBD as the home of food, art, culture and boutique retail supported by day-to-day services,” Mr Rohl said.

“We are proud to have worked in collaboration with TRC and Southern Queensland Country Tourism to create these short snapshots promoting Toowoomba and the CBD.

“We congratulate Toowoomba Regional Council in taking this important step to promote and celebrate the CBD.”

The videos are available via Council’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/toowoombaregion  , InvestToowoombaCBD LinkedIn page https://au.linkedin.com/showcase/invest-toowoomba-cbd and the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce and Southern Queensland Country Tourism’s networks.

Caption: Toowoomba Chamber CEO Todd Rohl (left), Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio and Southern Queensland Country Tourism CEO Peter Homan launch the Visit Toowoomba and Visit Toowoomba CBD videos.