Our events mecca

WHAT did you do this weekend?

Were you among the thousands at Kardinia Park to witness Australia’s most exciting sporting team, the Matildas, ply their trade against China?

Perhaps you were busy enjoying the brilliant musical offerings of The Temper Trap, Bernard Fanning, Xavier Rudd and Yothu Yindi at another fantastic Queenscliff Music Festival.

Or were you one of the car enthusiasts who enjoyed the racing and entertainment on the waterfront at the weekend-long Geelong Revival.

Throw in the Archibald Prize exhibition, which is running in Geelong for another couple of weeks, our crowded beaches with the early onset of summer, or the drawcard of our unique, floating Christmas tree, and there was an embarrassment of entertainment riches on offer in Geelong this weekend.

It is a far cry from the old sleepy hollow moniker that dogged our city for so long. We are now renowned for hosting major events, often the only ones of their kind in the state. Our tourism operators are smiling and the flow-on effects are being felt among businesses across the region.

Next month Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak will be the guest speaker at Geelong’s Pivot Summit. It is estimated paying guests will travel across the country for the rare chance to hear from the man behind one of the globe’s biggest success stories.

This week the historic Targa Florio car rally will hold its first ever event outside its native Italy when it roars into Geelong and down the coast. Next year our streets will come to life when we host our own White Nights event and pop superstar Robbie Williams will perform before a sold-out crowd at Mt Duneed Estate.

We have an award-winning state-of-the art library, one of regional Australia’s best major sporting stadiums and a planned $40 million upgrade to our Geelong Performing Arts Centre. Any outsider foolish enough to still call Geelong a sleepy hollow needs to wake up to themselves.