Merger fears in south

SOUTHERN Gold Coast business leaders fear they won’t have a strong voice in City Hall’s new super promotion group.

At a special meeting on Friday, councillors ticked off the city’s peak tourism, education and arts bodies becoming a single super promotion group, in the Coast’s biggest shakeup of event management.

Experience Gold Coast will see Major Events, HOTA, Placemakers Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast and Destination Gold Coast become one entity removing several boards of directors.

Council chief executive Tim Baker, who conducted the review, estimates it will result in more than $6.8m in direct savings to ratepayers, along with single promotion branding for the city.

Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the announcement, but its business leaders do not want the south left behind in the merger.

A spokesman said the joining of Connecting Southern Gold Coast with Major Events Gold Coast in the past had led to the “under-marketing” of southern Coast events. It caused an “under-representation of the southern Gold Coast economy in the local market”.

“The chamber invites local government representatives to work with us to ensure that the (latest) merger does not leave the southern Gold Coast economy and business community behind,” the spokesman said. “We are committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure that this merger serves as an opportunity to strengthen the southern Gold Coast’s economy.”

A board of directors will be appointed for the one entity. The direct savings each year will be reinvested into the entity for tourism, events, arts and education outcomes. A $1.5m community arts fund will also be created.

Mr Baker expects to appoint an interim chief executive for Experience Gold Coast this week.

He says there will be room for independence among the remaining entities such as HOTA.

“But what one CEO does is it brings a constant and strategic vision across all of the entities,” Mr Baker said. “So they can deliver the best possible outcomes for the Gold Coast.”

But community campaigner Nicolle Archer has questioned the benefits of the merger and potential negative impact on the arts.

“Once again, the tourism industry swallows everything in its reach. The arts don’t exist for tourism,” she said.

“Centralised power is not best business practice. Whatever savings have been made will be lost and easily matched with broader economic impacts.

“One person doesn’t have the capacity or skill set to play such a mega role across the industries.”