Venues yet to put on Games face
No sign of Borobi and pals at arenas
THESE sporting theatres will play host to some of the Commonwealth Games’ biggest moments in 10 weeks – not that you’d know by looking at them.
With only 71 days until the biggest party in Gold Coast history, the city’s Games venues have a distinct lack of signage promoting the huge event they are about to host.
The only sign outside Carrara’s Metricon Stadium is an advertisement for a Gold Coast Suns AFL membership, despite the 35,000-seat venue being the centrepiece of the Games via hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and seven days of track and field events.
Its next-door neighbour, the purpose-built Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre, has no signage to suggest it will be the scene of gold-medal battles in badminton, para powerlifting, weightlifting and wrestling.
It is a similar story from Coomera to Coolangatta as Games organisers wait to roll out the blitz of colour one would expect of the global event.
“It certainly doesn’t feel like a Games city just yet … and it’s not that far away,” said Brendon Sinclair, the boss of local advertising and marketing agency Tailored Media.
“There’s not a lot of signage around the city … but I imagine that’ll grow as we get closer.
“From the professionalism I’ve seen from the Games committee so far, I don’t think they’ll miss a thing … they’ll be all over the commercialisation of the event.”
A GOLDOC spokesman said it was typical in the delivery of Games and major sporting events not to see branding on venues until close to the event.
“GOLDOC is in the midst of construction phase on many venues and therefore we require works to be completed first for branding to be applied,” he said.
“In addition, (we) do not have exclusive use to many venues yet and therefore they are still in business as usual with their venue owners and activities.
“All competition venues will be awash with colour and excitement ready for the Games in April.”
The spokesman said about 850 GC2018 banners would be installed across the city during February, replacing the 275 pre-Games that have flown since before Christmas.
“Comprehensive signage is traditionally put in place closer to Games’ commencement to ensure the look is fresh, new and bright,” he said.
Signage already across the city includes GC2018-branded bus shelters, billboards and shopping centre billboards, a Borobi-branded tram and countdown clocks in Surfers Paradise and Gold Coast Airport.
The airport arrivals area also features comprehensive Games signage, while the GC2018 Superstore has recently risen beside the Gold Coast Highway at Broadbeach.
Gold Coast Tourism spokesman Dean Gould said: “We’ve been really heartened to see the amount of promotion within the city.
“You also don’t want to put something up too early and have to replace it or have it look tired or windblown by the time you get to the Games.”
Farther afield, a branded CityCat ferry and bus are promoting the Games in Brisbane, while countdown clocks are in the capital, Townsville and Cairns. Two GC2018-branded police cars are also servicing southeast Queensland.