Update from the EO

Hello to all of our wonderful businesses,

Welcome to 2025! We’re excited to kick off the year and hit the ground running, starting with the vibrant summer season ahead.

A wrap-up on Christmas

The Find Santa's Reindeer competition was once again a hit, with so many families participating. It’s a fantastic initiative that encourages people to explore the CBD, discovering areas and businesses they might not usually visit. A big thank you to all the businesses involved and to everyone who helped spread the word about the campaign – your support made it a success! We also had a wonderfully wholesome experience in the office with the Letters to Santa activation. Our team of busy elves sent replies to all the children who wrote to Santa, making it another heartwarming and successful activity that we look forward to every year.

The city was bustling on the Saturdays through December, with performances from local primary schools, community groups, big bands, and choirs filling the mall with Christmas cheer. It was fantastic to see people pause to enjoy the entertainment, creating a vibrant atmosphere and encouraging visitors to spend more time in the city rather than rushing through their shopping. A big thank you to the City of Launceston for offering free parking in the Paterson Street and Elizabeth Street car parks – a much-appreciated initiative by the general public that made visiting the CBD even easier and more accessible this festive season.

The Twelve Shoppers of Christmas

This year, we introduced a brand-new marketing initiative with the Twelve Shoppers of Christmas campaign, focusing on digital marketing to engage and inspire our community to shop local. The team worked hard to create unique shopper personas, representing different shopping styles and preferences. This approach allowed us to highlight a diverse range of local businesses and showcase why Launceston is the perfect place for Christmas shopping.

The campaign was very well received by both the general public and our local businesses. Using video content to bring the shopper personas to life was a fantastic way to capture the fun and vibrant atmosphere of shopping in our city. It not only encouraged people to support local retailers but also reminded everyone of the unique charm and variety our local stores offer during the festive season. We are excited to build on this concept in the future for other campaigns across the year!

Super Sale Saturday is coming...

We’re gearing up for an exciting year ahead, with Super Sale Saturday as our next big activation! Mark your calendars for 22 March and get ready for a family fun day in the city. The event will feature live music, kids entertainment, and fun characters wandering through the streets, creating a vibrant and engaging atmosphere in the city. We’re keen to collaborate with local businesses to bring unique and creative activations to life throughout the city. If you have any fun ideas you’d like to contribute, please reach out to Megan at [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you!

Our popular Shop to Win competition will return, encouraging shoppers to spend on the day for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree. This competition has always seen great participation, which directly translates to increased spending in our local stores.

This year, we’ve secured a marketing grant from Events Tasmania, enabling us to expand our reach and promote Super Sale Saturday to North West and East Coast audiences. We already see strong visitation from the North West, and this grant will help us extend our efforts even further to make it a truly regional shopping event.

Join the City Champs

We’re lucky to have a dedicated group of business owners who meet monthly as part of our City Champs group to share ideas, thoughts, and feedback. Many of our campaigns, events, and blog pieces have come directly from these valuable discussions, and we’re always keen to welcome more voices to the table.

If you’re interested in having your say and contributing to what’s important for businesses in Launceston, we’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at [email protected], and I’ll share all the details about our upcoming February meeting.

An update from the team

With Amanda’s departure from the team (we miss her too!), I’ve stepped into the interim Executive Officer role for the time being. While I take on this role, we’re fortunate to have Megan stepping into my position. She’ll be your go-to for any ideas you’ve got for the city, someone to listen and help find solutions. Megan will also be running our upcoming Super Sale Saturday event and will be your on-the-ground person for everything happening in the city.

Our marketing dream team, Brea and Briony, continue to work their magic, ensuring that all things Launceston City are promoted far and wide, both digitally and through traditional media. Their efforts keep our city in the spotlight and drive engagement across all platforms.

Behind the scenes, we’ve still got the wonderful Jade, who works tirelessly on reporting and analytics. Thanks to her, we can ensure that everything we do has a positive impact and is backed by solid data to guide our campaigns and initiatives.

And of course, I’m not going anywhere! I’m always happy to pop in, say hello, answer questions, or just have a chat. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a bit of a Chatty Cathy, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead!

Madi Biggelaar

Interim Executive Officer

Launceston Central