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Economic Development Committee
Tuesday 6 November 2018
5.30pm
Council Chambers
209 Comur Street, Yass
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Economic Development Committee
Tuesday 6 November 2018
5.30pm
Council Chambers
209 Comur Street, Yass
Economic Development
NOTICE OF MEETING
A meeting of the Economic Development will be held in Council Chambers, 209 Comur Street, Yass, on Tuesday 6 November 2018, commencing at 5.30pm.
AGENDA
Page No.
1. Apologies
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Confirmation of Minutes
Minutes of Economic Development Committee held on 7 August 2018
4. Presentation
5.1 Economic Development & Tourism Operational Report.......................................................... 7
5.2 Murrumbateman Winery Trail............................................................................................. 10
5.3 Destination Southern NSW - Alignment of Destination Management Plan with Yass Valey Council Plans.................................................................................................................................. 13
6. General Business
7. Next Meeting
Close of Meeting Time
Councillor Allison Harker
CHAIR
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Minutes of the
Economic Development Committee
Tuesday 7 August 2018
5.30pm
Council Chambers
209 Comur Street, Yass
Table of Contents
1. Apologies
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Confirmation of Minutes
4. Presentation
5. Staff Reports
5.1 Economic Development and Tourism Operational Report
5.2 Land Acquisition and Disposal Policy
5.3 International Programs Policy
6. Next Meeting
Cr. Harker, Cr. Reid, G. Shaw, S. Norton, J. Robinson, H. Cooke (RDASI), B. Davis (YVBC)
In attendance: S. Haylan
1. Apologies
Cr. G. Frost, J. Lang, E. Everson, K. Williams, C. Berry
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Confirmation of Minutes
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COMMITTEE DECISION That the minutes of the Economic Development Committee held on 05 June 2018 be taken as read and confirmed. (Shaw/Robinson) |
4. Presentation
Yass Valley Business Chamber (YVBC) – Brad Davis (President) provided an update on the activities of the YVBC and complimented the previous YVBC committee on current activities and the positive nature of the partnership with Council.
Council Precinct – Cr. Harker advised the committee that Council will be developing an EOI for the Council precinct investigating options and costs and that the committee will be engaged in the consultation through that process.
RDASI – Hugh Cooke (Chair) update the committee on activities of RDASI including committee recruitment, alignment of activities with other providers including local government and the finalisation of legacy activity undertaken by the previous committee.
5. Staff Reports
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5.1 Economic Development and Tourism Operational Report
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SUMMARY To provide the committee with an update on the operational activities undertaken by the Economic Development and Tourism Business Unit.
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COMMITTEE DECISION That the operational report be noted
(Harker/Norton) |
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5.2 Land Acquisition and Disposal Policy
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SUMMARY The Economic Development Committee has reviewed the Land Acquisition and Disposal Policy to ensure appropriate guidelines are in place and that a holistic approach is undertaken when considering land acquisition or disposal.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION That Council place the Land Disposal and Acquisition Policy on exhibition for 28 days and if no significant objections are received the policy be adopted.
(Robinson/Reid) |
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5.3 International Programs Policy
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SUMMARY The Economic Development Committee has been requested to develop an international relationship policy to set goals and objectives for the development and relationship management of formal relationships between the governments of Yass Valley and cities in other countries.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION That the policy be presented as amended to the August meeting of Council and placed on public exhibition for 28 days, if no significant objections are raised the policy be adopted.
(Shaw/Reid) |
6. Next Meeting
Tuesday 6 November 2018, at 5.30pm in Council Chambers
209 Comur Street, Yass
The
meeting closed at 6:47p.m.
Economic Development Committee 6 November 2018
5.1 Economic Development & Tourism Operational Report
SUMMARY
To provide the Committee with an update on the operational activities undertaken by the Economic Development and Tourism Business Unit.
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That the Economic Development & Tourism Operational Report be noted.
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Financial IMPLICATIONS
Operational activities are included within the Economic Development and Tourism budget.
POlicy & Legislation
Nil
REPORT
The Economic Development and Tourism (EDT) Business Unit delivers a variety of services to the Yass Valley business community and specifically the tourism industry with the ultimate goal of positioning Yass Valley as a place to visit, live, work and do business. This report serves as an update on a number of projects recently undertaken, in development or due for completion in the next three to six months; it is not intended to be a complete report on all the operational activities of the EDT Business Unit.
1. Spring Events Marketing Campaign
The first comprehensive umbrella marketing campaign for spring events was undertaken following changes to the Major Event Marketing Program for the 2018/19 year. An expression of interest was put out to event operators conducting tourism related events (that have the potential to draw crowds from outside the immediate area) to co-invest into the campaign. Eleven events were identified; with events continuing across Yass Valley from 14 September – 18 November 2018, (one event has since advised it is not running this year – Yass Rodeo). Four event operators opted into this activity and were provided with priority promotion and listing for their investment, packages were in $500 blocks and $2,000 was invested by local event operators.
The campaign focussed on an integrated marketing communications strategy that included; print, digital, social, radio and PR tactics to drive traffic to our website and ultimately visitors to events. At this point in time we haven’t undertaken a final evaluation (the campaign and events are still running) but preliminary results (1 September – 31 October 2018) indicate a strong performance when looking at digital, social and PR channels.
· Reach 401,702 (total)
· The spring event FB campaign reached 275,085 people and generated 5,770 clicks to the website
· Top posts by reach – 5 event specific posts ranked in the top 10
Google Ads
· Yass spring events display campaign generated 237,104 impressions however offset by a very low click through rate (0.2%)
· Yass spring events ad campaign generated 9,509 impressions and a click through rate of 12.65%
· Individual event advertising was successful although lower impressions were recorded – click through rates of 20-50% were recorded – identifying that consumers resonated with the individual events very strongly.
Website
· 19,412 users to the website over the two months an increase of 43.3%
· 45,773 page views – up 39%
· 23,676 sessions – up 46.8%
PR
· Event articles appeared in the following publications – (not all are listed);
o ‘Lost for Words’ – blog, Instagram and Facebook
§ https://lostfourwords.com/2018/09/26/meet-the-murrumbateman-makers/
o Hello Sydney Kids
§ https://www.hellosydneykids.com.au/things-to-do-in-yass-yass-valley/
o Family Travel Magazine (Bound Round)
o Yass Tribune
§ https://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/5590463/festival-paints-town-green/
§ https://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/5587013/a-fun-day-out-for-all-ages/
§ https://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/5674298/hundreds-of-cars-register/
§ https://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/5728892/race-into-classic-yass-this-saturday/
o City News
§ http://citynews.com.au/2018/arts-aspiring-to-the-big-paddock-young-sculptors-on-show/
o Canberra Weekly - editorial
o Canberra Times
o Her Canberra – run of events
§ https://hercanberra.com.au/cplife/day-sculpture-paddock/
§ https://hercanberra.com.au/event/sculpture-in-the-paddock/2018-10-01/
§ https://hercanberra.com.au/cpfood/taste-region-murrumbateman-moving-feast-2018/
§ https://hercanberra.com.au/event/murrumbateman-moving-feast/
o Riot Act – story here https://the-riotact.com/spring-into-yass-region-awakens-from-winter-with-a-range-of-special-events/263513
o PS News – story here https://psnews.com.au/2018/09/10/canberras-iconic-floriade-and-special-spring-into-the-yass-valley-events/
2. Small Business Month
The EDT team partnered with the Yass Valley Business Chamber to deliver a variety of small business focussed events for Small Business Month (October 2018). Small Business Month was a NSW Government initiative, each LGA in NSW was provided $5,000 to run a series of events relevant to their business community.
Across NSW in 31 days over 150 Councils and partners delivered 325 events with 5,500+ people participating throughout NSW;
· Events per LGA 2.17 average – Yass Valley 3
· Event attendance per event 16.9 average – Yass Valley 45 average
· Event attendance per LGA 36.7 average – Yass Valley 135
Three events were held i.e.
· Small Business networking event – Murrumbateman, Shaw Wines. Over 90 people attended the event which showcased local produce, local business success stories and included eight representatives from varying State and Federal Government agencies with programs to assist small business.
· Small Business Workshops – Optimise your business in Yass Valley - Two workshops were held, one each in Yass (25 attendees) and Murrumbateman (20 attendees). Content was developed and delivered by five local business operators, the workshops are a hands-on practical workshop session where five local business providers will provide information designed to assist you strengthen business practices, stay up to date and build business resilience;
o Each workshop included five presenters 20 minutes each – focussing on their area of expertise
o Presenters and workshop overview:
§ Bridget Breen Guiney - Business Coach – How to work ON your Business instead of IN it and make more profit - Bridget will be covering the foundation basics needed to get business owners from just doing the work of their business to creating a more profitable business that works without them.
§ Jennifer Lang – Yass Bookkeeping - Out with the old, in with the new - The new era of bookkeeping. Discover how new technology is helping businesses become more efficient in keeping their finances up to date. Don’t wait until the end of the month to get the data you need to make critical business decisions, get what you need, when you need it. This presentation will show you how to eliminate the outdated manual bookkeeping tasks and how you can start benefiting from a real-time view of your business.
§ Nick Whiting – Superb Marketing Solutions - Social Media for Business - There is no excuse why any Small Business shouldn't be active on Social Media. During this presentation Nick will show you techniques, strategies and provide insights into social media and digital marketing. We will cover everything from looking into each platform, content strategies and branding techniques.
§ Caleb Bright - Think Technology – Digital transformation – staying connected - Working from anywhere and collaborating with your staff utilising the Microsoft Office 365 suite e.g. Word Excel Outlook etc with access to all of your company files e.g. documents, spreadsheets etc. and How to stay secure and avoid scams.
§ Nyree Ashton - Infinity Advisory & Planning – 5 things to consider to reduce your tax bill and create wealth - This presentation will cover business structures, ways to help with tax planning and discuss the basics of superannuation.
The events were very successful with 135 people attending the three events. We are continuing to work with the business chamber to see how we might be able to run more of these events across the year.
3. Resourcing
Recruitment has commenced for the position of Tourism & Business Liaison Coordinator. This will continue through November with the intent to have someone on board either prior to Christmas or early in the New Year.
Economic Development Committee 6 November 2018
5.2 Murrumbateman Winery Trail
SUMMARY
The proposal is to develop community and tourism infrastructure that links rural residential properties, commercial entities with the village of Murrumbateman and community facilities such as the recreation ground. There is funding available (dollar for dollar) under the Federal Governments Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) specifically for tourism infrastructure that this project would be eligible for. At this stage the intent is to conduct investigation and gauge support to develop a feasibility study for the project. The project is not within Council’s current funded budget.
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That the report on the Murrumbateman Winery Trail be noted.
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Financial IMPLICATIONS
The project is not within Council current funded budget.
Should the project proceed initial scoping has identified a $1.91 million budget. Grant funding will be identified on an at least dollar for dollar basis.
POlicy & Legislation
Nil
REPORT
1. Murrumbateman Winery Trail
Murrumbateman in the heart of the Canberra District Wine Region is home to a number of high quality winery and cellar door experiences within close proximity of each other and the supporting infrastructure within the village.
The development of the Murrumbateman Winery Trail will facilitate active transport, recreational and tourism opportunities through the provision of infrastructure enabling residents and visitors to the region the opportunity to explore a number of these cellar doors (7), the retail and dining outlets and accommodation in the village and connect the recently developed Abode Hotel Murrumbateman (52 rooms) and the villages recreation grounds.
Specifically the project will connect existing infrastructure with an additional 12.71 kms of trails which will be a mix of off road pathway and an extension of the road dependent on the existing terrain and constraints. Benefits of the trail will be realised both economically and socially for residents, local business and visitors to the region.
Cycle tourism is a growing market within Australia as evidenced by the significant investment in rail trails in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and internationally in New Zealand. In NSW there are opportunities identified for rail trails however existing constraints for their development include the negotiation of closure of rail lines and significant arguments both for and against including; bio-security, theft, privacy and loss of amenity, offset by the understanding of economic and social gain for regional towns and villages.
This project can leverage the growing cycle tourism market without the constraint of rail trail proposals – essentially it is ‘shovel-ready.’
1.1 Project Outputs
The project will deliver the construction of 12.71 kms of standalone footpaths and extension of road shoulders that will connect the village of Murrumbateman including retail and accommodation outlets with seven cellar doors providing much needed tourism infrastructure that will remain available for the local community use 365 days PA.
1.2 Project Delivery
Stage One – 2019-2020
· South Street
· McIntosh Circuit
· Barton Highwayy
Stage Two – 2020-2021
· Murrumbateman Road
· Crisps Lane
Stage Three – 2021-2022 (Must be completed by 31 December 2021)
· Euroka Avenue
· Patemans Lane
1.3 Alignment with Plans
The project aligns with the following plans:
Regional CSP
· EN5 – To investigate and implement approaches to reduce our carbon footprint
· EC2 – Jointly develop appropriate tourism opportunities and promote the region as a destination
· EC3 - Support and foster conditions that enable local and small/home based businesses to grow
· CO2 – Encourage and facilitate active and creative participation in community life
· IN3 – Maintain and improve road infrastructure and connectivity
Destination Management Plan Themes and Projects (Tourism – DSNSW)
· Remarkable Journeys – Develop cycle friendly initiatives | Ride the Southern Region
· Savour the Southern – Experience and product cluster development | Themed itinerary development
· Southern Tablelands Destination Development
· Canberra Leveraging and Partnership Strategy
Regional Economic Development Strategy (Southern Tablelands)
· Enhance the liveability of the region and grow its visitor economy
1.4 Murrumbateman Winery Trail – Proposed Layout
1.5 Additional Information
This project is currently an exploratory project to determine feasibility.
It is important to note it is not within Councils current funded budget.
The purpose of this document is to:
· Undertake stakeholder consultation to identify broader support and opportunities that can be leveraged if this project was to proceed
· Assist build the business case to support a funding application
Economic Development Committee 6 November 2018
5.3 Destination Southern NSW - Alignment of Destination Management Plan with Yass Valey Council Plans
The development of the regional Destination Management Plan and implementation projects by Destination Southern NSW and the expiry of the Yass Valley Tourism Strategic Plan has led to the opportunity to identify and realign current and future activities of the EDT team with regional and State plans.
RECOMMENDATIONThat the report on the alignment of Destination Management Plan and Yass Valley Council plans be noted.
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Operational activities of the EDT business unit are included within the EDT budget.
Nil
Destination Southern NSW (DSNSW) recently completed the Destination Management Plan (DMP) for Southern NSW, including Yass Valley. Following the completion of this plan the State Government provided DSNSW with $500,000 to undertake implementation projects for that plan. With that plan and projects now identified (and previously presented to the Economic Development Committee and local industry) it has been the intent that the DMP would be the strategic document for tourism in Yass Valley and local plans would be developed with priorities aligned with those of DSNSW and their plans (which in turn align with State plans).
To provide some context of relevant plans the document at Attachment A is a map that identifies and aligns relevant strategic plans specifically for tourism but equally for broader delivery of economic development. We have commenced a DRAFT version at Attachment B that identifies the business objectives for our tourism service and alignment with Council plans; Regional Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Plan and Operational Plan. This document will be a high level plan that prioritises what Council will do and how success will be measured, in addition to acknowledging the key visitor experience themes and identification of our stakeholders. The development of an annual action plan aligned to this is underway.
Further it has been identified that alignment between DSNSW’s DMP implementation projects and Council’s strategic planning documents is critical to ensure alignment and focus at all levels, the document at Attachment C provides this in a simple format.
ATTACHMENTS: a. Yass Infograph Strategic Planning Map ⇩
b. Draft Tourism Strategic Plan ⇩
c. Alignment of Destination Southern NSW DMP Implementation Projects with Yass Valley Priorities ⇩
5.3 Destination Southern NSW - Alignment of Destination Management Plan with Yass Valey Council Plans
Attachment a Yass Infograph Strategic Planning Map
5.3 Destination Southern NSW - Alignment of Destination Management Plan with Yass Valey Council Plans
Attachment b Draft Tourism Strategic Plan
5.3 Destination Southern NSW - Alignment of Destination Management Plan with Yass Valey Council Plans
Attachment c Alignment of Destination Southern NSW DMP Implementation Projects with Yass Valley Priorities
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Alignment of Destination Southern NSW DMP Implementation Projects with Yass Valley Priorities |
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DSNSW Identified Projects
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Product Audit, Gap and Capacity Analysis |
Industry Development and Growth Support |
Southern Tablelands Destination Development |
Nature-based Tourism Development |
Touring Routes |
Canberra Leveraging and Partnership Strategy |
Visitor Data/Event Evaluation |
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YV Priority |
3 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
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Alignment with Tablelands Regional CSP |
EC 2 |
EC 1 |
EC 2 |
EC 2 |
EC 2 |
EC 1 EC 2 |
EC 2 |
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Alignment with YVC Delivery Plan |
EC 2.2 |
EC 1.1 |
EC 2.2 |
EC 2.2 |
EC 2.1 EC 2.2 |
EC 1.2 EC 2.2 |
EC 2.2 |
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Alignment with YVC Operational Plan |
EC 2.2.1 |
EC 1.1.1 |
EC 2.2.1 |
EC 2.2.1 |
EC 2.1.1 EC 2.2.1 |
EC 1.2.1 EC 2.2.1 |
EC 2.2.1 |
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Alignment with YVT Objectives |
· Product and Experience Development |
· Industry Development and Engagement · Product and Experience Development |
· Strategic partnerships · Industry Development and Engagement
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· Product and Experience Development |
· Product and Experience Development |
· Strategic Partnerships |
· Product and Experience Development |
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Destination Marketing & Destination Information Services
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YVC – Tablelands Regional Community Strategic Plan | 4 yr. Delivery Plan | Annual Operational Plan
CSP EC 1 Capitalise on the regions close proximity to CBR and its position as a convenient hub to SE Australia to attract industry and development
DP EC 1.1 Facilitate business excellence, innovation and collaboration in the YV LGA to build stronger business networks and support structures
OP EC 1.1.1 Undertake business development and support activities to assist local business and new business intenders
DP EC 1.2 Enhance and promote the Yass Valley brand to drive positive economic outcomes
OP EC 1.2.1 Position and promote YV as a place to do business
CSP EC 2 Jointly develop appropriate tourism opportunities and promote the region as a destination
DP EC 2.1 Enhance and promote the Yass Valley brand to drive positive economic tourism outcomes
OP EC 2.1.1 Implement destination marketing strategies to ensure a positive image of Yass Valley is maintained
OP EC 2.1.2 Implement a media and marketing plan
OP EC 2.1.3 Provide high quality destination information services
DP EC 2.2 Collaborate with regional tourism stakeholders
