ICTC Conference 2016
 
Tuesday SIGs and Workshops
Tuesday 21 July 3pm - 5pm

NEW PANEL SESSION ADDED
You’ve Attracted New Retail. Now What?  
Getting store and restaurant operators interested in opening in your downtown is only half the battle. The next all-important piece is ensuring they open well so they can be successful. What does opening well mean, and why is it so important?  What guidance can BIDs/downtown organisations offer operators, especially first-timers? What's important to operators once they open, and how can the activities of your organisation support, not hinder, their efforts?  Join this session to get answers to these questions and more from a successful retail operator and retail strategist, who see examples, both good and bad, in cities across North America.  Topics will include design & branding, business operations, and fostering a friendly retail environment.

Presented by Molly Alexander, Downtown Austin Alliance, Texas US

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP SESSIONS

Activation - what works and where? SIG
Explore the design and implementation of initiatives that work with creatives to help energise places. Reimagining places for people to stay and play - drums, chalk, boxes, gardens, food trucks and ping pong. What will pop up next? Let's also explore how we can foster citizen led initiatives. 

Format
Discuss and share ideas and examples at group tables. Session also features a short story on the local public art activation initiative - Wonderwalls Festival - story told by creative curator Simon Grant.

Moderated by Kylie Legge, Director, Place Partners

Smart Cities - do we need them in Australia? SIG
Have you developed a digital strategy for your place? Are your systems and infrastructure working smarter for your city? What's within our reach and how do we start?

The statistics on present and future urbanisation in a global context are frightening. The resultant impacts on environmental, economic, social and cultural life will be significant with unimaginable implications. The smart, human-focussed problem-solving that is going on overseas is diverse and people-focused. It is so diverse, it even begs the question of just what is a smart city? Will the strategies appropriate for the densely populated cities of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas suit the Australian context? What might our responses look like?

Australian cities, big and small, in the very near future will need to look. We need our creative and technically-skilled people to start working together to sort it out. 

Moderated by Evelyn King, Creative Industries Coordinator, Newcastle NOW, Senior Research Officer, University of Newcastle

BIDS - Is there potential for them in Australia?
This group is best suited to those who have a form of BID and/or have a need or desire to move down a BID path. 

Business improvement district (bid) centre management and development programs are now common through USA, UK and Europe. Governments in these places strongly facilitate the programs and businesses and property owners have actively embraced, funded and supported them. Is there opportunity, benefit or desire to establish similar programs in Australia? 

Format
The format is for discussion and sharing of information and ideas. It will be an opportunity to:
  • provide input into formal proposals, discussion papers and submissions to Government on needs, challenges, issues and opportunities for BIDs in Australia
  • to learn what is working and what isn't in various programs in our part of the World.
Moderated by Steve Bentley, President, Mainstreet Australia

Workshops
Place Branding 
Using the local City of Sydney Kings Cross example, we will look at the key ingredients needed to develop, implement and manage a successful place brand strategy. Using the Placematters proprietary tool – the Place Brand Compass – Malcolm Allan will demonstrate its use from assessing the existing offer to delivering and managing a new and agreed brand proposition - you'll be ready to assess and refresh your brand in the future.

Format
Throughout the session people will have the opportunity to work together in groups of 6 to respond to what Malcolm has said and contribute their reactions and ideas. This is more a “listen and respond” workshop rather than a “chalk and talk”.

Workshop by: Malcolm Allan, Managing Director, Place Matters, UK