COULD time be up for Bathurst’s involvement in the Evocities promotion?
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A decision on whether to sign up to the campaign for another three years is looming for Bathurst Regional Council.
Councillors are expected to address the issue at this month’s ordinary monthly meeting.
With the Evocities memorandum of understanding expiring in June, all member councils have to choose whether or not to continue their involvement.
The initiative involves seven regional cities - Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Albury, Armidale, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga.
Bathurst mayor Gary Rush said the expiration of the MOU was an opportunity for all of the member councils to review what is essentially a marketing campaign.
He said the Evocities campaign had been reasonably successful, but whether to renew or not will be a big consideration for all councils.
He said councillors needed to decide whether they felt they got value for the $60,000 it cost to participate in Evocities.
“The money we have for promotion is not unlimited,” Cr Rush said.
“I think as long as we are promoting ourselves effectively, anyone thinking of relocating or investing in the region will find their way here.
“Promoting ourselves through social media and the internet may be enough.
“There has definitely been an increase in the number of relocations. What we don’t know is whether they would have found their way here anyway.
“People are attracted to living somewhere like Bathurst because of the location, good schools, and good amenities. We are an attractive centre to come to.”
Cr Rush said when Evocities started, Bathurst and Orange weren’t part of the NSW Inland Forum of councils. However, last year they were invited to join.
“They don’t do promotions, but they do collaborate on things,” he said.
The role of Evocities was to dispel preconceived ideas about regional cities, and Cr Rush agreed such campaigns were valuable when it came to raising awareness of places like Bathurst.