Geelong Design Leaders Forum

We're thrilled to launch our new video showcasing Geelong as a premier business and investment destination! 🌟 Boasting many great qualities, Geelong has been the second-fastest growing region in Australia over the past five years, with job growth more than doubling the rate of population growth. 📈 In 2024, we adopted the Geelong on the Rise: A Clever and Creative International City – Greater Geelong Economic Development Plan 2024–2034, guiding future investment and development, supported by over 22,000 business enterprises and a construction investment pipeline exceeding $14.8 billion. Our thriving and emerging industries driving growth and investment include: ⚫ Advanced manufacturing ⚫ Agribusiness and food manufacturing ⚫ Clean economy ⚫ Creative industries and digital technologies ⚫ Defence ⚫ Healthcare ⚫ Professional business services ⚫ Transport, logistics, and fulfilment ⚫ Visitor economy and major events Geelong is also globally recognised as Australia’s first UNESCO Creative City of Design, celebrating our rich history of leadership in design. Be sure to watch the video to learn more about what Geelong has to offer!

Which roles will see the fastest growth in demand by 2030? Learn the answer in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, which reveals 5 key factors that will drive a net creation of 78 million new #jobs by 2030. The report brings together perspectives from more than 1,000 #companies - which collectively employ more than 14 million #workers - to project emerging and declining roles, #skill shifts and the evolving #labour market. Read it here: https://ow.ly/59ef50Vqvrz The #FutureOfJobs25 report has been enriched by research collaborations and data partnerships with ADP, Coursera Indeed and LinkedIn

Happy Friday! 🥳🚶➡️🚴🍷 What is #Modal #Filtering? What are the common types? #LocalGov in Victoria have done an amazing job...and we still can do more! :-)

**GDLF PROJECT UPDATE** 🚀 AI for SMEs Program: Empowering Local Businesses with AI-Driven Growth 🚀 Imagine small and medium enterprises in Geelong's Construction 🏗️, Retail 🛍️, and Hospitality 🍽️ sectors proactively harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (#AI) to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive jobs and business growth! This initiative stems from the Geelong Design Leaders Forum 'Strategic Design for Community Leaders' event held during #GeelongDesignWeek (November 2024). Now, the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Monkey, and industry stakeholders are launching a 12-month AI Activation Program to make this vision a reality: Why These Industries? They face unique challenges— labour shortages, supply chain inefficiencies, and service automation—that are perfectly suited for AI-driven solutions like predictive analytics and automation. Program Highlights: *AI Fundamentals 🤖 – Learn to leverage ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and more for daily tasks. *Strategy & Policy 📑 – Discover AI opportunities, craft tailored strategies, and implement responsible AI practices. *Automation & Implementation ⚙️ – Use off-the-shelf AI tools for cost savings, sales growth, and better decision-making. *Showcase & Insights 💡 – Track SME success stories, share best practices, and access an exclusive AI Resource Library. Ready to Get Started? If you’re an #SME in the #Construction 🏗️, #Retail 🛍️, or #Hospitality 🍽️ sector looking to learn about and leverage AI for growth (or know someone who is), submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Geelong Chamber of Commerce (via the link in the comments section below). This program also directly supports Geelong’s UNESCO City of Design designation by driving #innovation, #creativity, and #strategic growth across our local business community. So what are you waiting for, register your interest today! #strategicdesign #innovation #designthinking #cleverandcreative #AIforSMEs #Geelong #BusinessInnovation #AI #DigitalTransformation Jeremy Crawford Aamir Qutub City of Greater Geelong Committee for Geelong Geelong Chamber of Commerce Deakin University Spearhead Strategic Design Services Fruitful Communications Urbis Scaada Environmental & Sustainability Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Enterprise Monkey

Geelong is a ‘global city’ – but what do great cities around the world have in common? Their lifeblood is their people. As Australia’s first UNESCO City of Design, places for people to gather, share ideas, and generate inspiration are fundamental to support innovation and creativity. So: what could we do with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine Market Square? Senior Principal Landscape Architect, Dave Cameron, and Principal Landscape Architect, Nick Stephenson, provide an insight into the design elements behind the vision for Market Square. Read the article to find out how the design was created https://lnkd.in/g9idkhUY Committee for Geelong  WT (Australia) Preston Rowe Paterson - Geelong & South West Vic 

By the end of this year, #Norway wants every new car sold in the country to be #electric - and it’s on course to achieve its goal. Globally, #electricvehicle charging infrastructure in #cities is lagging behind the surge in EV sales. A new toolkit from World Economic Forum offers guidance on how cities can close this gap. Read it here: https://ow.ly/JU4m50Vm5Vo #EV #ElectricCars #ElectricVehicles #ElectricMobility

The longest rainbow bike path in the world is located in the Utrecht Science Park. With the rainbow bike path, Utrecht University, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, and UMC Utrecht raise awareness for acceptance, equality, and safety for all people in the LGBTQ+ community. Cycling is an inclusive mode of transport that promotes freedom, independence, and accessibility for everyone, regardless of background or identity.

Revitilising Central Geelong. These are words we hear often, but how do we do it? By creating a vibrant city heart for Geelong. Last week we released our vision for the Market Square site in the centre of Geelong CBD. A vision that restores the site to its former role as an open meeting place for the community in the heart of the city centre. The proposed vision includes: · The demolition of the existing shopping centre and refurbishment of the heritage buildings and clock tower on Moorabool, Malop and Little Malop Streets. · The creation of a 5000 square metre green open public space, hosting weekend markets, live events, and extend the Little Malop St dining precinct across Moorabool Street. · A high-rise apartment building on the current car park site, featuring over 300 apartments, car parking, and mixed-use spaces, which will deliver essential housing stock for Central Geelong. One of our joint election priorities with G21 Geelong Region Alliance is housing, specifically in Central Geelong. Our vision of the Market Square site as a ‘green heart’ incorporates housing supply in the CBD. The vision delivers more affordable living options, and a way to create a city where population growth is happening in the CBD. This in turn will have immense flow on benefits for business, hospitality, and retail activity, enhancing Geelong’s vibrancy and status as Victoria’s second biggest city. Tract Consultants WT (Australia) Preston Rowe Paterson #geelong #committeeforgeelong #guturegeelong

From green spaces to adequate mental healthcare access, Pamela Collins explains how cities can support young minds. The World Economic Forum report, Reshaping affordability: interventions for inclusive and livable cities, provides an overview of powerful ideas on land use, sustainable communities and inclusive design. Find out more here: https://ow.ly/7hqs50Vi8nN The Johns Hopkins University #MentalHealth #YoungPeople #Urbanization

UpLink - World Economic Forum connects early-stage, purpose-driven #entrepreneurs with the resources, investors and partners they need to accelerate their impact, unleashing the power of collaboration and innovation on the world’s most urgent challenges. Next week sees the release of the UpLink Annual Impact Report 2025, which highlights the achievements of UpLink Top Innovators over the previous year in critical sectors like #water, #nature, and #urbandevelopment, as well as showcasing UpLink's role in scaling these groundbreaking solutions. Learn more: https://wef.ch/4hAMbCW