A Review of Council's Christmas Decorations Program

ATTACHMENT 1 A Review of Council’s Christmas Decorations Program

March 2015

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ...... 5 1. Introduction ...... 7 2. Background ...... 7 2.1 Christmas Decoration Program ...... 8 2.2 Other Related Christmas Programs and Events ...... 10 2.2.1 Shops on Show ...... 10 2.2.2 Carols in the Park ...... 12 2.2.3 Carol Singing ...... 13 3. Overall Decorations Provision ...... 14 4. Analysis of the Decorations Installed by Activity Centre ...... 15 4.1 Hampton Street, Hampton ...... 15 4.1.1 Description ...... 15 4.1.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 16 4.1.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 16 4.1.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 16 4.2 Sandringham Village, Sandringham ...... 17 4.2.1 Description ...... 17 4.2.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 17 4.2.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 17 4.2.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 18 4.3 Bay Street, Brighton ...... 18 4.3.1 Description ...... 18 4.3.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 19 4.3.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 19 4.3.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 19 4.4 Church Street, Brighton ...... 20 4.4.1 Description ...... 20 4.4.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 20 4.4.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 20 4.4.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 20 4.5 Martin Street, Gardenvale ...... 21

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4.5.1 Description ...... 21 4.5.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 21 4.5.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 22 4.5.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 22 4.6 Black Rock Village, Black Rock ...... 23 4.6.1 Description ...... 23 4.6.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 23 4.6.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 23 4.6.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 23 4.7 Beaumaris Concourse, Beaumaris ...... 24 4.7.1 Description ...... 24 4.7.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 24 4.7.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 24 4.7.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 25 4.8 Highett Street, Highett ...... 25 4.8.1 Description ...... 25 4.8.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 25 4.8.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 26 4.8.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 26 4.9 Nepean Highway, Hampton East (Moorabbin) ...... 26 4.9.1 Description ...... 26 4.9.2 Spread of Decorations ...... 27 4.9.3 Appearance and Effectiveness ...... 27 4.9.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements ...... 27 4.10 Overall Centre Findings ...... 28 4.10.1 Recommendations ...... 28 5. Contractor Performance Evaluation ...... 29 5.1 Functionality and Technical Requirements ...... 29 5.2 RFT Requirements for Work During 2014 ...... 30 5.2.1 Recommendation: ...... 32 6. Community Feedback and Media Evaluation ...... 32 6.1 Community Feedback ...... 32 6.1.1 Direct to Council ...... 32 6.1.2 Social Media (Facebook) ...... 34 6.2 Media Coverage ...... 35 6.3 Overall Community Feedback and Media Coverage ...... 36 6.3.1 Recommendation: ...... 36

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7. Stakeholder Consultation ...... 36 7.1 Traders Associations ...... 37 7.2 Community Centres, Christian Clergy and Rotary ...... 37 7.3 Findings of Stakeholder Consultation ...... 38 7.3.1 Recommendation ...... 38 8. Deployment ...... 38 8.1 Project Management and Planning ...... 38 8.1.1 Recommendation ...... 39 8.2 Design Approach ...... 39 8.2.1 Recommendation ...... 40 9. Proposed Stakeholder Engagement to Inform 2015 Program ...... 40 10. Key Findings and 2015 Program Recommendations ...... 41

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Executive Summary In 2014, for the first time in many years, Council undertook the installation of Christmas decorations in nine Activity Centres, the first year of a three-year decoration program. In response to the public and media criticism of the decorations, Council resolved for a review to be completed.

An analysis of the decorations showed that some areas where decorations could be clustered, such as in Church Street, Brighton, worked well; however, where limited infrastructure exists, such as in Hampton Street Hampton, the desired visual impact was not achieved.

The other Council Christmas decoration program, the Christmas shop front window competition “Shops on Show” is in its second year and grew with 130% more entrants and 115% more public nominations.

The Contractor performed to the expectations of the contract; however, in light of the community comments, undertook a number of additional installations at no cost to Council and The Contractor was receptive and responsive to Council’s requests. Feedback from the community was initially from the staggered rollout and then from the gold tree wraps. Overall the community expressed disappointment in the design and quality of the decorations.

Council received sustained media coverage between 9 and 12 December 2014, with a persistent theme of the quality of the decorations being inconsistent with the reputation of the area.

The key learnings of the review are: • Resolve Council’s position early in the year so that it leaves sufficient time to plan and for Contractors to order and manufacture appropriate decorations. • Ensure that feedback is received to determine that the decorations’ quality, design and materials are consistent with community expectations. • Seek professional advice from a Visual Merchandiser to determine the design options for Council’s 2015 program. • Ensure that key stakeholder groups are engaged in order to enlist their support and advocacy for Council’s program and to assist in driving footfall through various festive activities to Activity Centres.

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The review recommends:

• Council be directed by the findings of the Visual Merchandiser as to the appropriate approach to individual Activity Centres, to ensure that opportunities are taken to optimise the display of decorations, taking into account the constraints of each Centres.

• Depending on Council’s approach for the 2015 decorations, and if it chooses to reappoint the existing Contractor, clear instructions are needed as to designs, colour palettes, available infrastructure and an agreed deployment schedule as early as possible to ensure an efficient and effective rollout.

• Council undertake a targeted and focused engagement process with key stakeholder groups to ensure that the decorations are of an appropriate standard to meet community expectations. Prior to the 2015 rollout commencing, ensure key messages are prepared and that Customer Service are provided with FAQs.

• Council enlist the support of Community Groups to assist with generating activity during the festive season that will drive increased footfall to the shopping Centres and add vibrancy to the areas, as places of community gathering and celebration.

• Council finalises its plans by April/May of the same year and that a comprehensive and detailed plan be prepared for installers to follow. This is considered criticaI in order to ensure a smooth rollout of any future Christmas decoration program.

• Council considers the proposed decoration options, designs and materials, and submits these to participants in a targeted stakeholder engagement program.

Council considers the budgetary impacts of the 2015 program after receiving a report in April 2015 with the results of feedback received from Council’s consultation and engagement.

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1. Introduction This review has been conducted in response to Council’s 2014 Christmas decoration program that generated negative feedback from the community, resulting in Council’s resolution of 16 December 2014: “That Council: a. suspends plans for the 2015 Christmas decorations pending consideration of a report at its March 2015 Council Meeting on its Christmas program activities for Bayside's Activity Centres including the Christmas decorations providing options for the future of the program; and b. in preparing the report consults with relevant stakeholders, including the Traders Associations, and that other interested parties be encouraged to provide feedback through our Council website.”

2014 was the first year of a three-year program to install Christmas decorations in Activity Centres, and the first time that Council had undertaken such a program. Council’s intention was to review the program at the end of the first year. However the community feedback to and media coverage of the 2014 program also requires an examination of how the program might be improved in future years.

This report: • Analyses the community feedback to the 2014 community program. • Reports the results of interviews with traders and community representatives. • Examines the project planning in the lead up to installation. • Outlines the engagement of a Visual Merchandiser to conduct an expert review of the type and quality of the decorations. • Considers the necessary level of resource allocation. • Outlines supporting Christmas events to the program.

2. Background In 2014 Council installed street Christmas decorations for the first time across nine retail Centres in Bayside.

The program was initiated by ongoing feedback from sections of the community that there was an opportunity for Council to take a leadership role in activating the retail Centres over the Christmas season and generating an increased Christmas spirit across the city.

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At the December 2013 Ordinary Meeting of Council, a petition with 693 signatures was presented, petitioning Council “to join with residents, traders and visitors in celebrating the festivals of the Christmas season and provide Christmas Decorations to the shopping Centres throughout Bayside”.

Two presentations were also made at the meeting by the Presidents of the Hampton Street Traders Association and the North Brighton Chamber of Commerce (Bay Street Traders Association) respectively, encouraging Council to consider the roll out of decorations within Council’s shopping Centres to help encourage footfall.

With the increasing pressures on local retailers from online sales, combined with competition in the local market by large shopping Centres (e.g. Southland), the installation of decorations in our retail Centres was viewed as one way that Council could work to support a strong local economy during this peak trading season.

Alongside the economic rationale, the installation of the Christmas decorations was intended to help in Council’s broader aims of fostering a connected community through reinforcing our Activity Centres as places of community gathering and celebration.

2.1 Christmas Decoration Program Through the 2012/13 budget process, the exploration of options for the installation of Christmas decorations within key shopping areas across Bayside was initiated.

The original option presented to Council in September 2013 was to focus on the four Major Activity Centres (MACs) of Sandringham Village, Hampton Street, Church Street and Bay Street. This option included a three-year implementation plan that balanced the need to have an immediate visual impact, made within the constraints of Council’s budgetary position. Following discussions, Councillors requested a further report to explore additional options for Christmas decorations to cover some of the smaller Activity Centres in Bayside and to identify the consequent budgetary implications.

In December 2013 the following four options were developed and the approximate costings submitted to Council for consideration.

Option 1: To have widespread minor installations covering the following Centres • The four Major Activity Centres (MACs):

o Sandringham Village o Hampton Street, Hampton

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o Church Street, Brighton o Bay Street, Brighton

• The five Larger Neighbourhood Activity Centres (LNACs):

o Highett o Martin Street, Brighton o Black Rock Village o Beaumaris Concourse o Moorabbin (Hampton East). (While a MAC, the retail area within Bayside is limited to the southeast side of the Centre.)

• The 23 small Neighbourhood Activity Centres.

This option would require approximately $220,000 to $230,000 for the first year and an ongoing estimate for stock replacement and installation of $65,000 per year thereafter. Christmas decorations incur high installation costs due to risk and safety considerations. Under this option, no major installations are proposed as these would be cost prohibitive. Advice received suggests that aesthetically this option would not generate an impact as strong as other options presented. Further, concerns that the installation of decorations on traffic management signs may create mis-interpretation need to be taken into account in any design.

Option 2: Focus on the Four Major Activity Centres This option is to provide major installations at the MACS, commencing in year one with the major entrance points and in the following years there will be additional installations at high- profile locations within the shopping Centres. For example, in Hampton Street this could be directed to the pedestrian lights near Woolworths, or in Church Street at the pedestrian crossings near the Dendy Plaza. The intention is that by the fourth year the four MACs would have their approaches, public spaces and some of the Council infrastructure along the street adorned with Christmas decorations.

The Option 2 approach will require $100,000 per annum for the first three years (i.e. $300,000 over the three-year period). An ongoing replacement and maintenance budget of approximately $40,000 per annum would then be required for year four and beyond. The concept of building on four clusters over a three-year period would bring a sense of anticipation and allows for maximum visual impact in the first year at a relatively low cost, while maximising the potential for community connection.

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Option 3: The MACs and LNACs Variation This option is a variation of the previous options, directing decorations to the four MACs and five LNACs. Under this proposal, the four MACs would have major installations on locations such as the canopies of shops, major focal points within each shopping Centre and on selected Council infrastructure, as described in Option 2 by the end of the three year program. For the LNACs, the decorations would be limited to Council infrastructure such as parking signs, bins, tree guards and fences, similar to Option 1.

Priority is given to the larger Centres as they have a greater number of retail businesses (200+) than the neighbourhood Centres. As the larger Centres also have a greater footprint, they require more prominent installations to have a visual impact. The inclusion of LNACs would provide a greater spread of decorations and presence across the municipality. The estimated cost of Option 3 is $140,000 for the first year, $125,000 for both year two and three, and a recurrent cost of $40,000 for year four and beyond.

Option 4: Reduce the Magnitude of MAC Decorations A possible option for Council to consider is to reduce the magnitude of the decorations in the MACs.

For example, two four-metre tall stylised Christmas trees (constructed on a frame/cone rather than branches) could be provided for each of the four MACs. This option would cost approximately $66,000 per annum (including stock purchase, installation and dismantle costs).

Selected Option At its meeting of 17 December 2015 Council resolved: “That Council: 1. adopts Option 3 as presented in this report; 2. resolves to make a budget allocation of $140,000 as part of the 2014/15 budget to enable a tender process to commence in early 2014; and 3. commences the Christmas decorations tender process in the first quarter of 2014.”

2.2 Other Related Christmas Programs and Events

2.2.1 Shops on Show Council’s Shops on Show shopfront Christmas decoration program was delivered in 2014 for the second time. The inaugural competition was launched in 2013 with the support of a number of sponsors.

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The objective of the competition was to encourage retailers to decorate their shop windows for the Christmas season and to encourage members of the public to participate by nominating their favourite shop window. The prize for the winning retailer was an editorial feature in the Leader newspaper and the nominators of the first, second and third placed shops were eligible for prizes, supported by sponsors.

Council further supported the program in 2014 by providing Christmas window decals to the participating traders throughout Bayside, together with website, social media, paper, radio, billboard and email promotion. The decals, which can be used year on year, were well received by traders and feedback of the overall program was very positive. Retailers throughout Bayside received emails outlining the competition, including dates, prize pool, registration link and contact details for queries.

Registrations in 2014 grew by 130% from the previous year. A total of 76 retailers registered, which is 43 more than 2013 that had 33 registrations. All shops that participated in 2013 registered again in 2014, which is a strong indication that the competition will continue to grow with retailers participating over the coming years.

The community received notification of the competition via newspaper advertising, fliers in participating shops, local radio, billboards, social media and Council website. All marketing had an online nomination link prominently displayed. Community nominations for 2014 were 525, representing a 115% increase from 2013’s nominations of 244.

2014 had five sponsors, resulting in a prize pool of $1,800 and in-kind support worth $2,640. 2013 also had five sponsors, resulting in a prize pool of $1,500 and sponsorship in-kind of $2,400. Both 2013 and 2014 in-kind sponsorship was through newspaper and billboard advertising.

The cost of the program in 2013, comprising graphic design and printing, was $2,000, this cost increased in 2014 by $3,000 due to the complimentary decals provided to participating retailers.

The competition was judged independently and the winners of the 2014 program were: 1st Place – Impakt Emporium – Hampton Street, Hampton 2nd Place – Village Imports – Melrose Street, Sandringham (1st Place in 2013) 3rd Place – Presently - Bay Street, Brighton.

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The winner of the competition received photo and editorial in the Leader newspaper as well as a large red ‘Winning Shop’ sash decal that was displayed on their shop window.

Photo 1 – Window Display of Impakt Emporium – Winner of Shops on Show 2014

2014’s winner, Nikki Brice of Impakt Emporium, provided encouraging feedback regarding the program, indicating it offered a great talking point between fellow retailers and got the local customers really talking, and that the prizes offered we're extremely generous and the window decals were a plus for traders. She indicated that they received a great reaction from social media and that it was embraced by locals as a great Council initiative.

2.2.2 Carols in the Park As part of its Christmas sponsored activities, Council conducts the annual Carols in the Park. Bayside City Council has been hosting Christmas Carols for over 25 years; it commenced in the Brighton Town Hall and is now hosted at Dendy Park with an excess of 20,000 attendees.

In 2014, Council introduced pre-show entertainment for children, conducted by Council’s Family Services Department. This event is a highlight in the Council calendar and continues to improve each year. This year, children were also able to have their photo taken with Santa for a gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to a chosen event charity.

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There were over 200 performers on stage, with the implementation of food and beverage vendors allowing attendees to purchase a variety of drinks and meals on the night.

Two local school choirs are chosen to perform each year and positive feedback was received with the introduction of closed-captioning on the screens. The event finished with an eight-minute fireworks display.

2.2.3 Carol Singing Council actively worked with Community Groups to present carollers in some of the MACs over the Christmas period. Two groups assisted Council. St Finbar’s Schools girls’ choir performed in the Dendy Plaza on Friday 12 December at no cost. A crowd of approximately 100 shoppers stopped to hear the singing with a number of positive comments being made. The choir of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church performed in Hampton Street, at the pedestrian crossing area in front of Safeway, on Saturday 13 December. A donation of $100 was made by Council to the Church restoration fund.

Council has already received interest from further groups who would like to participate.

Photo 2 – Firbank Choir performing in Church Street.

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3. Overall Decorations Provision Consistent with Council’s resolutions, this section of the report focuses on the provision of decorations overall and the specific performance of the Christmas decorations for each Activity Centre.

Christmas decorations were installed in nine retail Centres across Bayside: 1. Sandringham Village 2. Hampton Street, Hampton 3. Church Street, Brighton 4. Bay Street, Brighton 5. Highett 6. Martin Street, Brighton 7. Black Rock Village 8. Beaumaris Concourse 9. Moorabbin (Hampton East).

The total project cost was $139,848.92 (ex GST). Of this budget approximately 40% was allocated to purchasing decorations with the remaining costs directed to installation, removal and storage of the decorations. The decorations installed by Activity Centre were: Activity Pole Spiral Large Waste Tree Entrance Tree Panel centre topper wrap pole bin wrap sign guard fence stars garland/ topper stars stars stars stars tinsel stars top of (large poles stars) Sandringham 41 41 12 10 7 4 Village Hampton 25 20 25 2 8 Street

Church Street 27 22 38 2 96 Bay Street 36 29 2 46 32 Moorabbin 15 4 12 2 (Hampton East) Highett 10 8 10 2

Martin Street 12 32 16 20 2

Black Rock 4 3 Village Beaumaris 27 18 36 2 Concourse Total 134 41 71 134 177 21 46 136 Table 1: Decorations by Activity Centre

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The choice of decorations was identified in partnership with the Contractor in line with the allocated budget and submitted Tender proposal. A single colour of gold was selected with the view that the budget would be spread too thin if a complex colour palette were pursued. The possibility for additional colours to enhance the gold decoration in future years was a consideration.

The main decoration stock, gold tree wraps and gold core-flute stars were selected because their low cost enabled the purchase of greater volumes to decorate all nine retail strips. The stars were designed by the Contractor to be reminiscent of a starfish to reflect Bayside’s seaside location.

In total, as part of the 2014 program, Council purchased 572 stars (11 additional stars provided at no additional cost to Council), 240 tree wraps (12 tree wraps provided at no additional cost), and Christmas stars and lights for the Black Rock Clock Tower. Council was also provided with 41 tinsel wraps at no extra cost.

Alongside these purchased materials, the Contractor provided and installed a range of further items including tinsel and additional lights at the clock tower at no cost to Council. The Contractor has confirmed that 80% of the stars are still usable, with the remainder having creases or folds; however, they can be repurposed for 2015.

4. Analysis of the Decorations Installed by Activity Centre The 2014 Christmas decorations were installed in the four MACs and five LNACs on the available Council infrastructure. Due to the varying characteristics of the Centres, an assessment of how the decorations performed in the different locations is undertaken in this section. The analysis has been conducted in a standardised approach per Centre including:

1. A description of the Centre 2. The spread of decorations 3. The effectiveness of the decorations and their appearance 4. Opportunities for improvements.

4.1 Hampton Street, Hampton

4.1.1 Description Hampton Street is the largest Activity Centre in Bayside and comprises approximately 380 businesses stretching from Crisp Street in the south to South Road in the north. The focus of retail activity is at the southern end of the precinct between the railway line and Willis Street.

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4.1.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 125 pole topper stars • 20 stars affixed to ten bin units • 25 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars • 8 stars on the fence at Molinos.

4.1.3 Appearance and Effectiveness At over 1.4 km, the street posed significant difficulties in achieving a visual impact. The difficulty is compounded by a section of the street being fragmented; there is a large development being undertaken in the area between Grenville and Holyrood streets, known as Hampton Village, and the indented shops pose a problem for decorations to have continuity. For shops from Villeroy Street to South Road on the west side, the opportunity to have a visual impact is further limited with the east side being largely residential. Added to this was the nature of the trees (Ornamental Pear) with short, thin and bent trunks that made the gold tree wraps ineffective.

The stars on the bins were not clearly visible sitting flush to the bin. At Council’s request, stars were added to the road side of bins so that they were visible when driving.

4.1.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements The scale and limited/dispersed infrastructure limits the ability of any decorations to have visual impact. A consideration for Hampton Street may be to focus the decorations at key locations along the Centre, such as in front of Woolworths, at the train crossing and opposite Hampton Primary School. The flag poles at either end of Hampton Street (Beach Road and South Road) are also a potential asset in 2015.

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Photo 3 – Hampton Street tree wrap Photo 4 – Hampton Street town entry sign with star

4.2 Sandringham Village, Sandringham

4.2.1 Description Sandringham Village is one of the few Bayside Activity Centres that is not predominantly a strip shopping centre. However, the layout of the precinct essentially divides it into three segments: the wedge between Waltham, Station and Abbott streets; the area between Beach Road, Station Street and Melrose Street; and the area surrounding Bay Road. Sandringham station is located roughly mid-way along the precinct.

4.2.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 41 pole topper stars • 41 spiral wrap on top of poles • 12 large pole topper stars (large stars) • 10 waste bin stars • 7 tree wraps • 4 entrance sign stars • 8 stars on fences.

4.2.3 Appearance and Effectiveness The wrapping of the Sandringham palm trees caused much community and media comment. Given the rough surface of the palm trunks (Washingtonia Palms), the tree wraps were poorly executed. Prior to affixing, a trial should have been considered and given the poor execution, the Contractor perhaps should not have proceeded. Due to the lack of visual impact the Contractor added gold tinsel wrap to parking poles under the pole topper stars.

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With its spread over streets (Melrose, Waltham, Abbot, Station, Bay and Beach), it was difficult to gain a strong visual impact.

4.2.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements The Sandringham Plaza in front of Sandringham Station provides an excellent opportunity for small celebratory events and for creative uses, like the placement of decorations on the lamp posts, which could add colour, mass and focus to the area. The lighting of the palm trees may also be a possibility.

Some community feedback suggested that Council should consider affixing decoration and lights to the Sandringham Railway Station. This opportunity can be further explored with VicTrack.

Photo 5 – Tree wraps and stars, Sandringham Photo 6 – Pole topper star with gold tinsel

4.3 Bay Street, Brighton

4.3.1 Description Bay Street is located in North Brighton. The commercial precinct extends for approximately 800 metres. North Brighton railway station is centrally located about half way along the strip. Bay Street Activity Centre is the third in terms of numbers of businesses in Bayside.

Bay Street footpaths are relatively narrow, although wider in some of the on street dining areas, and most of the precinct has awning protection for shoppers. It has shade trees (Golden Elms) on both sides of the street, although these are relatively immature in parts.

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4.3.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 36 waste bin stars • 29 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars • 46 tree guard stars • 32 stars on fences.

4.3.3 Appearance and Effectiveness Bay Street with its pedestrian fences, ample street trees, roundabout trees and tree guards meant more decorations could be affixed and strong visual impact was attainable in sections. The gold stars on bins in some locations had a strong visual impact but it was difficult to see in others.

4.3.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements Enlivening the street during the festive season still presents some challenges. However, the Centre does have an active Traders Association and a number of opportunities for activities can be explored for 2015 Christmas period.

The pedestrian fences and the roundabouts present an opportunity for further development. The possibility of personalised Christmas signage per Activity Centre could be considered, such as “Merry Christmas from Bay Street”.

Photo 7 – Fence stars, Bay Street Photo 8 – Tree wrap, waste bin star, Bay Street

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4.4 Church Street, Brighton

4.4.1 Description Church Street is the second largest (in terms of number of businesses) of Bayside’s retail precincts. It is reasonably compact with most retail activity contained within two blocks. It has extensive and mature shade trees (European Plain) and prominent in-street dining areas.

4.4.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 27 pole topper stars • 22 waste bin stars • 38 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars • 96 panel/fence stars.

4.4.3 Appearance and Effectiveness Despite drawing the single largest area for complaints, visually Church Street had some of the most effective areas of decorations. The tall, straight and wide trunks of the European Plain trees resulted in some of the best-executed tree wraps and a number of stars could be affixed to the Council lamp poles and pedestrian fences. This clustering of infrastructure meant that the decorations could be displayed at their most effective.

Several traders consulted in the street felt that the decorations were effective and were appreciative of Council’s efforts. In light of the level of community comment, a long-time trader wrote to Councillors encouraging them it to continue with the program acknowledging the progressive rollout over three years.

4.4.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements Church Street was one of the best-executed streets; however, an area for improvement could be more visually striking bin wraps, and the possibility of using lamp posts with further decorations.

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Photo 9 – Tree wraps and fence stars in Church Street

Photo 10 – Tree wraps and fence stars in Church Street

4.5 Martin Street, Gardenvale

4.5.1 Description Martin Street Village is the northernmost and smallest (in terms of geographic footprint) of Bayside’s LNACs. Gardenvale station is located about half way along the strip to the north of the shops with the railway line over passing Martin Street.

4.5.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 12 pole topper stars • 32 large pole topper stars (large stars) • 16 waste bin stars • 20 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars.

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4.5.3 Appearance and Effectiveness Due to the compact nature of the precinct, the decorations had a high impact. With entrance sign stars, Council light poles and parking poles, there were ample sites for decorations to be fixed; however, the tree wraps may have detracted from the overall visual impact. Given the compact nature of the precinct, the decorations were more clustered and area has the potential to look one of the most effective.

4.5.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements One again the tree wraps did not perform well as the trees (Golden Ash) were not as suitable.

While Martin Street formerly had an active Traders Association that undertook various initiatives it appears to have lost momentum and will need to be given support to rebuild.

With its compactness, numerous local Community Groups and a reactivated Traders Association in place, the potential exists to have a vibrant pre-Christmas period. The railway bridge, which dominates the Centre, also presents an opportunity but would need VicTrack approval.

Photo 11 – Large pole topper stars (large) in Martin Street Photo 12 – Tree wraps in Martin Street

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4.6 Black Rock Village, Black Rock

4.6.1 Description The Black Rock Village precinct is located in the suburb of Black Rock in the south of the City of Bayside. It is among the smaller of Bayside’s commercial precincts with its geographic footprint extending for approximately 300 metres along Bluff/Beach Road and 190 metres along Balcombe Road. It is also among the smaller precincts in terms of its number of businesses. There are some planted grasses on nature strips but no shade trees within the precinct proper.

4.6.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 4 pole topper stars • 3 entrance sign stars • Lights on the Clock Tower (for night-time effect).

4.6.3 Appearance and Effectiveness Christmas decorations were limited in Black Rock Village; however, the decorated Clock Tower lighting drew positive comments.

4.6.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements Opportunities for decorations on the Clock Tower to have more impact during daylight hours can be considered. The potential for the clock tower to be a “hero” decoration throughout Bayside is probably Council’s strongest potential opportunity that should be explored further.

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Photo 13 – Black Rock Clock Tower at night Photo 14 – Black Rock Clock Tower with large stars

4.7 Beaumaris Concourse, Beaumaris

4.7.1 Description Beaumaris Concourse, located at the southern end of the municipality, is among the smaller of the commercial precincts in Bayside and is compact in nature. It is built on a grid of approximately 170 x 200 metres. The western end of the Concourse is a recreation reserve with the trees from this reserve extending down the Centre of the ‘square’. Retail functions are mostly clustered around South Concourse, while business services are concentrated at the southern end of East Concourse and along North Concourse.

4.7.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 27 pole topper stars • 18 waste bin stars • 36 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars.

4.7.3 Appearance and Effectiveness The limited infrastructure and irregular shaped tree trunks meant that the decorations were limited and did not perform well. Council drew a number of comments on social media driven from an active community Facebook page.

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4.7.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements Given the limited infrastructure, a detailed examination of the street will be required for 2015 to identify appropriate opportunities for decorations and there is a strong need to engage with local Community Groups.

The limited infrastructure poses a problem for mounting locations. The street may best be complemented with focused clusters of decorations at key location points.

Photo 15 – Tree wraps and pole topper stars at Photo 16 – Tree wraps and pole topper stars at Beaumaris Concourse Beaumaris Concourse

4.8 Highett Street, Highett

4.8.1 Description The Highett Activity Centre extends for approximately 550 metres along Highett Road and for approximately 80 metres along Railway Parade. It is intersected by the Melbourne to Frankston railway line with Highett station located roughly half way along the precinct. Development is predominantly along Highett Road and in Railway Parade (in the City of Kingston), adjacent to the railway line. The shopping precinct is bisected by the level crossing at the railway line, which effectively breaks any linkages within the precinct between Bayside and Kingston.

4.8.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 10 pole topper stars

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• 8 waste bin stars • 10 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars.

4.8.3 Appearance and Effectiveness With less than 15 shops (a number are vacant) and a large empty facade on the south side of the Woolworths supermarket, meant there were limited opportunities to achieve a strong visual image.

4.8.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements As display opportunities are limited, the Highett Shopping Centre will require a greater level of investigation for appropriate installation. Council can possibly approach the Woolworths supermarket for assistance.

Photo 17 – Waste bin star – Highett Street, Highett

4.9 Nepean Highway, Hampton East (Moorabbin)

4.9.1 Description The Hampton East Activity Centre is roughly mid-way down the City of Bayside and adjacent to the borders of the City of Bayside, the City of Kingston and the City of Glen Eira.

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Commercial development is in an L-shaped strip along South Road and the Nepean Highway Service Road, and is constrained to one side of the street. Most retail activity is along the Nepean Highway. There are flowering shrubs in planters along the street and ample seating for shoppers, but no shade trees.

4.9.2 Spread of Decorations Decorations affixed in the street were: • 15 pole topper stars • 4 waste bin stars • 12 tree wraps • 2 entrance sign stars. • 4.9.3 Appearance and Effectiveness Hampton East provides a high profile location on Nepean Highway with over 80,000 traffic movements a day. Most of its decorations were at a lower level and out of view of much of the traffic and there were limited pole topper opportunities.

Installing decorations on power poles and on VicRoads owned infrastructure was not possible and, as a result, decorations were limited to Council owned street furniture, trees and signage.

4.9.4 Key Opportunities/Improvements Opportunities could be explored for focused decorations that would be visible to passing traffic.

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Photo 18 – Tree wrap, Hampton East Photo 19 – Pole topper stars, Hampton East

4.10 Overall Centre Findings Of the four MACs, the Centre that was possibly the most effectively was Church Street, which has the combination of fences, street trees and parking signs that enabled a clustering of decorations to achieve a strong visual image. The impact was limited in Centres where the infrastructure was dispersed, such as Hampton Street.

Of the five LNACs, Martin Street worked well due to its compact size and availability of Council infrastructure to affix decorations to. The Highett Activity Centre with its limited infrastructure and large street facade of the Woolworths supermarket meant few decorations could be affixed.

As demonstrated from community feedback, the tree wraps caused the single largest negative response. The irregular shapes and sizes of trees meant that the wraps were affixed inconsistently. The stars on bins did not have sufficient impact as they sat flush to the bins and did not contribute to the overall visual image.

4.10.1 Recommendations Council be directed by the findings of the Visual Merchandiser as to the appropriate approach to individual Activity Centre, to ensure that opportunities are taken to optimise the display of decorations, taking into account the constraints of each Centre.

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5. Contractor Performance Evaluation Council advertised for the “Provision of Christmas Decorations in Activity Centres - Including design, supply, installation, removal, transportation and storage” in July 2014. The Tender required suppliers to display and provide Christmas decorations within selected Bayside Activity Centres. Under the Contract provisions, the Contractor was to meet functionality, technical and specific work requirements in 2014.

5.1 Functionality and Technical Requirements Functionality and technical factors/requirements for the decorations were: • Be suitable for outdoor installation and storage throughout the year and be durable for a minimum life of four (4) years, however dependent on the nature of the decorations proposed some may need to be renewed on an annual basis. The decorations should be constructed using high quality, robust materials that are UV stable and suitable for outdoor applications (water/weather proof). The finish of the materials should not mark easily and any graffiti should be easily removable. Possible vandalism should also be considered. • Adhere to all VicRoads and Council Amenity Protection requirements. Traffic management plans and VicRoads approval are required for any installation and dismantling work that is within the vicinity of the road as identified and required under the Road Management Act 2004. • Be able to be viewed from a distance by both passing motorists and pedestrians and visible from both directions along the adjoining road(s) without causing a traffic hazard. • Consider ease of installation, dismantling, packing and storage when decorations are not in use. • Be easily transportable. Should it be required, all elements of the decorations are to have fixings that enable them to be easily movable by crane or alternative equipment if required by the Contractor. • Consider suitable attachment locations on existing Council assets. • Decorations have a sustainable element – Use recycled or sustainable materials, and/or require low use of energy to produce or run. • Whether there will be any moving/mechanical parts and if so, what will power such components. • Respondents to this RFT should visit the Centres prior to submitting their offers to determine possible options for installations and placements of decorations. • Minimise disruption to business trade and activities during the installation and removal of Christmas decorations.

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The 2014 Contract did not include the cost for provision of replacement stock as a result of damage and theft. However, there were no reports of theft or vandalism during the 2014 program.

5.2 RFT Requirements for Work During 2014 The Contract made specific requirement for the first year of the program, namely: • Attendance and presentation of Council’s preferred Christmas decoration option(s) at a Council facilitated Activity Centre representatives meeting to provide feedback on the progress of Christmas decoration options. • Regular meetings with the Contract Manager and relevant key internal stakeholders to refine the design and location of decorations as required. • Provision of fixing attachments on Christmas decorations so that they can be mounted as applicable. • Installation of Christmas decorations throughout the municipality as directed by Council during the term of this Contract. • Weekly inspections and/or attendance to call outs on site as required by Council. • Maintenance and repair/replacement of decorations whilst in-situ and in storage. • Adherence to all Council Amenity Protection (Local Laws) requirements, as well as VicRoads requirements and any other statutory requirements. • All Risk Management and OH&S plans and procedures prepared, adhered to and monitored. • Meetings with Trader Associations to obtain feedback on deployment, logistics and community comments to traders. • Maintenance and repair of decorations as required. • Dismantling of Christmas decorations at the end of the 2014 Christmas season. • Storage including costs to end November 2015 of Christmas decorations in a secure location. • Participate in a review of the program, which will consider issues such as design, deployment, logistics, and community and business interaction with the objective of improving the program in 2015.

The Contractor met, and at times exceeded, the contract requirements. Some examples of these were: • Added tinsel to cover the cable tie on tree wraps. • Added tinsel wrap to parking poles to highlight the star pole toppers.

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• To increase impact and in agreement with the operator, eight large stars were added to the fence of the nursery at 514 Hampton Street. • At substantial cost in traffic management and installation – cascading lights were added to the Black Rock Clock tower.

The Contractor was cognisant of Council’s position and the level of community comment, and attempted to support Council, especially as it was the first year of the program. The additional work requested by Council was carried out at no additional cost and would have added significantly to the labour costs of the Contractor. Council staff found the Contractor to be responsive and efficient at all times and a positive and constructive working relationship was established.

Given the spread over nine Centres and the varied nature of the infrastructure and the sizes and shapes of the street trees to be wrapped, the rollout lacked coordination and it became obvious that decisions on locations of decorations and opportunities of installation could not be left to the installers alone. As was demonstrated by the wrapping of the palm trees in Sandringham Village and some of the trees in the Beaumaris Concourse, installation requires more detailed planning and implementation and requires supervision by Council and Contractor. An opportunity to test the decorations and asses their performance in-situ will be a key consideration in 2015.

Adding decorative items to existing public infrastructure in the public realm is subject to significant public liability issues and was a key consideration in the awarding of the Contract. For Bayside, there were no incidents raised in relation to Occupational Health and Safety or Risk Management despite stormy and windy conditions experienced during the Christmas and New Year period. All the decorations were appropriately affixed to Council infrastructure and reinstatements made with no damage occurring. This is a critical performance criterion that was met by the Contractor.

An interesting observation by the Contractor was that unlike other municipalities that they worked in, Bayside had no reported incidents of vandalism.

The Contractor participated in all meetings as required. Some minor issues did arise with some stars uncollected after the assigned period for removal and the litter caused by some discarded cable ties; however, these were immediately attended to and resolved. Given that over 583 stars were installed this can be understood. In addition, the Contractor responded with additional decorations to assist Council and this may have contributed to the oversight of the uncollected stock. This however, should not have occurred had the Contractor a

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detailed stock list of items installed and removed. This has already been raised with the Contractor and will be an area for improvement. To avoid this occurring again, the Contractor has proposed a detailed audit process for 2015 to ensure that all stock installed is accounted for effectively.

All the decorations, removed and cleaned, are stored at the Contractor’s premises in Bayswater in accordance with the Contract. Due to the limited time, consultation with Trader Association representatives did not occur.

5.2.1 Recommendation: Depending on Council’s approach for the 2015 decorations, and if it chooses to reappoint the existing Contractor, clear instructions are needed as to designs, colour palettes, available infrastructure and an agreed deployment schedule as early as possible to ensure an efficient and effective rollout.

6. Community Feedback and Media Evaluation Deployment of Christmas decorations in Bayside caused a number of residents to call or write to Council or participate in social media discussion. It also raised media interest, with respective comments and feedback being received via Council’s social media and web- based platforms. A detailed evaluation of the direct contact to Council has been undertaken and themes established on what residents major concerns were. An analysis has also been undertaken of the various threads of discussion on Council’s Facebook page and that of the Beaumaris Community Hub Facebook page, which was active on the discussion in relation to the Christmas Decorations.

6.1 Community Feedback

6.1.1 Direct to Council Council received approximately 50 phone calls and emails in relation to the Christmas decorations. Where contact details were provided, all were provided with a response. An analysis of the emails and phones calls made to Council has been undertaken and the following common themes identified: • Perception that Council did not achieve value for money. • Choice of decorations: Did not agree with the choice of the gold tree wraps and stars. • Community involvement: Suggestions that Community Groups, local artist and school children should be involved.

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• Explicit Christmas message: A call for the word “Christmas” to be included on decorations. • Positive support: liked the decorations. • Continuation of the program: May not have agreed with choice of decoration or were not value for money but wanted the program with better decoration in 2015.

Theme Number of Method Council response times raised Not value for 8 Phone call To be considered as part of the money Review – would form part of the assessment of the Contractors performance. Choice of 37 Phone call To be considered as part of the decorations Review.

Community 2 Phone call To be considered as part of the involvement Review. Explicit 1 Email Would form part of the Review Christmas message Positive support 2 Phone call Thanked and would form part of the review. Continuation of 26 Phone call Acknowledged and advised would the program be a decision of Council as part of the Review process. Table 2 - Breakdown of complaint themes

The overwhelming feedback (over 95%) related to the choice of decorations, claiming that the stars and tree wraps were of poor quality and did not represent value for money. However, over 60% wanted Council to continue with the decoration program in 2015 requesting better quality decorations.

All resident calls regarding the decorations were promptly responded to and the outcome was generally favourable. The residents welcomed the return call and the opportunity to further discuss their issues and concerns and become more informed about the program. Below are some of the issues raised and Council feedback provided: • Citing the better quality of decoration in cities such as Melbourne and Stonnington. When explained the considerably larger budgets of these Councils and that a number were paid for by directly traders, a better understanding of the limitations of Council’s budget was achieved. • A number referred to the decorations in the Northern Hemisphere – particularly lighting. When explained that in Melbourne it was likely that the lights would only

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have some impact after 8.00–9.00pm and the high cost of lights, the callers then acknowledged that they had not fully considered this aspect. • Suggestions were made for decorations to be made by school children. When advised of the risk issues associated with decorations in the public realm, the limitations were appreciated. • The gold tree wraps drew the most complaints. Some of the Tree Wraps worked well with positive feedback in streets, such as Church Street, but some were not well executed, such as the palm trees in Sandringham, which with the rough trunk caused the wraps to be uneven and creased. • The decoration rollout caused concern as they were not installed en masse. Residents were not aware that more decorations were coming after the tree wraps were in place. When advised that more were being installed at a later date, the general feedback was positive. • Most phone calls were from residents of Brighton, with reference to the decorations in Church and Bay streets, conveying their view that the decorations were not of a quality for the area.

Overall the direct engagement resulted in a positive dialogue with a significant level of goodwill. Once informed of Council’s challenges and plans to move forward, the initial disgruntled resident was generally appreciative of Council’s contact and information.

6.1.2 Social Media (Facebook) Fifty-eight individual contributors participated in the discussion with 135 posts over four threads on Facebook. Similar to the direct phone calls, the following themes can be drawn from the threads of discussion: • Perception that Council did not achieve value for money. • Choice of decorations: Did not agree with the choice of the gold tree wraps and stars. • Community involvement: Suggestions that Community Groups, local artist and school children should be involved. • Explicit Christmas message: A call for the word “Christmas” to be included on decorations. • Positive support: liked the decorations. • Business involvement: Call for businesses to participate. • Donate to Charity: funds are directed to charitable causes.

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Theme Number of times raised within the threads Not value for money 16 Choice of decorations 19 Community involvement 18 Explicit Christmas message 1 Positive support 3 Business involvement 7 Donate to Charity 6 Table 3 – Facebook post theme breakdown

Social media comments also contained suggestions for Council to consider: • Lights. • Different themes. • Yarn bombing (decorating trees in wool art). • Consider the decoration undertaken by other Councils namely Cities of Geelong, Melbourne and Stonnington.

A number of these suggestions, together with the comments from the community and Facebook posts, have been passed on to Council’s Visual Merchandiser to consider as part of the development of their design options.

6.2 Media Coverage Between 9 December and 12 December 2014, Council received sustained coverage over the Christmas decorations across a range of broadcast, online and print media. There was a consistent theme to the stories, reflecting general community sentiment, with reference to the cost of the decorations and questioning “value for money”. In the national media, there was also a consistent tone of pleasure derived from Council’s decoration misfortunes, particularly in relation to an awareness of the generally higher socio-economic status of the residents of the municipality.

The following outlets covered the decorations: 3AW, FOX FM, TRIPLE M, Channel 7 news Melbourne, Channel 10 news Melbourne, Bayside Leader, The Project, Sunrise, West Australian online, Yahoo! News Australia, Today Show, Sunrise, Channel 7 News Sydney and The Herald Sun.

A meeting has been held with Emily Perkins – Barbey. Ms Perkins was a critic of Council’s decorations and was an active social media participant on Facebook. She also appeared on Channel 10 News. Ms Perkins is a long-time Sandringham resident and has volunteered to assist with coordinating Christmas activities in Sandringham Village in 2015.

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Based on this coverage, Communications are developing a register of key messages to assist Council in responding more promptly to media coverage as it arises. On issues where Council assesses that there is the potential for higher risk, Communications are developing FAQs for customer service and Councillors to help in responding to community enquiries.

6.3 Overall Community Feedback and Media Coverage It is clear from the feedback that the community were not supportive of the choice of decorations, the materials used, the rollout and the tree wraps.

A number of comments suggested that the decorations did not fit with the reputation of the area and were of poor quality. A number also thought that the decorations where not value for money.

To ascertain the appropriateness of the 2015 decoration and to avoid the issues that occurred in 2014, it is proposed to have an engagement program with the key stakeholders to determine the adequacy of the proposed designs, materials, themes and colours for 2015. Based on the community feedback and media coverage, Council’s Communications department is developing a register of key messages to assist Council in responding more promptly to media coverage and social media inquiries as they arise. On issues where Council assesses that there is the potential for higher risk, Communications are developing FAQs for customer service and Councillors to help in responding to community enquiries in a consistent manner.

6.3.1 Recommendation: Council undertake a targeted and focused engagement process with key stakeholder groups to ensure that the decorations are of an appropriate standard to meet community expectations. Prior to the 2015 rollout commencing, ensure key messages are prepared and that Customer Service are provided with FAQs.

7. Stakeholder Consultation In undertaking the Review, Council requested that extensive community engagement be undertaken, including trader associations.

The approach to the engagement was to gauge the level of support for Council’s decorations program and to understand what support can be garnered to meet Council’s objectives of: • Increasing footfall to the Activity Centres. • Reinforcing the role of our shopping Centres as places of community meetings and celebrations.

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In response to Council’s resolution of December 2014, the following stakeholder consultation has been undertaken:

7.1 Traders Associations Representatives have been contacted from the Traders Associations of Bayside and where possible several meetings have been held. Traders felt that they should have been consulted with and advised on the rollout of the decorations in 2014. Traders felt that if asked they could have answered the queries of residents on timing and why Council made the choices of decorations. As indicated due to the very short time frames, opportunity to engage with the traders was limited.

Traders have also agreed that they need to do more with their shopfronts to reflect the festive season and cannot rely solely on Council’s efforts to drive footfall. Strategies and ideas will be explored more extensively at Trader Association meetings.

All representatives have strongly encouraged Council to continue with the program and not to be deterred by the negative press and comments for what they consider to be Council’s first effort. Subject to Council resolution, meetings will be facilitated between the various Community Groups such as Rotary, Community Centres and the Traders Associations to build a program of events for the Centres for the three weeks prior to Christmas.

7.2 Community Centres, Christian Clergy and Rotary Meetings have been held with the CEOs of Bayside Community Centres to determine what opportunities are available for associated Community Groups to undertake activities in the three weeks prior to Christmas. A number of opportunities have already been identified and will be explored further. For example, Sandy Beach Centre is currently used by a 100- member choir that participates in Council’s Carols in the Park. The group is to be approached to form an ensemble to perform in the Sandringham Village Plaza on the three Saturdays prior to Christmas.

Meetings have been held with the clergy of Churches and a meeting is planned for mid- March to explore options for Church related activities, such as choir singing and Christmas pageants (Nativity plays) in shopping Centres.

A meeting has been held with the Presidents of Rotary, Hampton, Beaumaris and Brighton Beach. Linkages will be established with Traders Associations to assist them in undertaking activities in the relevant shopping Centres. For example, Beaumaris Rotary in conjunction

Page 37 of 42 with the Beaumaris Traders Association conducted a street festival “The Carnivale” in November. Following our discussion, they will now propose to hold the event in December with a Christmas theme.

In the numerous and varied discussions, all groups have been highly supportive of Council undertaking a decorations program. The strategic approach to fulfilling Council’s objectives in 2015 is to engage the rich volunteer resources in Bayside. If given sufficient time, Council could coordinate, target and focus their efforts to undertake a variety of initiatives and events that would drive footfall to our Activity Centres.

It has been made clear from all the discussions that early engagement with the range of stakeholder groups would have gained their input and where possible support for the program. It could have also potentially provided a litmus test on wider community views/ opinions on the materials and quality of the decorations. The engagement may also have resulted in complementary activities being undertaken that could have assisted in driving more footfall to the Activity Centres.

7.3 Findings of Stakeholder Consultation Council continues with and expands the engagement with Community Groups to conduct celebratory events in Activity Centres in the three weeks prior to Christmas and promotes/advertises extensively a calendar of 2015 Christmas events in Council’s publications, including Let’s Talk Bayside, and Leader Newspaper and other media outlets.

7.3.1 Recommendation Council enlist the support of Community Groups to assist with generating activity during the festive season that will drive increased footfall to the shopping Centres and add to the vibrancy to the areas, as places of community gathering and celebration.

8. Deployment A critical consideration in the successful deployment of the decorations is the undertaking, as early as possible, of project scheduling, management and planning. The appointment of the Contractor in late September 2014 meant the opportunity to comprehensively address some of the deployment issues was limited. In conjunction with this was a design approach that was not resolved and limited stakeholder engagement was undertaken.

8.1 Project Management and Planning As this was the first time in many years that Bayside undertook to install Christmas decorations, research and preparation of tender documentation took longer than expected.

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As a result, the tender was awarded late in the year at the September 2014 meeting of Council. The main impact of this was that the Contractor’s installation schedule was already heavily booked by other Councils. This, in turn, resulted in decorations being rolled out over a period of two weeks rather than being installed at the same time within each Centre. The bulk of the complaints received from the community occurred in the first week of the installation when only the tree wrappings were installed. While it is unlikely that installing all the decorations at the same time would have entirely removed negative feedback, having all the decorations installed within a tighter timeframe could have curtailed some of the overall complaints. The Contractor has advised that to overcome this in 2015, work crews can be assigned in a manner to have each Centre completed at one time.

Most similar organisations book their Christmas decorations (and finalise design concepts) with suppliers in April/May, allowing ample time to test, assess and resolve prototypes and ensure the concepts are well developed and tested in-situ. This early booking would enable the Visual Merchandiser, Contractor and Council to do an assessment of individual Activity Centres, liaise and discuss with stakeholders and identify the infrastructure available for the affixing of decorations. Future project management or planning issues for the 2015 program will be identified by the Visual Merchandiser review for consideration by Council.

8.1.1 Recommendation Council finalises its plans by April/May of the same year and that a comprehensive and detailed plan be prepared for installers to follow. This is considered criticaI in order to ensure a smooth rollout of any future Christmas decoration program.

8.2 Design Approach Given the short production time frames, Council was not in a position to seek expert advice around the look and feel of the Christmas decorations. It would be advantageous for Council to seek expert advice on concept development prior to engaging with the community around possible themes.

The cost of installing decorations across nine Centres resulted in the use of lower quality materials, one of the most significant themes identified through all avenues of community feedback.

An expert Visual Merchandiser has been engaged to assist in the development of two options for the 2015 design and these will be made at the Councillor Briefing.

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A possible alternative, due to budgetary constraints for Council to consider, is to utilise the existing stock and in the four major Activity Centres only, as opposed to the nine in 2014. This may have a greater visual impact and it would mean that Council would not be discarding the existing stock. In discussions with traders, where the decorations were clustered they felt the visual impact was positive.

8.2.1 Recommendation Council considers the proposed decoration options, designs and materials, and submits these to a targeted stakeholder engagement program.

Council considers the budgetary impacts of the 2015 program after receiving a report in April 2015 with the results of feedback received from Council’s consultation and engagement.

9. Proposed Stakeholder Engagement to Inform 2015 Program Subject to the resolution of Council at its meeting of 24 March 2015, it is proposed to conduct a targeted and focused engagement program to determine the preferred option for 2015 Christmas decorations. Proposals presented will clearly outline designs, colour palettes and materials. Key stakeholder groups that will be engaged as part of the process are traders, Traders Associations and key Community Groups. The engagement program is planned to be conducted from 25 March to mid-April and will entail meeting with Traders Association representatives across the municipality. As identified in Section 7, a number of key stakeholder groups have already been contacted and relationships established that will be potentially useful for the successfully conducting to the 2015 program.

At the end of April, Council will be presented with a report that will present summarised feedback resulting from this engagement program. In this way Council can consider the preferred decorations and upon adoption proceed in May with the planning for the 2015 program. At this time, a detailed costing can also then be undertaken and submitted to Council.

This focused approach is proposed as a wider community engagement may result in unrealistic suggestions and expectations and would be cumbersome to manage and to distil an agreed outcome. It would also avoid disappointing those community members that feel they have contributed positively but the end result is not reflective of their input.

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This focussed process would also mean that Council can provide timely approval to enable a sufficient period for the 2015 Christmas program planning.

10. Key Findings and 2015 Program Recommendations

The key learnings of the review are: 1. Project management. The need to resolve Council’s position early in the year so that it leaves sufficient time to plan and for Contractors to order and manufacture appropriate decorations. 2. Community expectations. Ensure that feedback is received to determining that the decorations’ quality, design and materials are consistent with community expectations. 3. Resourcing. Seek professional advice from a Visual Merchandiser to determine the design options for Council’s 2015 program. 4. Stakeholder engagement. Ensure key stakeholder groups are engaged in order to enlist their support and advocacy for Council’s program and to assist in driving footfall through various festive activities to Activity Centres.

The recommendations that are suggested in this review are: • Council be directed by the findings of the Visual Merchandiser as to the appropriate approach to individual Activity Centres, to ensure that the opportunities are taken to optimise the display of decorations, taking into account the constraints of each of the Centre.

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• Council enlist the support of Community Groups to assist with generating activity during the festive season that will drive increased footfall to the shopping Centres and add to the vibrancy to the areas, as places of community gathering and celebration.

• Council considers the proposed decoration options, designs and materials, and submits these to a targeted stakeholder engagement program.

Council also considers the budgetary impacts of the 2015 program after receiving a report in April 2015 with the results of feedback received from Council’s consultation and engagement.

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Attachment 2

Christmas Decorations Program 2015 Suggested Suite of products

Options 1 – 3A Suggested Suite Sample of Wreaths

Option 1 Option 2 Bespoke - Option 3 Option 1

Major feature installations at: • The Black Rock Clock Tower • Sandringham Rotunda • South Road and Bluff Road Corner (Hampton) • Norfolk Island Pine at Green Point Gardens • Middle Brighton Baths’ Gardens

Major installations at focal points in each of the Major Activity Centres (MACs): • Sandringham Village (Station Street) • Hampton Street, Hampton (as per map) • Church Street, Brighton • Bay Street, Brighton

Installations at the Five Large Neighbourhood Activity Centres (LNACs): • Highett • Martin Street, Brighton • Beaumaris Concourse • Hampton East (Moorabbin)

Option 1 Costings

High Profile Locations Decoration Type Black Rock Clock Tower Lighting and Day time decorations Sandringham Rotunda Lighting Norfolk Island Pines at Green Point Gardens Tree Lighting Middle Brighton Baths Christmas Tree Cnr Bluff Road and South Road Christmas Tree Major Installations – MACs Sandringham Village Christmas Tree and wreaths on 11 light poles Hampton Street Christmas Trees Church Street Christmas Tree and Wreaths on 43 light poles Bay Street Christmas Trees Installations – LNACS • *NB: These options include potential installation of new infrastructure, such as banner poles

• Black Rock is covered by the major installation at the Clock Tower. Highett 3 banner poles* and banners Martin Street, Brighton 15 light pole wreaths Beaumaris Concourse Christmas Tree, 3 banner poles* and banners Hampton East (Moorabbin) 3 banner poles* and banners Contingency Amount (5%) $21,600 OPTION 1 TOTAL (PLUS GST) $453,600 Option 2

Major installation at the Black Rock Clock Tower

Major installations at focal points in each of the Major Activity Centres (MACs): • Sandringham Village • Hampton Street, Hampton (as per map) • Church Street, Brighton • Bay Street, Brighton

Installations at the Five Large Neighbourhood Activity Centres (LNACs): • Highett • Martin Street, Brighton • Beaumaris Concourse • Hampton East (Moorabbin) Option 2 Costings High Profile Location Decoration Type

Black Rock Clock Tower Lighting and Day time decorations Major Installations - MACs

Sandringham Village Christmas Tree and wreaths on 11 light poles Hampton Street 3 Christmas Trees

Church Street Christmas Tree and Wreaths on 43 light poles

Bay Street 3 Christmas Trees

Installations - LNACs • *NB: These options include potential installation of new infrastructure, such as banner poles • Black Rock is covered by the major installation at the Clock Tower. Highett 3 banner poles* and banners

Martin Street, Brighton 15 light pole wreaths

Beaumaris Concourse Christmas Tree, 3 banner poles* and banners

Hampton East (Moorabbin) 3 banner poles* and banners

Contingency Amount (5%) $15,500 OPTION 2 TOTAL (PLUS GST) $325,500 Option 3

Major installation at the Black Rock Clock Tower

Major installations at focal points in each of the Major Activity Centres (MACs): • Sandringham Village • Hampton Street, Hampton • Church Street, Brighton • Bay Street, Brighton Option 3 Costings

High Profile Location Decoration Type

Black Rock Clock Tower Lighting and Day time decorations Major Installations – MACs Sandringham Village Christmas Tree and wreaths on 11 light poles Hampton Street 3 Christmas Trees

Church Street Christmas Tree and Wreaths on 43 light poles

Bay Street 3 Christmas Trees

Contingency Amount (5%) $16,650 OPTION 3 TOTAL (PLUS GST) $289,650 Option 3A Costings

High Profile Location Decoration Type

Black Rock Clock Tower Lighting and Day time decorations (Scaled back decorations) Major Installations – MACs Sandringham Village Christmas Tree and wreaths on 11 light poles (unchanged) Hampton Street 3 Christmas Trees, 6 banners on existing poles (reduce one tree height from 6 metres to 4 metres) Church Street Christmas Tree and Wreaths on 43 light poles (unchanged) Bay Street 3 Christmas Trees (reduce two tree heights from 6 metres to 4 metres) Contingency Amount (5%) $10,000 OPTION 3 TOTAL (PLUS GST) $210,000