3727894-V2-MAY06 CCL COMMONWEALTH GAMES
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REPORT FROM MANAGEMENT Agenda Item 6.1 30 May 2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES EVALUATION REPORT Division Marketing, Tourism & Major Events Presenter Scott Chapman, Director Marketing, Tourism & Major Events Purpose 1. To present the City of Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games Evaluation Report. Recommendation from Management 2. That Council: 2.1. accept the attached Commonwealth Games Full Evaluation Report; and 2.2. endorse the development of a ‘Post Games Implementation Plan’ outlining actions for the next 12 months to maximise the lasting benefits of the Games for Council. Key Issues 3. The City of Melbourne’s commitment to the 2006 Commonwealth Games has been extensive and covers a wide range of outcomes and benefits that the city will gain, both in the short and longer term. Measurement and evaluation of the Games is imperative in understanding if the key objectives and associated benefits have been realised. The aim of the Evaluation Report is to objectively evaluate the performance and contribution of the City of Melbourne. It is important that the evaluation is focused on the two identified roles of the Council in relation to the Commonwealth Games, namely: 3.1. to support the planning and delivery of the Games to ensure a successful event for Melbourne; and 3.2. to maximise the benefits for Melbourne and the local community through the staging of the Games. 4. There are a number of reasons why such an evaluation is necessary. These include the need to: 4.1. ensure transparency in the operations of the Council; 4.2. ensure that public resources have been effectively deployed; 4.3. assess the impact and value of the Council’s contribution to the Games; 4.4. assist reporting arrangements in relation to the implementation of the Council Plan; and 4.5. learn lessons from this significant undertaking, in order to embed the principle of continuous improvement. 5. In addition to the information presented in the attached report, the City of Melbourne is awaiting confirmation that it will have access to broader Games evaluation material being collated by the State Government. It has been advised that the following reports will be completed by June 2006: 5.1. Economic Impact Study; 5.2. Business Programs Study; 5.3. Tourism Victoria Programs; 5.4. Environment Report Card; and 5.5. Perception Survey. 6. It is also proposed that a further evaluation of the Games will occur one year after the completion of the Games, at which time the Council will be able to assess more comprehensively whether the perceived benefits of the Games have been realised. Time Frame 7. The report considers Council’s entire involvement in Games planning from the original support for the bid in 1999, through to the event delivery in March 2006. Relation to Council Policy 8. The rationale for the Council supporting the bid to host the Commonwealth Games was linked to the fact that the Games would deliver a number of positive outcomes linked to the Council’s strategic objectives, namely: 8.1. A Connected and Accessible City; 8.2. An Innovative and Vital Business City; 8.3. An Inclusive and Engaging City; 8.4. An Environmentally Responsible City; 8.5. A Well Managed and Leading Corporation; and 8.6. A Financially Responsible Corporation. 9. Below the high-level strategic objectives of the Council Plan, a number of objectives specifically related to the Council’s contribution to the Commonwealth Games were developed. They are - 9.1. Building a Better City; 9.2. Making Melbourne Run Smoothly; 9.3. Engaging the Community; 9.4. Promoting Melbourne to the World; 9.5. International Partnerships and Business Benefits; 2 9.6. Environmentally Sound City; and 9.7. Corporate Management. Consultation 10. In order to evaluate the impact of the Commonwealth Games the Council identified the key stakeholder groups from which it would seek feedback in relation to its contribution. The key stakeholder groups were: 10.1. Local Residents – to comment specifically on the running of the City and the level of inclusion and engagement; 10.2. Local and International Business Community – to provide feedback on the actual and potential economic impacts of the Games; 10.3. Visitors to the City – to glean feedback on a number of issues related to the running and appearance of the City; and 10.4. International Global Community – to assess the profile of Melbourne during the hosting of the Games. 11. The Evaluation Report draws on a number of Games specific community consultation surveys commissioned by the City of Melbourne. These include: 11.1. Business Ready Survey; 11.2. Community Perception Study; and 11.3. Local, Interstate and International Visitor Survey. Government Relations 12. Fundamental to the City of Melbourne’s involvement in the Games was the partnership with the Victorian Government (via the Office of Commonwealth Games Coordination - OCGC) and Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation (M2006). Liaison and collaboration with these organisations was formalised through the development of a three-way Memorandum of Understanding, along with a dedicated inter-agency communication and decision making structure involving higher level representatives from all three organizations. 13. In addition, and from a long-term strategic perspective, maintaining and/or strengthening relations with VicUrban and neighbouring local government authorities through involvement in the Games was also a consideration. Finance 14. Financials are not included in this report, as the City of Melbourne is still in negotiation with the State Government regarding Games related issues. Legal 15. No direct legal issues arise from the recommendation to the report. 3 Sustainability 16. During all phases of planning and delivery of the Games, Council was sensitive to all existing City of Melbourne policies and procedures relating to sustainability. Comments 17. The City of Melbourne’s involvement in the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games has been extensive and covers a wide range of outcomes and benefits that the city will gain, both in the short, medium and longer term. An evaluation of the Games is a key aspect in understanding if the wide range of benefits have been realised. 18. The hosting of the Games has confirmed Melbourne’s position as: 18.1. a great place to live; 18.2. a great place to visit; 18.3. a great place to do business; and 18.4. a great place to stage major events. 19. The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games attracted record crowds, an estimated international television audience of 1.5 billion and captured the imagination of the city. The City of Melbourne was tested through the extremely high demand for city services and in all cases has produced results that have exceeded expectations. 20. Public and media reaction to the presentation and operations of the city was undeniably positive. The cleanliness of the city, presentation of parks and the city’s ability to smoothly move large crowd numbers has generated wide spread praise from the media, external organisations and high profile public members. 21. While the critical benefits such as tourism, trade, business development and the associated economic impact generated by the Games will take some time to quantify, the international profile of Melbourne is already soaring. The City of Melbourne wanted these Games to confirm, beyond any doubt, Melbourne’s reputation as the international sporting capital of Australia and, quite reasonably, the world. This confirmation came from the highest level with Prime Minister John Howard publicly declaring: ‘Melbourne does things better, in my view, than any other city because there is a sense of community cohesion and common attitude and reaction in Melbourne like no other city’ - The Australian, 24 March 2006. 22. Importantly, the City of Melbourne as an organisation has registered a number of benefits. A significant number of staff and management have contributed to the Games effort, with staff commenting on the satisfaction received through their involvement. Further, the cross-corporate nature of the project has seen staff work outside of their normal roles, hence providing for additional skill development. Also worth noting, is the rise of the profile of the Lord Mayor and consequently the role of the City of Melbourne. It may be suggested that the Games have provided the platform for this enhanced recognition. 4 Background The 2006 Commonwealth Games 23. In March 2006, Melbourne hosted over 90,000 international visitors, 4,500 athletes and 3,500 technical and team officials from the 71 competing nations of the Commonwealth. 24. Melbourne’s Games planning and delivery framework was based upon a cooperative arrangement between the three levels of government - federal, state and local. Completing the core of responsible delivery agencies was Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation (M2006), Victoria Police and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association. City of Melbourne and the Commonwealth Games 25. The City of Melbourne’s commitment to the Commonwealth Games commenced with the support for the 1999 Bid and has continued over the last seven years with the financial backing of $30.949M and the allocation of significant operational advice and resources. This commitment was deemed critical from the outset due to the benefits that would contribute to the city and the achievement of many strategic objectives outlined in City Plan 2010. 26. A remarkable feature of the Commonwealth Games was the proximity of venues to the CBD. Some 92% of the Games activity took place within the City of Melbourne municipality, with an estimated 1.9 million people passing through the parkland precinct linking the sports venues to the CBD. Consequently, City of Melbourne’s involvement in the areas of public space management, city services and city preparation and presentation were a key to Melbourne’s overall Games effort. 27. The City of Melbourne’s other major focus was to ensure that the hype and activity surrounding the Games events and areas, along with the significant demands on Council resources did not impact negatively on the organisation’s ability to deliver ‘Business as Usual’ services to residents and businesses.