Lismore city centre manager Renee Moehead (pictured) is hoping the city will grab a prize at this year’s NSW Tourism Awards for its now-famous Come to the Heart slogan.
Lismore City Council is a finalist in the Destination Marketing category for its Come to the Heart marketing campaign.
But that’s not all; Lismore and Nimbin visitor information centres are finalists in the Visitor Centre category following the recent upgrade of the Lismore centre.
Ms Moehead said she was thrilled with the news and said she believed the Come to Heart marketing worked because people who live in Lismore really do love their city.
‘Come to the Heart marketing encourages people to help the city centre prosper for the good of everyone. CBD businesses are the heart of our city and many people’s livelihoods depend on that success. Come to the Heart asks people who live here to love their community and shop locally, and I think that really strikes a chord,’ Renee said.
She said the slogan had been successful because ‘we have different and creative initiatives that set Lismore apart. We have a strong arts and strong sporting community that coexist. That enables us to have an excellent array of events for a regional city – from the incredible success of the Back Alley Gallery to the recent Melbourne Heart versus Brisbane Roar match.’
Meanwhile, the Lismore Visitor Information Centre recently underwent a renovation that included revamping its indoor rainforest into a beautiful interactive display with all new creatures and colourful features for kids and adults to enjoy.
The Visitor Centre also installed new lightboxes and floor-to-ceiling interpretative panels filled with a stunning array of photographs and stories depicting Lismore’s history, Aboriginal culture and local environment.
Completing the redevelopment was an Aboriginal gallery, which encourages visitors to view and buy the work of local Indigenous artists.
‘It’s a great achievement and the tourism staff from Lismore City Council should be very proud,’ Renee said of the nomination.
‘The staff from Lismore and Nimbin go above and beyond and are a fantastic team. Their service is exceptional, in part because they genuinely love and feel passionate about where they live. They reflect the very best of Lismore, which has always been its people.’
Winners of the 2013 NSW Tourism Awards will be announced at a gala dinner on 28 November at Royal Randwick.
