“It’s time for the Gold Coast, as a maturing city, to position itself for future success.

Diversification of the economy and sustained population growth have pushed us to true ‘city’ status – reaching a scale and maturity where the boom and bust cycles of decades past could be permanently behind us.

We have a population of 600,000, giving us the critical mass to sustain a resilient and consistent economy. We’ve delivered sustainable volumes of new housing product built since the GFC. Our workforce has matured, with the retail industry overtaken by healthcare and social assistance industry, and huge growth in education.

As the city continues to evolve, we need to be clear about what we want to become – to create a united city vision.

YP Gold Coast recently commissioned a report by Urbis, which suggested the Gold Coast strives to become The World’s Best Subtropical City.

But how? Better and more marketing isn’t the only answer. It starts with us – we need to believe we’ve matured into a city, because belief will drive behaviour. If we act like a small town, we will continue to experience small town issues, like cyclical booms and busts.

Our leaders – in government and industry – must share a common view on the strengths and priorities for the city. But it needs to be driven from the grass roots level, the future leaders of our city, it starts with us.

We must support local business to ‘scale-up’. One of our key challenges as a city is supporting small business to have the confidence and ‘know-how’ to grow into sustainable medium-sized business. We all have a responsibility to invest in local business to support them to hire more staff and take on larger clientele in a sustainable manner.

We as the community need to set out to make a difference in the city by getting involved in initiatives we care about, and that are good for our city as it grows and matures.

We should support growth, positive change and sustainable development, because it will deliver more prosperity for everyone. But we can’t continue to have the binary argument of growth versus no growth, black versus white. The public dialogue needs to shift to one of maturity, one of excellence in design, one which says yes to development that advances our common vision and future goals for our maturing city.

Importantly, before we embark on selling a new vision for the Gold Coast, as The World’s Best Subtropical City, we must believe it ourselves. Are we ready to do that?”

Author: Flynn McFarlane

“Discussion around new tourism opportunities for the Gold Coast has unearthed some great ideas – a dive wreck off the coast, a cable car to Springbrook – both have merit, but aren’t we forgetting what’s already in front of us?

The Gold Coast has a highly diverse and authentic tourism offering. To create a sustainable tourism market that provides the most benefit to the city, we need to support our existing offering by celebrating and marketing it, reduce regulations for tourism operators to thrive, and inject money into public amenities such as civic space and public Wi-Fi.

Embracing our diverse and unique mix of tourism offerings would best support our local businesses and help to create memorable experiences for both locals and visitors.

After all, the appetite of global travellers is changing, and visitors want to experience a city the same way a local would.

So what are these experiences? Burleigh’s village markets, Miami Marketta, our heritage-listed hinterland trails, fine dining in Broadbeach, Palm Beach’s bustling café scene, Southport’s emerging laneway culture, stand up paddle boarding on Currumbin Creek, Bundall’s state-of-the-art cultural precinct HOTA, our Broadwater Parklands…The list goes on.

We know that great places with identity create attachment, sense of place, pride and greater involvement of people and business with their community. Think of Burleigh Hill on a Sunday afternoon.

So how do we support our great places?

We reduce red tape on liquor licencing and hours of operation within our coastal villages to support night-time trading and creation of viable boutique bars. The cultural and creative life of a city is enhanced by safe, inclusive and vibrant night-time economies.

We better integrate each of our inland and coastal villages to encourage our visitors travel further afield. Extension of light rail and possible introduction of a ferry service would improve tourism accessibility within our city.

We invest in public realm improvements, like public Wi-Fi. Outdoor piazzas and pedestrian streets provide an opportunity to create a sense of place and a variety of great experiences.

We focus on promoting local authentic tourism offerings rather than lobbying for investment into new ‘one-off’ attractions.

We can see our tourism sector is growing, but lengths of stays are declining. We need to rethink how we market our tourism offering to ensure our visitors have a richer local experience, and stay here longer.”

“YP Gold Coast is calling for a firm commitment from all levels of government to stage 3 of the light rail corridor.

It’s our belief that stage 3 must run along the coastal spine of the city – from Burleigh Heads, to Gold Coast Airport, and beyond to Coolangatta. This route will enable the light rail network to appropriately service residential areas, commercial hubs and employment nodes.

Running the light rail down the coast will enable the development of east-west corridors to places like Robina and Nerang in the longer term. But our priority should be connecting our transport hub and gateway to the city – the airport – to the established light rail network.

The extension of light rail through our iconic coastal villages of Burleigh Heads and Palm Beach can be delivered while protecting the qualities that make these places unique to the Gold Coast.

The light rail doesn’t automatically create unlimited building height and poor development outcomes. The city’s town planning framework can manage development to ensure new development is high quality and reinforces the iconic character of our coastal villages.

We’re also strong advocates for ensuring the delivery of extensions to the light rail don’t unduly impact our small businesses.

Light rail is key to creating a truly world class public transport system for our city, and now is the time for action. Together we need to get behind the project, and advocate for our city’s exciting future. Stage 3 must move ahead, and we need all levels of government need to commit to its delivery.”

“What do you love about the Gold Coast?
What isn’t there to love about the Gold Coast! It’s one of the most spectacular places in the world to live. Its young and energetic, it’s beautiful and powerful. We have community world-class events, fantastic development, great leadership – the Gold Coast of 2017 really is offering something for everyone.

Do you think the Gold Coast has potential to become a global city? If so, what is holding us back right now?
Well we are already a young global city, and with the Comm Games literally around the corner – there is no reason why we can’t use this opportunity as a catalytic springboard onto the world stage. It’s really what we do AFTER the games that is important to us as locals. This is an exciting time to live on the GC.

In your travels, what have you seen done in other cities that you believe could work well on the Gold Coast?
We are big fans of showcasing our assets. We would like to see some controlled beach commercialization. The beach dining model adopted in Europe is spectacular – and it would be massively appealing if we could emulate a similar concept. We need to cater to the changing face of the Gold Coast. If we want to be taken seriously, then we need to up our game. It’s not good enough to rest on what got us to this point – it’s time to evolve!

What is your grand vision for the Gold Coast? What do you want it to look like in 20 years?
We hope that the momentum from the last 10 years will continue. It’s important that our young people stay on the Gold Coast. We are a young community, and we need to engage & empower the youth.

What is the biggest challenge facing the Gold Coast? And do you have a solution?
We have an identity crisis – we’re not considered a serious player. We need to protect and support our city’s image.

What advice would you give today’s young professionals and future leaders of the city?
Be invested! And remember that ‘No’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘Never’. Be prepared to dig deep – because that’s where the real results are.”

“What do you love about the Gold Coast?
It’s so different to any of the cities I grew up in or visited when I lived in Europe. For a while I thought the Gold Coast should try to be more like some of those old cities, but of course it shouldn’t. The Gold Coast is a great city in its own right and is framed by spectacular natural environments that most other cities would give their right arm for.

Do you think the Gold Coast has potential to become a global city? If so, what is holding us back right now?
Look, I’m an academic, we like our definitions and so I think about what it means to be a global city. Broadly speaking it refers to big cities that are part of a global network of centres of economic power and influence. Could the Gold Coast become one of these cities…anything is possible. But should it aspire to become one? I’m not so sure because becoming a global city often comes at a price: housing becomes seriously expensive, congestion can become intolerable and the environment may be damaged beyond repair. The more important question is: can we get bigger and better without losing the things that we all love about the city?

In your travels, what have you seen done in other cities that you believe could work well on the Gold Coast?
My favourite cities are full of great places, places where walking around is a pleasure and where you can get between these places easily without a car. When you visit great cities you buy a travel card, you don’t rent a car.

What is your grand vision for the Gold Coast? What do you want it to look like in 20 years?
If we insist on the highest standards of good urban design and planning, our city won’t look dramatically different in twenty years’ time. It will be a nicer place full of nicer places and more of us will live here, but we will have grown smartly and thoughtfully.

What is the biggest challenge facing the Gold Coast? And do you have a solution?
Taking a relatively short-term view of what we need to do fix our current problems, which can limit our capacity to grow smartly in the long term. We can do more to support our politicians in taking a longer term view.

What advice would you give today’s young professionals and future leaders of the city?
Take a long view, but think seriously about what you do today because it will shape that future. Other than that, don’t pay too much attention to us oldies!

Paul Burton.…probably in the last quarter of my life, but sometimes feel I’m still 21″

“YP Gold Coast sat down with Soheil Abedian, Founder and Executive Chairman of Sunland Group, ahead of his appearance at this year’s City Leaders Forum. Here’s what he had to say.

What do you love about the Gold Coast?

The environment and entrepreneurial spirit.

Do you think the Gold Coast has potential to become a global city? If so, what is holding us back right now?

Yes, but we are held back by a lack of supporting infrastructure.

In your travels, what have you seen done in other cities that you believe could work well on the Gold Coast?

To cut down on bureaucracy.

What is your grand vision for the Gold Coast?

To capitalise on the natural beauty, as well as further strengthen the inherent DNA of tourism and to expand the industry base.

What do you want it to look like in 20 years?

To be a city that offers the future generation diverse employment opportunities that contribute to the growth of the city, and to see less crime.

What is the biggest challenge facing the Gold Coast?

Our brand is perceived as ‘cheap’ with the belief that the city only represents ‘surf, sand and sex’

And do you have a solution?

For the community to work together and bring greater dignity to our city, that will enhance the overall health and wellbeing of the Gold Coast and strengthen the city’s overall prosperity.

What advice would you give today’s young professionals and future leaders of the city?

To find your own strength and try to do everything with the highest level of compassion, integrity and service.

Soheil is just one of the insightful speakers on the panel at this year’s City Leaders Forum.

“YP Gold Coast sat down with Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, ahead of this year’s City Leaders Forum. Here’s what he had to say.

What do you love about the Gold Coast?

The fact that we have grown considerably but we have retained the village feel that is so evident in each precinct, not only along the coastline but in our hinterland. For example, Mudgeeraba and its markets and village music scene is distinctly different to Miami Marketta or Burleigh Heads. The same with Nightquarter in Helensvale. Each area of the city is parochial about its own ‘village’. I love that.

Do you think the Gold Coast has potential to become a global city? If so, what is holding us back right now?

Access to world leading IT and fibre optics is holding us back – but not for long. By December this year, we will have laid around 45km of the world’s best high speed fibre optic along the light rail route and even further south to Coolangatta. This will be an absolute game changer for large businesses, research companies, medical science and technology start-ups to seriously look at our city.

In your travels, what have you seen done in other cities that you believe could work well on the Gold Coast?

Better public transport. Pure and simple. We are doing a lot but we have a long way to go. If I had my way, we’d have light rail all the way to Coolangatta and the airport by now and we’d have a network of express buses running east and west off the light rail spine.

What is your grand vision for the Gold Coast? What do you want it to look like in 20 years?

To retain the connectivity of people and the community spirit. Last year, we put out a call for 15,000 volunteers to be Games ambassadors and we got 47,000. Amazing. And of the 47,000, 80 percent were from the Gold Coast. I never want to see that diminish. Twenty years from now, I want the Goldie to be a lifestyle and business city for not only Australia, but a city of choice for investors from the ASEAN and UAE powerhouse economies. We will get there and that will create a dynamic economy where our children can secure high paying jobs right here in the city they love.

What is the biggest challenge facing the Gold Coast? And do you have a solution?

National perception that we are still a holiday-only destination. That is changing fast as people see what we are achieving, not only with the Games but in medical research, tertiary education and the film industry. But national perception is a challenge and it’s ironic that overseas, many countries have a very positive outlook on the Gold Coast. Our other big challenge will be to stay relevant to the free-independent-traveller (FIT). World economies are growing and every month, millions of more people have the capacity to travel as their wealth is changing. These same people have so many choices as to where they want to go, and what they want to see. So we need to renew our tourism products – both manmade and natural – to stay relevant to domestic tourists, and international visitors.

What advice would you give today’s young professionals and future leaders of the city?

Dream big and get the support you need. Surround yourself with people who share your vision. Sometimes, even business rivals can share ideas and opportunities and get the best outcome for their own businesses, and the city. Keep a close eye on debt and manage your affairs so you can weather the storms that will come your way as a business leader or entrepreneur. And lastly, make sure you are doing something you are truly passionate about.

Mayor Tom Tate is one of the many exciting panel speakers for the 2017 City Leaders Forum.”

“YP Gold Coast sat down with Natalie Hoitz, Director of Urban Design at Urbis, ahead of her appearance at this year’s City Leaders Forum. Here’s what she had to say.

What do you love about the Gold Coast?

It’s perhaps cliché and a common answer but it has the be the coast itself with the hinterlands as a backdrop. The sheer length of coast, it’s pristine beaches and headlands – they are such a defining feature and probably what I love the most about the Gold Coast.

Do you think the Gold Coast has potential to become a global city? If so, what is holding us back right now?

Absolutely! The Gold Coast has many of the physical assets necessary to make it a global city – quality education, medical, infrastructure, tourism and entertainment facilities. Where grow and attention is needed is around the attraction and diversification of business and employment opportunities. The lifestyle offer on the Gold Coast is second to none but really cementing Southport as the business heart of the coast will be critical in the journey to becoming a global city

In your travels, what have you seen done in other cities that you believe could work well on the Gold Coast?

When you look the best coastal cities around the world like Singapore, Los Angeles, Miami, Vancouver, Barcelona and Auckland they all enjoy a beautiful coastal location but this is only part of their success story. Beyond the coast they all have a richly diverse offering of locally relevant galleries, museums, sports, arts and culture. These elements done well play a key part in elevating the status and attraction of a city. The Gold Coast has some of these features but much more can be done to grow this aspect of the city.

What is your grand vision for the Gold Coast? What do you want it to look like in 20 years?

My grand vision is for the Gold Coast to transform into a truly global city and a dynamic destination for locals and visitors alike. With the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the transformational infrastructure projects planned or underway, Queensland’s second largest city is quickly maturing into a place of broad opportunity and rich experiences. In 20 years, I see the Gold Coast being a creative city famous for its subtropical coastal lifestyle, arts and culture. These are the city shaping values that make a city enjoyable to be in and therefore more attractive to live, work and invest in.

What is the biggest challenge facing the Gold Coast? And do you have a solution?

To me the biggest challenge remains the transient or tourist vibe that prevails in many of the densest and busiest parts of the coast. There is still a perception that the Gold Coast is mainly a holiday destination. The golden rule of urban design is places need to be designed and delivered for the locals. This means locally relevant and accessible. Tourists want to go where locals go. They want an authentic experience. Therefore it makes good sense to put locals at the heart of any brief. For a long time many areas of the coast have been delivered specifically for the tourist market. A changed mindset of putting locals first needs to happen across the board. Becoming famous for more than tourism is the next necessary step in the evolution of the city.

What advice would you give today’s young professionals and future leaders of the city?

My advice to young professionals is not be overawed by the pace of change and the quantum of information out there in the world. What remains most valuable is smart, articulate and clear thinking professionals who can cut through all the data and noise and get to the heart of the matter. Our future leaders will need to be able to do this and do it well!

Natalie is just one of the exciting panel of speakers for the 2017 City Leaders Forum”

“Take calculated risks and remember the correlation between risk and reward.”

Paul Little walks the talk. He’s a highly credentialed businessman who built up Toll Holdings’ turnover from less than $20 million and left the company with a market capitalisation in the region of $8 billion.

He now boasts personal wealth of $927 million, according to the 2017 Financial Review rich list.

Addressing a YP Gold Coast lunch at Hellenika this week, Little says his company, Little Group, is here “very much with a toe in the water”.

They’re about to start selling a 263-apartment project on Philip Avenue in Broadbeach – a marked move away from Melbourne’s inner-city apartment market that Little says has become tough as buyers find it increasingly difficult to secure funding.

“We’ve reached a point of confidence when we can push the button on the project,” Little said to 120 Gold Coast business leaders and entrepreneurs.

“Things in Sydney and Melbourne have become tough, but we’re very excited about this project. The area is ready for it.

“Broadbeach has such strong infrastructure, wonderful patrolled surf beaches, the light rail and the casino development.””

Little was joined by Urbis Gold Coast director Matthew Schneider, who believes the city, while young, is at an important stage of maturation.

“We need to mature not only as a place to live, but as an investment destination,” he said.

“And as we grow we’ll confront big city challenges – investing in infrastructure, tackling traffic congestion – but we should do it without selling our souls. That’s our challenge as a business community.

“The Gold Coast does need to attract investment from abroad. We aren’t a big capital city that has the critical mass to sustain itself.”

Little shares Schneider’s appreciation for the offshore dollar.

“An Australian city that can take large cruise ships has huge income potential for the economy. It’s a large international market,” said Little, referring to controversial plans for a cruise ship terminal in the city.

“Investment in the expansion of Gold Coast Airport is very important for attracting people to the city. People want to fly direct, they don’t want to go via somewhere to get somewhere else.”

But it was some little pearls of wisdom that left an impression on the audience.

“If you’re starting off in your career, try and work out where you want to finish in life. Don’t work out where you want to start. Allow yourself to dream a bit; work out where you want to finish and work backwards from that,” he said.

“From doing so, you’ll have a better idea of how to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“And remember the risk/reward ratio.”

So perhaps Little’s foray into Gold Coast property is a risk, but history suggests it’s one that will pay dividends.

“The sharing of knowledge makes knowledge greater”.

So says Danny Maher, the founder of Gold Coast-based business software multinational Opmantek and passionate advocate for connecting and empowering innovators.

Danny addressed a group of more than 130 professionals and entrepreneurs at YP Gold Coast’s cocktail function at Sandbar Surfers Paradise recently, providing rare insight into how he built Opmantek from a start-up to a booming business that services more than 130,000 organisations worldwide.

‘Build it and they will come’ is Danny’s attitude to attracting talent to the city.

“The Gold Coast is a fantastic place to live and do business,” he said.

“There’s loads of smart people who want to work on the Gold Coast, we just need to create the opportunities and show them they exist.”

When Danny was establishing his business, he would list positions in Sydney or Melbourne in order to attract workers at the top of their fields.
“We needed the best of the best, and they just weren’t looking at the Gold Coast,” he said.

“You can have a go and you can get things done here. You just need the right people.”

Danny shared his vision for morphing the Gold Coast into an IT hub and how to capitalise on innovation and disruption.
“We’ve founded the Gold Coast innovation hub where people can get the resources they need to make their businesses more successful,” he said.

“We need innovative businesses to know they can succeed here.”

And if Opmantek is anything to go by, succeed they can.

Read more about the Gold Coast’s innovation hub

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