GDW Applications - FAQs - Geelong City of Design

Geelong Design Week – FAQs

What is Geelong Design Week about?

Geelong Design Week is a 10-day community event celebrating Geelong’s global recognition as Australia’s only UNESCO Creative City of Design. The event seeks to engage the community in a high quality and inclusive program that supports the designation and showcases local design talent and our creative industries. A successful 22-event partnership in 2019 with the National Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Design Week program, progressed to become a stand-alone event in 2020 with more than 80 events. However, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of this program. In 2021, Geelong Design Week attracted more than 6000 people, attending 69 events that showcased local design and creativity under the theme ‘Unpredictable’. Almost a third of the 2021 audience came from outside Greater Geelong, demonstrating potential for Geelong Design Week to become a flagship destination event for the region. Read the 2021 event report. View the 2021 event video

What are the dates for Geelong Design Week?

Geelong Design Week will be held from 17 – 27 March, 2022.

Why should I get involved in Geelong Design Week?

Geelong Design Week celebrates our city, our people and the creativity and innovation that makes us a UNESCO City of Design. No other city in Australia has this accolade and we are one of only 40 cities worldwide to have this designation – it’s a really big deal!

Businesses, not-for-profit organisations, community groups, schools and individuals in Greater Geelong have amazing projects and stories to share. They are designing and creating new products, services, systems and processes that help improve our way of life – and we want to tell the world about them.

Hosting a Geelong Design Week event gives you an opportunity to engage with a wide audience, celebrate your work, honour Geelong’s design history and promote our vitality and character.

Who is organising Geelong Design Week?

Geelong Design Week is coordinated by the City of Greater Geelong as part of the UNESCO City of Design designation. A curatorial working group has been established to oversee the delivery of the program. This group will be responsible for the selection of events and will assess each application against the criteria. The group members consist of:

Dr. Fiona Lee, President, Creative Geelong
Dr. Jonathan Daly, Manager Urban Design and Heritage, City of Greater Geelong
Dr. Mary-Jane Walker, Director, The School of Lost Arts
Dr. Yolanda Esteban, Lecturer in Architecture and Urban Design, Deakin University
Jason Smith, Director and CEO, Geelong Gallery
Kevin Foard, Engineering Network Manager, Geelong Manufacturing Council
Padraic Fisher, Director, National Wool Museum
Christine Silvestroni, Coordinator Economic Development, City of Greater Geelong, UNESCO City of Design Project Lead
Nerilee Jones, Business and Industry Engagement Officer, Economic Development, City of Greater Geelong, Geelong Design Week Project Lead

What type of event can I host?

Geelong Design Week events should be engaging, creative and interesting. Here are some format ideas for your event:

Exhibition
Open house, gallery, studio or workshop
Product launch
Pop up shop or market
Competition
Talk or lecture with guest speaker
Film screening
Concert or live performance
Product launch or demonstration
Art installation or projection
Tour of a place of interest
An event tailored to pre-school, primary, secondary or tertiary students
Webinar or podcast
Food and/or beverage event
Networking or social event
Or something totally different. We love creativity!

What are the requirements to be an event host?

Hosting an event is easy! We’ve made the process simple and straightforward with plenty of support measures in place to help you along the way.

All applications for Geelong Design Week will be assessed against the following criteria:

Is the proposed event relevant to the 2022 theme ‘Taur’ (belonging)?
Is the proposed event scheduled between 17 and 27 March 2022? (Multi-day events can start prior to the 17 March and finish after 27 March.)
If the proposed event is face to face, is an online alternative in place that meets any changes to government health directions? (Click here for up to date information on restrictions)
Is the proposed event accessible and open to all members of the public to attend?
Does the proposed event support and build awareness of Geelong’s UNESCO City of Design designation?
Does the proposed event celebrate and showcases design and creativity?
Does the application demonstrate capacity, skills and resources to deliver a high-quality event including managing event ticketing and associated data collection?

2022 contingency requirement:

If the event is to be held in-person, hosts must have an online delivery plan in place in case of further government restrictions or other unforeseeable circumstances arise. This will ensure that Geelong Design Week 2022 events can proceed.

Other requirements:

If your application is successful, all final event information must be submitted by Friday 10 December.

All event hosts will be required to complete a post-event host survey at the conclusion of Geelong Design Week.

The Geelong Design Week team will also survey event attendees as part of the reporting process.

If I was an event host for the 2020/2021 program – do I have to reapply for 2022?

Yes. We welcome all event hosts who were involved with our previous programs to join us again in 2022. If you wish to submit the same event, please review the content to determine how it relates to the theme. You may even like to make some changes to how you planned to deliver your original event.

Do you have any results or data from the 2021 event?

Yes, you can read the 2021 event report HERE.

Is there a fee to participate in Geelong Design Week?

Geelong Design Week is an inclusive and accessible community event and there is no registration fee to host an event.

What is the Open Studios program?

Following a successful trial in 2021, we will be expanding the Open Studios program in 2022 as part of Geelong Design Week.

Artists, designers and makers across the G21 region are invited to open their professional studio doors and showcase their work over two weekends. It’s a great way to encourage people to explore the region during Geelong Design Week.

In 2021, more than 800 people followed the Open Studios trail to discover local artists in studios and creative venues across the Southern and Northern Bellarine Peninsula.

In 2022, the Open Studios program will be held over two weekends, covering the four points of Geelong’s compass:

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th March, 10am-4pm

Saturday 26th and Sunday 27 March, 10am-4pm

The Open Studios program will take the format of an app trail from your mobile device or a printed location map and will be supported by the Arts and Culture unit at the City of Greater Geelong.

This event is suitable for artists, designers and creatives who have an existing premises that is open to the public as part of normal business trading. Public liability insurance coverage is required.

If you would like to participate in the Open Studios program, please select this category as part of your application. It is a requirement that participating studios are open across all advertised days and times to ensure consistency between venues, subject to Covid-19 regulations.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

What support will my event receive as part of the program?

The Geelong Design Week team will support all events through a dedicated marketing and communications campaign incorporating digital and print advertising, website, social media, community signage, video and public relations.

As part of the program, you will also receive:

Geelong Design Week logo to use in your event’s marketing and communications
An invitation to the official Geelong Design Week launch
Event hosting support from the Geelong Design Week team

When will I find out if my application has been successful?

All applicants will be notified by mid-November 2021.

Will I incur any costs as an event host?

There is no fee to host an event as part of Geelong Design Week. Hosts are responsible for all event costs including venue hire, catering (if applicable), speaker fees, live streaming or recording (if applicable) and marketing and promotion costs such as printing of flyers, paid social media and other collateral for your event.

The Geelong Design Week team will support all events through a dedicated marketing and communications campaign incorporating digital and print advertising, social media, community signage, video and public relations.

When do I need to have my event finalised by?

If your application is successful, your final event content must be submitted no later than Friday 10 December 2021. Content received after this date will not be included in the program.

Final event content includes:

Venue address or webinar/online link (for online events)
Date and time of event
Event description and image.

This will ensure we have enough time to prepare the website, ticketing and final program for launch in late January.

Do I need to have a social media account such as Facebook or Instagram to be part of Geelong Design Week?

We strongly recommend event hosts have their own active social media accounts to promote their own event and the wider program. Our digital engagement campaign in 2021 skyrocketed with the social media reach alone increasing 128% on the 2020 campaign. It helps to be on social media!

TIP – You don’t need to be on every social media platform, just choose one you can easily manage.

What is the backup plan in case of further Covid-19 restrictions?

This may include delivering the event as a webinar, YouTube presentation, digital exhibition or Facebook Live event, or via another online platform. Please consider this requirement when planning your event.

Can Geelong Design Week organisers provide a venue for my event?

For events that are being held in-person, hosts are responsible for arranging their own venue. A list of potential venues in Greater Geelong can be found here: https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/halls/default.aspx

Please note that any venue hire fees are the responsibility of the event host. This includes any hire fees for City of Greater Geelong-owned venues.

The Geelong Design Week team are happy to discuss venue suggestions with you. Please get in touch at [email protected]

Can my event have its own sponsors or partners?

Yes.

Do I need to organise ticketing or online registration for people to attend my event?

In 2022, the Geelong Design Week team will coordinate all ticketing and registrations for all events associated with Geelong Design Week.

This will ensure we can monitor attendance numbers in the lead up to the event and adjust our social media and marketing schedule accordingly.

It will also greatly assist with understanding how many people attended Geelong Design Week overall.

Event hosts will have the ability to also monitor their attendance numbers with sub-user access provided.

Further information on ticketing will be sent out to all event hosts in November.

How should I use the Geelong Design Week logo and marketing materials?

All event hosts will receive a press kit with the Geelong Design Week logo and marketing and communications guidelines. This will be made available to event hosts in January 2022.

Can my event charge an admission fee?

Yes, you can charge a fee for your event.

In 2022, Geelong Design Week will coordinate all ticketing, with paid events incurring a small booking fee via our ticketing provider. This fee will be payable by the person purchasing the ticket.

TIP – In the past, we have found that events that are free book out very quickly and also result in a high number of no-shows. This is frustrating for event organisers who are left with empty seats that could have otherwise been filled by other people. We suggest charging a small fee for all events, to increase the likelihood of people attending.

How do I contact the organisers of Geelong Design Week?

The Geelong Design Week team can be contacted via email [email protected].

We endeavour to respond to enquiries as quickly as possible.

Back to Geelong Design Week 2022