Sitting here at the Gold Coast airport waiting for my flight, I’m reminded of the broad spectrum of business types that many foreigners have been exposed to – and the importance that Gold Coast f&b businesses recognise this of their coming Commonwealth Games customers.

During my 14 years working overseas, it became apparent to me how insular Australia is in many respects. Some people will refute this statement, but it’s just how it is. As a graphic designer working in London, I recognised that Australia is many years behind the times when it comes to branding, for instance. Some cities have more progressive branding scenes (such as Sydney and Melbourne), but the majority of high street brands that we’re exposed to as Aussies are frankly, woefully outdated and often, just plain bad. Income has stagnated for so many years in Australia now that decent marketing budgets are considered a luxury by most business operators, though paradoxically, marketing is invariably the only thing that will give a business the exposure required for success.

Restaurants, cafes and other food & beverage businesses that are preparing to welcome Commonwealth Games visitors, must represent themselves with contemporary professional photography and branding. This is absolutely imperative. Business owners who are emotionally attached to their brand and it’s marketing collateral must audit their brand in an honest way, or have a qualified person do this for them.

As Aussies, we sometimes like to think of ourselves as the most progressive nation in the region, when in fact, this is simply not the case. Affluent Commonwealth Games tourists from neighbouring countries will have had plenty of exposure to food businesses with strong interior design, branding and food photography. On the Gold Coast and to a lesser extent in Brisbane, I still see f&b brands that consider their branding and marketing to be passable while their prospective Comm Games customers will view them as laughable. As the title of this article states, ‘tough love’ is what Gold Coast/Brisbane businesses require if they are to attract customers as hosts of the #GC2018! It’s only once you’ve removed yourself from this market for an extended period then return to it that you can see it objectively.

The good news is, the large number of poorly-marketed food businesses in the Gold Coast and Brisbane, make it easy to stand out and excel. This can be capitalised upon quickly by restaurants, cafes and hotels hoping to reap the benefits of being a Commonwealth Games host city. Over 650,000 visitors are expected for the games. This potentially represents massive revenue for the businesses that are prepared to entice foodies to their venue. The marketing spend to grab this opportunity is fractional and a no-brainer!

Get in touch today if your f&b business is preparing for the Commonwealth Games – there’s still time to see your investment returned many-fold, just as THIS recent client of mine did. #GC2018 – game on, Gold Coast foodies!   🙂