CEO Update - 500 Days of Progress & Partnership: Moving Forward, Together

Friday 27 October 2023

This week we hosted our annual Summit at the ICC Sydney, marking a major milestone, 500 Days of Partnerships and Progress, and we officially launched our Charter for Partnership for the World’s Best Waterfront. We were encouraged that Minister John Graham MLC gave a keynote speech where he officially announced the government is a step closer to formalising BIDs in NSW with plans to release exposure draft enabling legislation before the end of the year. 

Joining the Minister, Kate Meyrick from Urbis presented global benchmarks for high performing waterfronts, Matt Bell of Colliers provided an overview our latest precinct performance and visitor insights and Kerri Glasscock CEO of Sydney Fringe set out a partnership for the Waterfront’s future.  

Our Chairman’s Panel moderated by Geoff Parmenter gave us a deeper look on where to next for Improvement Districts in New South Wales, and featured a stellar line up from Eamon Waterford, CEO Committee for Sydney, Michael Rodrigues, the 24-hour Economy Commissioner, Jason de Sousa, Executive Director of Lendlease and Renae Trimble, CEO of Accor Plus.  

A year of listening and over 50 meetings these past few months with you our members and partners, has enabled us to complete the Charter for Partnership for the World’s Best Waterfront and develop our priority programs and services for the future. Read more here. 

Our Precinct has been abuzz with energy over the last few months thanks to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Sydney Fringe Festival, and more recently the inaugural SXSW Sydney festival and the grand opening of the five-star W Hotel in Darling Harbour. Recent footfall figures released by Colliers shows our visitation was up 37% year-on-year and up 5% when compared with September 2019. Darling Square had the strongest overall month-on-month performance, up 23% no doubt thanks to the FIFA Fan Hub and the Hello Darling Tent amongst other initiatives. Importantly it appears total precinct visitation has returned to pre-covid levels.  

New Sydney Waterfront Company has been working closely with the NSW Government to support the development of the Improvement District (ID) model and enshrine a clear policy for the establishment and management of IDs in NSW, including meeting with our local Member, Alex Greenwich MP.  

I would like to particularly thank our members, partners and team at New Sydney Waterfront Company, Jodie Bain, Iwona Falkiner, Robbie Hosking and Susanna Montrone for what has been a tremendous 12 months with significant progress towards becoming Australia’s first formal Business Improvement District.  

 As many of you know, I will be relocating back to the UK in November but continuing to lead the BID Co until February next year and then remaining a strategic advisor to the Board and Chairman. I know this model of partnership is right for Sydney and indeed Australia, having seen the great success firsthand these past two decades and admiring the results of over 2,000 Improvement Districts across the world.  

I wish you our valued members and partners a really terrific Summer in and around our Great Western Harbour and very much look forward to sharing in our continued collaboration.  

Yours in Partnership  

Jace Tyrrell  

CHIEF EXECUTIVE