Communication Profession: Public Relation

ASSESSMENT TASK 3

COLLABORATIVE GROUP PUBLICATION

Communication Profession: Public Relation Hiu Tung Li (Vera) Pimporn Chobchai (Mam) Sin Man Chao (Gloria) Tzu Yun Wang (Allie)

CONTENTS • • • • •

City Circle Melbourne’ GPO QV Square Federation Square References

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CITY CIRCLE City circle was first introduced in 1994, it is a tram that operates in circular route within Melbourne’s Central Business District. Despite the fact that the whole trip takes around an hour to visit all the sites, which might takes a longer time for tourists and residents who want to visit a certain artefact by zero-fare tram, it offers an experience of travel on a historical tram and seeing the city’s site at the same time.

City circle acts as a media that introduce and promote Melbourne to people, especially tourists, who are new to know about Melbourne. It links tourist attractions together as well as important sites in Melbourne, one of them is Federation Square, located in the heart of Melburne, this verifies city circle to be one of the public relations media of Melbourne.

Referring to a press release in Hong Kong (2009) that, the Tramway the Transport and Housing spokesman said that, although the tramway plays a role of being a public transport in Hong Kong, it forms part of Hong Kong’ history and culture, and they want to preserve this piece of cultural heritage. Trams in Hong Kong is similar to the city circle in Melbourne, they are also heritage-base transport, which takes both residents and tourists to places of highlights. As the city circle itself is a point of attraction, the idea of operating this historic tram to go through and promotes places of interests, makes it to be a significant cultural promoter of Melbourne city. It is leisure experience and service that the city circle tram offers to the passengers, which attracts both tourists and residents to get on the tram, hence forms the culture of visiting Melbourne via city circle.

Richard Prentice (1993) describes the behavior of the tourists when visiting attractions, normally, they visit the heritage attraction is only one part of the day’s attractions and other leisure spots like shopping malls.

This proves the reason that the city circle route planners operate the route between tourist’s point of heritage attractions as well as shopping malls, showing the tourists different sides of Melbourne. Although the city circle operates with the retired W-class tram, which is occasionally, operates inefficiently, overall it plays an important role in promoting Melbourne to the tourists as well as residents. It satisfies their needs of having to a balancing trip between sightseeing and shopping, as mentioned by Prentice, it also grants them the chance of experiencing the urban life through the art of tram.

As shopping is one of the key activities within a trip, David C. Thorns (2002) states that consumption is important within a community.

In fact, consumption does not only refer to consumption on products, but also about consuming entertainment and leisure activities. Tourists are able to enjoy and consumer their leisure time by zero-fare tram, at the same time, it brings the passengers to places like shopping malls to consume money in return. As the city circle is zero-fare, it attracts tourist easily. However, in this case, the emphasis is not on promoting the city circle itself, but how it attracts people to get onto the tram, and helps to promote Melbourne city by bringing the passengers to places of interest to consume.

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MELBOURNE’S GPO GPO, which is known as the Melbourne General Post Office, is located in the centre of the Melbourne CBD. After the foundation of GPO was built in 1859, it has been changed from office and mail sorting space to a post office open to the public. However, between 1997 and 2001, there were developers proposing plans about converting GPO into private sector. GPO is now a high end shopping complex and a bland of heritage and contemporary architecture.

The location of GPO, Burke Street, is seen as an emphasis of shopping experience in Melbourne City for visitors to explore (Rhodes, J 2009). By visiting GPO and Burke Street, they can come into contact with Melbourne’s urban lifestyle and local culture during their stay in Melbourne. The combination of casual lifestyle, prosperity of shopping culture and lofty living quality raises Melbourne City’s reputation and brand perception.

Sharon Zukin (2005) mentions about the impact of shopping culture and how it significantly influences culture and public life of a country. Zukin states that consumer culture has the potential to communicating a city’s urban lifestyle. In her theory, consumer culture is a worldwide language and is seen as a form a democracy. We assume that GPO is an artefact that helps establish Melbourne City’s global position.

The social relation of GPO is changed as it has been redesigned and transmuted into several different communication centres since it was built. According to Sharon Zukin (1989), capitalism, the rise of elegant lifestyle and urban renewal may be responsible contributors to changes similar to GPO’s. Between historical infrastructure preservation and conforming to the trend of “consumer culture”, Melbourne clearly chose to develop its global position and further its tourism industry.

Similar condition can be found in another artefact, city circle tram. Even though it provides free-fare services, it encourages product consumption and indirectly becomes a capitalized facility. While GPO and city circle tram globalize Melbourne by encouraging product consumption, QV and Federation Square bring about interaction, multicultural events and entertainment consumption to further branding Melbourne’s globalized and democratic image. Yet, do changing GPO into a capitalized shopping centre and encouraging product and entertainment consumption mean that Melbourne would therefore be a globalized city?

We think that the reputation of these four artefacts needs firmer establishment.

The relationship between Melbourne and other stylish global cities becomes clearer despite that the renewal of GPO changes may bring up negative aspects of Melbourne City.

Prominent cities for high end brands, like Paris and London, also appreciate the value of historical buildings while utilizing them to encourage the flow of consumption and tourism.

The industry of public relations intends to use shopping experience in GPO to promote Melbourne City in a positive light in areas like tourism, economy and so on. While GPO and city circle tram brand Melbourne as a globalized and democratic city through product consumption, QV and Federation Square convey meanings about Melbourne and its social relations through entertainment consumption.

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QV SQUARE QV Square is a redeveloped form from Melbourne’s historic Queen Victoria Women’s hospital site. It is located in the heart of the Melbourne city, which is right next to the Melbourne Central Train Station. In the CBD of Melbourne, GPO, Federation Square and the city circle tram are also redeveloped by historic facilities. Those artifacts provide a great contrast between old and new, on the other hand, they present a rich cultural link to the Melbourne history. City circle tram and the GPO remain the significant appearance however QV and Federation Square rebuilt in contemporary architectural outlook.

In the city of Melbourne, GPO, QV city circle and Federation Square are using different strategies to cover various industries and target audience. All artifacts are focusing on international market except QV. However, it cooperates with other artifacts in the CBD to brand Melbourne as a better international city. QV is a shopping complex that includes variety of restaurant, café, shops, also apartment and office services. It serves different national customers, which is similar to the GPO. GPO is a high-end fashion hub in the city of Melbourne and it includes lots of international fashion brands that attract local customers and tourists too. QV ’s apartment and office service target to international residents but the rest parts are mainly supplies for local people.

QV ’s space planning is based on local’s lifestyle and the city culture, which can be reflected from the opening grass area and its laneway system. QV Square has the laneway system, which makes it be more attractive to audiences. Melbourne city’s laneway network show a different side of Melbourne and it has been promoted in the government branding activities, for example the ‘Lose Yourself in Melbourne’ video. As a result, QV combines this feature to its design to express Melbourne as a whole.

Users are sometimes builders themselves (Eduado 1990), which is telling that the lifestyle of the users always influence space development. Since most of the Melbourne citizens are living in suburb areas, the artificial grass area in QV is designed for giving an accustomed impression to audience. At the same time, it increases the social relation skill of people, as it is a lunch-spot and leisure area as well. The QV grass area is the mechanism to link between people and the QV Square. This feature is matching the human characteristic physically and culturally. Amos Rapoport (1997) suggests cultural landscapes are the visible physical result of human activity. According to this concept, the QV grass area is a place of showing environment as a communication and a reflection of people’s value systems.

The Federation Square supplies the same function in the city of Melbourne, as it is a central place where people meet up and socialize. In addition, it also consider about tourist market by several of activities such as sport competitions or international cultural festivals. QV and Federation Square are the examples to show how artifacts interact with people in the city of Melbourne.

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FEDERATION SQUARE Federation Square is like a heart of Melbourne city. With its unique design architecture, it is one of the most essential tourist attract of Melbourne. The square features a series of building such as art galleries, cinemas, a museum, auditoria, exhibition spaces, bars, shops and restaurants. NGV Australia (Ian Potter Centre), the Australian Centre for he Moving Image the SBS studio, BMW edge and the Australian Racing Museum establishes within the Square. Many events and exhibitions have been arranged since it was built. By its reputation of contemporary distinctive design, publicizes the place locally and internationally. Every detail and aspect of Federation Square communicates culture and urban life.

Federation Square has grown in popularity to become the centre of attraction in Melbourne; merged art culture and city life into one thing, and thus its attractiveness. Numerous changes were managed during establishment of Federation Square such as the demolition of the old Gas Fuel building, a sore sight in the Melbourne city was undertaken to provide space for the construction. The composition and location of the Square varies from diverse prospects; the integration of surrounding city buildings provides an excellent view of the metropolis. Thus, the Square acts as an excellent promotional building for attracting both locals and foreigners into the city (Dunn, 2004).

States government site describes the Square in a sense of promotion. Federation Square publicizes as a centre of culture institution, public events and tourists. A focal point from which visitors start their discovery as the location of Melbourne Visitor Information Centre, provide visitors city maps and tourist information. Its location and design conceptual has made the square a must visit sight for both local and foreigners. Federation square described as the most significant artifacts that have been established in Melbourne city, with its many inclusions within a single building have become a major attraction for tourist and a place for public events. The site provides information of how to get there, enhance visitors’ interest with convenient transportation as it locates in the busiest intersection of Melbourne city, opposite Flinders Street station. As the state’s website, promoting the artifact is essential, publicize the most unique point to attract local and international market.

Dovey (2005) discusses the Square as a federation; an original and a clever building and space complex, established to enrich the Melbourne city, also provide the public with a sympathetic architecture. Federation Square was established to provide a heritage that met the global marketing standards and defined Melbourne’s city and the nation as a whole. The building is a form of symbolic capital corporate with both delight and horror from the public.

Design specific role of design in the promotion of Melbourne as a global sophisticated modern city. However, according to the article the critique on the building was always been supportive; the building has grown in popularity to become a landmark and a selling point for Melbourne.

Additionally it describes a building that was established to give Melbourne city a new global role to transform the image of the city, to celebrate the federation and independence of Australia. Cities such as Sydney, Paris, London and New York own their iconic building, Federation Square successfully transform Melbourne to connect with other cities. According Dovey (2005), the Square has developed into a naturally advantageous location and a magnate that draws both the local and international audiences to it and through it.

Overall, Federation Square define very aspect of Melbourne city, combining revolution of constructions, integrate contemporary and traditional design together. City Circle, GPO, QV Square and Federation Square have relations that use different strategies to cover various industries and audiences, lead t the success of branding Melbourne as a livable city and globalize Melbourne to international market 5

REFERENCES Amos, Rapoport 1977, ‘Human Aspects of Urban Form Towards a Man – Environment Approach to urban Form and Design’, 1st edn, PERGAMON PRESS, New York Donald, S, and Gammack, J, 2007, ‘Tourism and Branded city: film and identity on the pacific’, VT: Ashgate, Aldershot, England; Burlington, pp. 45-61 Dovey, K, Woodcock, I, 2005 ‘Federation’, UNSW press, Sydney pp 93 - 121 Dunn, R 2004, ‘Urbane Geometry’. Southern Review: Communication, Politics & Culture, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 104-109, 12 April 2010, <http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/ documentSummary;dn=848699667806132;res=IELHSS> Eduardo E, 1990, ‘Community Design and the culture of cities’, 1st edn, the Press Syndicate of the university of Cambridge, America Prentice, R 1993, ‘Tourist trip making and visits to heritage attractions’, in Tourism and heritage attractions, 1st edn, Routledge, London, pp. 108-118.

Rhodes, J 2009, ‘Landscapes of Desire’, ‘til You Drop: Shopping - A Melbourne History, 1st edn, State Library of Victoria, brochure from the free exhibition, from 11 December 2009 to 31 October 2010 Thorns, D 2002, ‘Consumption and urban culture’, in The transformation of cities, 1st edn, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, pp.120-146.

Unknown, 2009, ‘Wharf Transport and Veolia transport form partnership to operate Hong Kong Tramway’s, media release, Hong Kong government, Hong Kong, 7 April.

Visit Melbourne, 2010, Federation Square, viewed 22 May 2010, <http://www.visitmelbourne. com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.000D6046-A24A-1DDA-8A7480C476A90000/>.

Zukin, S 1989, ‘Speculation and the State’, Loft Living: Culture and capital in urban change, 1st edn, Rutgers University Press, the United States of America, p. 190-192 Zukin, S 2005, Point of Purchase: How shopping changed American culture, 1st edn, Routledge, the United Kingdom, p. 128, 257, 263

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