Council has voted to send Mayor Stephanie Asher or a delegate to represent Geelong at this year's UNESCO Creative Cities Annual General Meeting in Santos, Brazil.
During its 11 February meeting, the council authorised travel for the mayor (or delegate) and a City staff member to the AGM between 13 and 19 July this year.
The trip will also include a visit to fellow City of Design Curitiba, also in Brazil.
Attendance at the AGM is an obligation as part of Geelong's UNESCO City of Design designation.
It will see the Greater Geelong region showcased amongst an international audience of more than 230 other UNESCO Creative Cities, while providing an opportunity to share ideas and strengthen relationships with fellow Cities of Design.
Geelong is Australia's only UNESCO City of Design, having successfully applied to join the Creative Cities network in 2017.
The title was instrumental in the successful expansion of Melbourne Design Week to Geelong in 2019, which has now led to the first ever standalone Geelong Design Week featuring more than 80 events during March this year.
It's estimated the trip will cost $12,000.
Mayor Stephanie Asher:
I've always been very supportive of councillors undertaking relevant travel to represent our region. Whether the reason for travel is to promote our city, to develop relationships of benefit to the Geelong region, or for specific research purposes, I think it's critical to broaden our horizons.Attending this year's UNESCO Creative Cities AGM is a unique opportunity to present Geelong in all its glory to major cities around the world. It's vital for us to show support as a city for the Creative Cities model and to respect our designation as the only City of Design in Australia.
It will also allow us to continue to pitch for Geelong to host a future Cities of Design subnetwork meeting, so showcasing our tourism, design and creativity credentials will be paramount.
