Imagination reigns in NYE capital of the world
Sydney New Year’s Eve will continue to be one of the best on the world stage after the City of Sydney appointed Imagination Australia to mastermind the event’s design and creative for the next three years.
The Pyrmont-based company were responsible for enlisting pop star Kylie Minogue, designer Marc Newson and artist Reg Mombassa to provide creative input from 2011-13, and will now help establish a new creative vision for the event and its future development.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City’s Sydney New Year’s Eve event, which features two cutting-edge fireworks displays, Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect, Harbour of Light Parade and other entertainment, will continue to be the world’s leading New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Says Lord Mayor: “The eyes of the world turn to Sydney on New Year’s Eve as the first global city to welcome the New Year. About 1.6 million people gather around our harbour each year to enjoy the night. Images of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect and fireworks reach more than one billion people around the globe. This event also generates $156 million for the local economy. The City is ensuring Sydney’s status as the New Year’s Eve Capital of the World with a strategic plan to keep it sustainable, innovative and exciting.”
Applications for the tender were highly competitive. The City chose Imagination Australia because of the quality of its creative work and its unique vision for the future of the event.
Applicants for the role weren’t required to provide names or details of proposed ‘creative ambassadors’ or event themes, but instead were asked to provide a ‘roadmap’ for the next five years of the event.
This roadmap includes an overarching creative vision for the event’s future development, details on how the creative trajectory would be achieved and an explanation of how each event would be different from the last. It also includes ideas on how to extend the event theme through digital storytelling, marketing or other ways.
While all creative and event content is still to be finalised, Imagination Australia will deliver:
• A cohesive creative team;
• An annual creative theme;
• An annual logo or master brand device, including all subsequent art collateral;
• A motif for the Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect and artwork for the Pylon Projections;
• All creative elements for the City’s sites, including the Lord Mayor’s Picnic;
• Musical soundtracks for the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays; and
• All print and digital marketing collateral.
The panel assessed the applicants against a range of criteria, including innovation, demonstrated relevant experience, capacity to deliver high-quality outcomes, and environmental management and sustainability credentials.
The 2013 Sydney New Year’s Eve creative ambassador is artist Reg Mombassa, who has developed the Shine theme for this year’s event.