1 November 2006

Canberra Centre expansion opens; RA not attending

| Kerces
Join the conversation
22

I hear the Section 84 expansion of the Canberra Centre, or at least parts of it, are due to open tomorrow.

In the interests of keeping you all informed, I contacted the nice marketing girl who gave me coffee vouchers when I photographed their fashion parade to see if I could get press access of the opening or a preview for RiotACT. This was on October 21.

Last Sunday, having neither heard anything back nor had the email bounce, I decided to try again, this time to the general marketing and centre management email addresses listed on their webstite. Still no response.

On Monday I rang the Canberra Centre and, having explained what I wanted, left my name and number to be passed on to the marketing people. No response.

Yesterday I again rang the shopping centre and this time asked to be put through to the marketing department. Finally having gotten someone on the phone, who turned out to be that nice marketing girl I’d initially emailed, I was told that yes they’d got my emails but I needed to get in touch with the PR firm they’d engaged to deal with media and no, they didn’t have a contact number for them but this was their name. A short google later I rang the PR company and my name and number was taken. Later that afternoon I received a call back from the person looking after the Canberra Centre account who again checked what it was I wanted and said she’d have to get in touch with the Canberra Centre (I did tell her they’d pointed me at her firm) and would get back to me. I haven’t heard anything back from either her or the Canberra Centre.

A flat out refusal of access would be fine, but what really gets me about all this is the waste of my time chasing people. What I’m offering them amounts to free publicity; I don’t mind if it doesn’t happen.

Join the conversation

22
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

don’t you have anything better to do?
the canberra centre is the nicest shopping centre in canberra. i was stuck tonight trying to get out of the carpark, and there was a whole bunch of the management staff directing traffic to help get the cars out, because (as i was told by one of them) there had been an accident on the street outside. i don’t think you’d see any of those piped music westfields doing that to help their customers.

Al, Was she a looker? If so, all is forgiven.

Too many big words like ‘communicate’ Al – you should have at least given her a dictionary while talking to her – what makes you think their PR / promotions girls are employed for their intelligence? Canberra Centre…all style no substance…..

For a week now shops in the old food mall area that I walk through every day have been disappearing with just notes to say they’d reopen in the new mall 2/11. Yesterday I heard a person call from the fish and chippy to a construction worker “when is this place shutting down?” “Tommorrow” was the answer. So if the shop staff don’t know, what hope that customers would get told what was happening….?
Today the lifts were fenced off and there was a nice girl in a brand new “Information” booth. I got a floor plan and expressed my surprise that this was the first the centre had done to communicate what was going to happen – after it had already happened. She looked at me blankly like the proverbial “fish shop window” (you know: blank staring eyes). I went on to say there had only been that useless but very expensive glossy thing they’ve had for the l.ast year…more blank.
I said wouldn’t it have been a good idea to try to offset all the inconveniences of the construction by regularly promoting what was coming up and updating customers – building the anticipation and excitement so to speak…
The blank eyes amazingly managed to get even blanker, and no words at all came out of her.
Good to see they employed such PR experts for their high profile roles…

I went through this morning – I recomend taking a machette to wade through all the concierge and information staff employed for a week to explain why you cant get to the shops through there
they were very helpful
I had no idea that there was any sort of grand opening on, after all its some shops, and most of them were there anyway. Shame on you Kerces for being interested!
Im amazed that this project has come off to be honest. The extended disruption to one side of the city finally coming to an end. i get free stuff from all the new shops for putting up with construction noise when I had a nice, quiet place in Reid, right? I medan they were nearly as noisy as Mombassa!

meh – its a shopping centre, really, who the f*ck cares…

I wonder if Russell Crowe’s been invited?

Well I did check it out this morning (I was intrigued, so sue me! In my defence I didn’t spend a single cent…). And while the place looks quite nice, I’d have to say they really seem to be taking it a bit downmarket. The only new shops that are open are the ones outside (possibly the world’s smallest) Big W. So they were always going to be the cheap shops. But Payless Shoes? Rockmans? It’s hardly the kind of level that Canberra Centre has been marketing itself as. It seems there are some more ‘classy’ stores to open in the new area that provides access from the old mall (near Starbucks) to the Big W area. But none of those are anywhere near open yet.

it’s photographic access that was the main issue.

Just on the D list celebrity wagon someone mentioned earlier … Will Hayley Jensen get to cut the ribbon? Or maybe one of the Capitals. Or the Belconnen Blue Devils soccer players. Or even Hotdogs – he’s based in Canberra now. I’ll have to get my ass down there quickstix

Absent Diane8:43 am 02 Nov 06

understand how you feel kerces. it seems people in the marketing and entertainment industry are all like that. it makes me want to headbutt things.

Just go anyway Kerces as a member of the public. Don’t let then sway your unbiased opinions with coffee vouchers and freebies!

Their management practice is to gouge you the buyer. Simple really.

On a separate note, it seems sgs has abandoned his plans for coverage

I don’t want to say they like me better, but I wrote to the canberra center marketing folk about jack-o-lanterns for halloween and they sent me a friendly reply the next day. Guess they want to limit the numbers of visitors and visibility in case the concrete doesn’t set in time. They’ve been putting in some crazy hours.

A grand opening for a bunch of SHOPS! That aren’t even new shops? What is the world coming to. Someone should go and throw eggs, which would be the appropriate response.

p.s. its a real pity that the Riot Act members supported their fashion parade by posting more than enough images on Riot Act and for thanks you get snubbed. Do us all a favour and remove them as they are not worthy of a posting on any blog. What do you see? Nothing special.

I wouldnt worry about it johnboy it amounts to pure unprofessionalism from marketing at the canberra centre, again. I wonder what D list ‘celebrities’ will be invited.. the usual hangers on and ‘would be if they could be but never were’. Reminds me of those kids at school who wern’t too bright and used to get off on not inviting you to their pool party lol. Someone needs to tell Canberra Centre marketing department that it aint New York fashion week its the opening of a shopping centre extention lol

it amazes me they lack the common courtesy to even reply to an email and just say no.

no they didnt have a contact number for their PR firm

bullshit

control freaks – maybe they dont think blogreaders are in their target demographic.

Woody Mann-Caruso8:10 pm 01 Nov 06

Already happened. Now they look like proper tools.

barking toad7:01 pm 01 Nov 06

You’ve tipped ya hand Kerces

They’re worried that the RA mob will give them a caning

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.