At Dexus there’s a focus on ‘local’ rather than ‘national’. Ben Hughes tells us the company is zeroing in on local communities to provide special events/campaigns that engage the trade area residents.

For decades shopping centres have been key community hubs, interacting with the local community and enticing people to shop locally. Online retailing is changing people’s shopping habits and shopping centres, more than ever, need to stand out to drive future visitation and performance.

At Dexus we are focused on driving value by delivering localised experiences.

What’s right for the local Townsville community is not always right for the Melbourne CBD community. Local communities are seeking tailored experiences that showcase the best of their community.

Shopping centres provide the perfect platform to deliver relevant engaging experiences for people to enjoy and participate. A simple four-tier model allows for careful planning to deliver the right local experience:

1. Provide a reason to visit
2. Provide a reason to stay
3. Provide a reason to engage
4. Provide a reason to return.

Our major cities are becoming busier and there is growing appetite for local. Across our diverse shopping centre portfolio, we are witnessing a preference for people to stay local, particularly on weekends.
Destinational food operators are opening outside of major cities and people are looking to avoid heavy traffic, parking fees and toll roads. Many of us live in a socially engaging ‘always on’ world driven by technology, and there is noticeable shift that shoppers are seeking respite in our retail destinations, craving a sense of belonging in the local community setting.

Responding to the growing demand for local, our shopping centre marketing continues to evolve.

Experience-led activations that invite the community to participate are proving to drive the best return on investment.

Recently QV Melbourne commissioned globally acclaimed Danish artist Tine Bech to complete her first Australian work, which was the centrepiece of a new interactive program of events called Light / Play. The activation delivered over 50,000 interactions across two weeks and provided a unique local setting for the community to dwell and interact with.

In another partnership, Southgate Melbourne joined with Hophaus to celebrate the tiniest little German pooches as part of the annual Oktoberfest celebrations. More than 100 Dachshunds ran a 15-metre track, followed by a costume parade. The local activation generated strong PR exposure including being featured on Weekend Sunrise and in the Herald Sun. An uplift of +45% on the average September Saturday centre foot traffic was achieved.

This year Dexus took a new direction in supporting our local communities further by unveiling a new campaign, ‘BIG Change for small change’.

A one-day community event, aiming to give back and make a difference to the lives of young families and children by supporting the important work of local hospitals and children’s wards, was held around the country.

In what’s believed to be a first for an Australian retail property group, 10 Dexus-managed shopping centres located across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia charged a gold-coin donation upon entry to the centre on this community day.

Up to 1,500 children aged under 10 are admitted to hospitals throughout Australia every day, according to an Australian hospital statistics report. Raising money for local hospitals to support children and families is therefore as important to our local communities as ever. The team at Dexus are passionate and proud to be supporting children’s hospitals around Australia. The local communities didn’t disappoint, raising over $50,000 in just one day.

Places that have little purpose or soul are at risk of being remembered as a negative experience. A negative experience can lead to frustration, disappointment and no future return visit. People visit places for experiences and to interact with others. In today’s environment, delivering an engaging community experience is essential in making a place come alive.