Image by bridgesward from Pixabay
Why on earth would you desert the Melbourne CBD when there is so much fun to be had … free cocktails, free cupcakes, free manicures, complimentary doughnuts, a glass of bubbly on the house, and discounts on clothing and jewellery?
It may sound too good to be true, but it’s all on the menu as the City of Melbourne and other key organisations mount a four-week campaign to encourage workers to leave their home-offices and head on down to the central business district again.
They hope that the series of FOMO Fridays taking place from Friday 14 May to Friday 4 June will lure people back into the once-thriving CBD that, due to the pandemic and changed ways of working and living, has become a much quieter place than it used to be.
The Victorian Government, the Property Council of Australia and the Australian Retailers Association, along with the city fathers, have joined forces to lay on a range of free, discounted and just plain fun activities that they believe will give Melbournites with a distinct ‘fear of missing out’.
“Trackies and Zoom meetings will be unofficially banned as FOMO Fridays gives all workers another reason to return to their city workplaces and end the work week on a high,” the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp, said.
“FOMO Fridays is a great way to reward city workers [for] returning and provide a major boost to retail and hospitality businesses across the city. Every extra person in the city is a chance for local businesses to get another dollar in the till.
“The buzz is coming back to Melbourne and we want everyone to come and experience the best of what’s on offer – from FOMO Freebies to AFL games and some of the world’s best theatre and entertainment.”
Danni Hunter, Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia, agreed.
“Fridays in Melbourne will be the best day to come to the office, to network and collaborate with your team members, to reconnect with friends and to rediscover the benefits of coming into the office. The office is ready to welcome you back and is rolling out the welcome mat on Friday’s during the FOMO Fridays campaign,” Hunter said.
“Getting people back into the city to work and play will help supercharge our economic recovery and give a real boost to reasserting Melbourne’s CBD as the best city centre in the country.”
Among the other FOMO Friday offers are discounted parking, special deals on movie tickets, discounted city centre accommodation and a pop-up night market.