Christmas 2013 was a low point in decorating Melbourne’s
famous Queen Victoria market for Christmas and management and CoM agreed that
they would do much better for 2014. Well, did they? Here is our assessment
based on input from traders.
The Queen Street
Christmas tree – we were to get a giant real tree a bit like what ended up
in City Square but we ended up with a fake tree that looked quite magnificent
at night but disappointingly bland during the day. Given that most of the
market’s activities occur during the day, this was disappointing. With modern
LED technology it is possible to make a tree shine during the day so no
excuses. This was a fail for us.
Golden Star
Decorations – these were re-painted for 2014 and really did sparkle. We can
also say that they were quite plentiful around the market but, a bit like our
Christmas tree, they were bland and really needed some added baubles or foliage.
Christmas Wreath on
Elizabeth St. – no real complaints here. The wreath looked very decorative
and a fitting adornment to our famous facade on Elizabeth St.
Photo Stands –
These were positioned around the market and we noticed they were being used on
occasions by customers but not exactly embraced. A nice try.
Stall Decorations
- A few traders put some effort into
decorating their stalls and the Fruit & Vege traders in H shed probably did
the best collaborative presentation but, on the whole, traders were found
wanting. QVM is a big site and for Christmas decorations to have the right
impact we need a combination of management and trader input. We are a
traditional market and the tradition of Christmas could really fit well but a
lot more traders need to make the effort. Many of our traders are not
culturally attached to Christmas and will need some guidance on what may be
appropriate forms of decoration. These will be useful observations for next
year and possibly also for the upcoming Chinese New Year promotion.
In Summary – QVM and
CoM did do better than last year with decorating our market but there is a long
way to go if we are to meet reasonable expectations for one of the world’s
great markets. Traders also need to lift their game. And for a final word we
show you a photo of the incredible laser light display on our city hall this
year. That is the sort of commitment we are talking about!!!!