Byron for Melbourne.
Australian hospitality relief fund.
The Brief.
When Georgia Bateman (Publicist), Francesca Webster (GM Raes on Wategoes), and Kylie Ball (Guest Relations at Harvest Newrybar) had lunch during the COVID-19 pandemic, they came up with the initiative to support the hospitality industry in Melbourne. C
OVID-19 restrictions relating to hospitality venues were having a profound effect on business and, if they continued, would lead to the demise of thousands of restaurants, bars, clubs and other related businesses, leaving a large proportion of Melbourne’s hospitality workforce out of a job. While Byron was thriving, people in Melbourne couldn’t leave their homes, and businesses were failing due to a second lockdown.
The Tactics.
Georgia contacted Pat Nourse at Melbourne Food and Wine to discuss ideas and decide which charities to support. We opted to connect with Worksmith’s Tip Jar Fund - a collection set up to help hospitality workers left without work and without government assistance, and the aptly-named Byron for Melbourne campaign was born.
Together we contacted a bunch of hospitality legends found in NSW Northern Rivers region to host a month of fundraising, with all proceeds going towards the Tip Jar Fund. We contacted all hospitality venues in the Byron shire with a media release, a document about how to get involved, artwork and tips for spreading the word.
The Results.
By spreading the news quickly, we managed to encourage more restaurants and chefs to join in – from Byron to the Northern Rivers, and beyond. From setting up their own tip-jars to raffles, auctions, special events and good-old-fashioned word of mouth, over 6 weeks, a number of Northern River’s leading venues came together to raise $10,000 for the humble Tip Jar Fund. The generosity of the venues and their patrons is still being forwarded on to Tip Jar’s partner Street Smart and COVID-EAD, which helps many local and international hospitality workers, who were doing it especially tough.
Media coverage included Studio 10, ABC News, Melbourne Food & Wine, Delicious., SMH Good Food, The Age, and local Byron publications The Echo, The Weekend Edition, Northern Rivers Review, Byron Bay blog, BAM (Byron Arts Magazine), among others.