Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery is supporting local businesswoman Lisa Burling's invitation for Sir Richard Branson to visit Wollongong.
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Ms Burling wrote to the international entrepreneur last week after discovering he would be returning to Sydney in late May.
As a result of an article in the Illawarra Mercury the Lord Mayor and others quickly rallied behind her to try and convince the man she calls Dr Yes to come to Wollongong.
Cr Bradbery said it would be fitting for the City of Innovation to have one of the most innovative entrepreneurs in the world visit.
“It is an invitation to a great guy who has changed the world and especially his attitude towards innovation. So we want him to come and share his ideas with us. That will certainly give us a boost in our innovation as well,” Cr Bradbery said.
Destination Wollongong’s Mark Sleigh and Tabitha Galvin are among those who have joined the call and are inviting the community to do the same on social media.
Others to come on board have included NSW Department of Industry Office of Regional Development’s business development manager Donatella D'Amico and BlueScope Steel.
Ms Galvin is a social media expert and encouraged people to get online and tell Richard Branson how wonderful Wollongong is and explain the many reasons why he should visit. She said it was particularly important to use the hashtag Ms Burling, of LBPR, had set up which is #richardbransonvisitsthegong. She said the more noise people in Wollongong made the more likelihood that he would visit.
It all started last September when a cheeky post Ms Burling placed on Facebook the night before Mr Branson was speaking at an event in Sydney resulted in her sharing the stage with him the next day. From that moment she set herself a goal to visit him on Necker Island and have him come to Wollongong. She hopes everyone in her home town will encourage him and welcome him as well.
Richard Branson will be in Sydney on May 25 and 26 to speak at the World Business Forum that Advantage Wollongong is attending to showcase the city and region.