Back in 2010, Tourism Wollongong launched a three-month community pride campaign titled "We Love the Gong!"

At a tough time for the city, the leaders of the day decided that a marketing campaign driven by the pride of our local community was the best way to promote Wollongong.

Nine years later, the slogan remains popular, and we really do love the Gong! Visiting friends and relatives is the largest reason for visiting Wollongong and the campaign tapped into that market.

However, we've matured as a city in the intervening years and are on the cusp of an exciting journey.

In the last three years, Wollongong has played host to a sold out Elton John concert on WIN Stadium, and Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas maiden voyage to Port Kembla led to seven further cruise ship visits and introduced a new tourism sector to the region. Corona Sunsets showcased North Wollongong beach to the world, with 1 million social media views within 24 hours.

In the sporting sphere, the University of Wollongong formed a major partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, and LaMelo Ball and his 5 million Instagram followers are currently making Wollongong their home for the 2019 NBL season.

These are globally recognised brands committing to Wollongong and our future. Happily, we've only just begun.

ARS Electronica, one of the largest innovation and technology festivals in Europe, will be launching a new event in Wollongong, 3 Festival, in 2020 - what better signature event for the self-proclaimed City of Innovation.

And the UCI World Road Cycling Championships is a massive coup for our city. In 2022, it will attract 300,000 visitors to the region and 200 million eyeballs as prat of a global broadcast. This is Wollongong's Olympic moment; our chance to shine on the world stage.

We see a massive spike in website visitation every time one of these announcements is made, as people want to find out what this place 'Wollongong' is all about.

On Friday, after six months of blood, sweat and tears, Wollongong Press Play officially launched as the new destination brand for the city.

The new brand and campaign will highlight the vibrant city's positioning as Sydney's playground, and provide the platform for a playful, bold, and creative voice in the marketplace.

Wollongong Press Play represents the renewed energy and youthful optimism that permeates through the region. Purposely highlighting the word "go" and featuring the instantly recognisable "play" icon, it links a simple and assertive message to go to Wollongong. The blue and green colours reflect the unique geographical location, nestled between the mountains and the sea.

Much more than just a static logo, Wollongong Press Play centres on encouraging consumer participation via an interactive element that enables people to choose their own adventure. There will also be the chance for individual entities to tailor the brand to complement their own.

We cannot claim an instant attractor like Disneyland, but we can own offering world class experiences for everyone, no matter your age or interests.

Whether it's the great outdoors, family-friendly activities, culture, self-drive experiences, nightlife, cycling, food or romance, there's something to suit every vintage, life-stage and taste.

We are extremely proud that our brand has been produced, printed, sang, spoken and developed in Wollongong by locals. The companies below have been partners of Destination Wollongong for many years and are at the top of their respective games. It frustrates me that local people look to Sydney when planning significant projects. All the talent in the world is at our disposal in Wollongong - it's time we utilised it and supported local expertise.

I'm extremely proud to be part of an amazing team who have had the opportunity to deliver this project. I mentioned tears earlier and they have been plentiful. We have had babies, weddings, incredibly serious illness, holidays, laughs, new recruits and people stepping up into positions and doing things they had no idea they could do. We did it as a united team, and I'm sure we will be able to look back fondly on what we have achieved.

Whilst today is about sharing our brand with the local community, the coming weeks and months will see the brand rolled out nationally and internationally through a series of targeted digital campaigns, competitions and creative use of our assets.

But today, it's time to celebrate all we have achieved as a city and #pressplay.

Destination Wollongong general manager Mark Sleigh

The Wollongong Press Play website is now live at www.visitwollongong.com.au and people are encouraged to follow on Instagram (@visitwollongong) and Facebook (Wollongong, NSW, Australia) for further updates, including details of a special competition specifically for the local community. Anyone posting on social media is encouraged to use the hashtag #wollongongpressplay