On May 7 City of Launceston aldermen voted unanimously to approve the service agreement, which included a 12-month transition budget from 2018-19 and a three year budget for 2019-22, between the council and Cityprom,

The four-year plan includes short, medium and long term goals, with the overarching goal to create an energetic inner-city lifestyle, a people-focused city centre, and develop visually and functionally great amenities. 

READ MORE: Plenty to be excited about for city centre

Cityprom executive officer Steve Henty said the organisation is about creating a contemporary, vibrant city. 

“Our retail environment is what it is and Cityprom can’t change how a shop operates, and nor should we,” he said.

“We’ve got a bunch of independent people running their own businesses.

“Cityprom’s job is to get people into the city.”

One of the organisation’s short-term goals includes working with stakeholders and businesses to launch new activities in the city. 

“We’ve got a finite budget so we can only put on a certain amount of events before we run out,” Mr Henty said.

Cityprom will continue to run events like the lighting of the Christmas tree and Fiesta on George. 

“We want to support organisations and business owners to put on their events, and by doing so we get great events by people who are really passionate about running them,” he said.

The Launceston Night Markets was Cityprom’s first test case using the new approach and Mr Henty said it was a massive success. 

Red Brick Road’s Corey Baker and Goaty Hill Wines’ Natasha Nieuwhof took on the challenge of running the market with the support of Cityprom.  

“It has gone from four markets a year to Corey and Tash running it all through winter,” he said. 

READ MORE: Steve Henty on being 'an agent of change'

By supporting business owners and community members to launch activities like this in the city, Mr Henty said it allows Cityprom to further disperse funds. 

Cityprom is liaising with several members about new projects including a street art festival run by Sawtooth, a Monaro club street rally and a youth festival at Royal Park. 

Mr Henty said they still want to create events that bring people into the city, but the future is about making the city a more appealing place to live for those visitors. 

“It would be great if we had tourists evened out over the cooler months because that would help restaurants open later and stay open, but one of the easiest ways to get a consistent flow of people to that restaurant … is if you’ve got people living here utilising it all the time,” he said.

“The difference in the city if 1000 more people lived here would be remarkable.

“People go where people are.”

Cityprom is working on a winter campaign to encourage consumers to venture into the city and enjoy what’s on offer during the cooler months.