"How good is The PAV?"

Councillors visited the Mackay Park pool and theatrette project today to see for themselves the progress.

To make life easier for everyone Council have moved away from the name 'Batemans Bay Regional Aquatic, Leisure and Arts Centre' to the more user friendly "PAV" that comes from the recommendation to refer to the facility as a "Pavillion" rather than a Centre or Complex. The new $70 million facility will replace the existing 50-metre outdoor pool at Mackay Park with an indoor multi-pool aquatic centre and a 350-seat performance space, joined by gallery walk. “..by early 2022 we’ll be swimming in our new pools and enjoying performances in the arts centre.” Mayor Liz Innes 24th April 2020 It is understood that the Councillors have agreed in principle to call the new site a Pavillion following on from the recommendation or the Council employed brand design specialist, CITIZEN, employed to work with Council on branding and naming the Mackay Park pool and theatrette. The recommendation for the name should now come back to a Council meeting for formal endorsement. Council have had an issue with the name Batemans Bay Regional Aquatic, Leisure and Arts Centre from the start – it just doesn’t roll off the tongue. The name served its purpose though when Council was putting in for grants. The longwinded name told you where it was and what it was and included the key word “Regional”. But the name just isn’t a winner. The Centre needed to be given a cutesy, more accessible name. An example offered was the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre in Moruya. It is now lovingly called The Bas (pronounced Bazz) , an endearing homage to the fact that Australians love to shorten names. “I’m off to the Bas”. “Just been to the Bas”. “Love the Bas”. Ably assisted by brand design specialist CITIZEN who have worked with Emirates SkyCargo, Macquarie University, Google and Western Sydney University to name just a few the Eurobodalla community was asked to consider a name for the Mackay Park project.

Councillors, stakeholders and community members attended sessions with the consultants showed general support for CITIZEN’s proposed three-tiered approach to branding.

This, translated, meant that one name would identify the precinct as a whole, the aquatic and arts centres would have their own names, and there would be possibility for further naming of areas such as the theatre, meeting rooms, gymnasium and gallery.

CITIZEN presented attendees with three options for the overall precinct branding: Bay Pavilions, The Bay Pavilions or Mackay Park Pavilions. The CITIZEN representative said the name ‘Pavilions’ addressed the multi-function nature of the place and was “aspirational and fitting for an iconic building”. “Pavilion has been used in a contemporary context across leisure and the arts, examples include ‘Bondi Pavilion’ and ‘The Australian Pavilion’ at the Venice Biennale,” she said.

The next step in the process is the refinement of the naming and marketing approach and the development of visuals, including a logo. In the coming months the community will be invited again to provide feedback on the work. So if the name Bay Pavilion is endorsed, as is rumored today, there is little doubt that it will come to be known affectionately as The Pav.

“I’m off to The Pav”. “Just been to The Pav”. “How good is The Pav”.