The Welcome Expo is set for 29th October 2018 and we are inviting you to let the community learn about your service by registering to hold a stall. The Welcome Expo, now in its 10th year,  invites new residents to learn about the services available in the municipality, establishing a point of orientation. The expo fosters a sense of belonging by assisting people to be active, informed participants of their community. Each year the Expo has welcomed approximately 700 attendees, including approximately 4000 people since its inception.

The City of Whittlesea is home to migrants and refugees from over 140 countries and one of the fastest growing municipalities in Australia with over 8,000 people moving into the municipality every year. We care about making sure our residents feel welcomed and supported in the City of Whittlesea and encourage your service to sign up and share you programs with the community.

Date: Monday, 29 October

Time: 11am – 2pm

Venue: Council Offices, Great Hall, 25 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang

Criteria for stallholder inclusion in the City of Whittlesea Welcome Expo Monday, 29 October 2018

The Welcome Expo now in its 10th year began as an action of Council’s 2007 – 2011 MAP.

It continues to welcome approximately 700 attendees per year and a total of approximately 4000 people since its inception. With a community development model, it seeks to engage services, the community, volunteers and Council in a common goal of welcoming new residents, fully embracing Council’s community vision of “creating vibrant self-sustaining communities together”.

Aims: The three aims that guide the Welcome Expo are to:

1. Provide networking opportunities for service providers that engage with each other and the local community.
2. Invite new residents to engage with and learn about service providers, supporting their settlement in the municipality.
3. Provide a volunteer work experience for Melbourne Polytechnic English Language Students.

Stallholder Allocation Criteria:

1. All services providers will contribute to addressing Expos stated aims
2. Services are prioritised using the following hierarchy;
   1. Council
   2. Settlement
   3. Members of the Whittlesea Multicultural Issues Network and Whittlesea Community Futures partnerships
   4. Community associations based within the municipality such as the WMCC, WIN, WCLN, U3A, neighbourhood houses, the Lalor Living and Learning Centre and Cultural Bridges Action group
   5. Not for profit services located within the municipality
   6. Agencies with an existing partnership or MoU with Council
   7. Job network and Education providers located within the municipality
3. All other applications will be assessed on an individual basis; Council reserves the right to deny any stallholder applications