Building a Winner: FREO BUILDS Wrap Up
The City of Fremantle's popular FREO BUILDS school holiday activation has once again demonstrated the power of family-friendly events to drive visitation, support local businesses and strengthen the local economy.
Running from 6 to 12 July, the week-long LEGO® themed trail transformed Fremantle into a city-wide adventure, encouraging families to explore local attractions, hospitality venues and retail precincts throughout the winter school holidays.
The results highlight the value of strategic partnerships and family-focused programming.
Over the seven-day activation, 7,352 children completed the trail. Including parents, carers and accompanying family members, FREO BUILDS generated an estimated 12,815 visits to Fremantle, delivering an estimated $773,599 economic impact to the local economy.
Importantly, the program delivered a remarkable return on investment, with analysis indicating that every dollar invested generated approximately $36 in economic activity for Fremantle businesses.
The event was designed to encourage exploration across the city, with families visiting multiple locations to complete the trail. This approach not only delivered a memorable holiday experience but also increased foot traffic and spending opportunities for participating businesses and attractions.
The success of FREO BUILDS highlights the important role events and activations play in supporting Fremantle's economy, particularly during traditionally quieter periods. By attracting families from across the Perth metropolitan area, the program helps generate additional spending across hospitality, retail, accommodation and tourism sectors.
A key factor to the success of the event was the support of a number of local partners who hosted trail locations and helped bring the experience to life. Thank you to the following businesses for the support:
- FOMO
- Fremantle Prison
- WA Maritime Museum
- Fremantle Markets
- Toyworld Fremantle
- WA Shipwrecks Museum
- Esplanade Hotel by Rydges
Strong Digital Reach
The success of FREO BUILDS extended beyond the physical activation, with a substantial digital audience engaging with the campaign before and during the school holiday period.
Across This is Fremantle social media channels, the campaign generated:
- 443,178 impressions
- 144,911 people reached
- 9,313 link clicks
The FREO BUILDS webpage also proved highly popular, attracting:
- 19,449 page views
- The highest-performing page on Visit Fremantle during the campaign period
City of Fremantle social media channels further amplified the campaign, generating:
- 39,897 reach
- 521 interactions
- 176 shares
Bringing New Visitors to Fremantle
Visitor feedback and participation data revealed a mix of first-time and returning visitors, with approximately 52% of participants surveyed stating they were new to FREO BUILDS. The data also showed families travelled from a wide range of metropolitan suburbs to take part in the activation.
The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback, reinforcing Fremantle's position as a leading family destination during the school holidays and demonstrating the effectiveness of place-based activations in attracting visitors during the winter season.
Creating Economic Opportunities
The strong visitation, engagement and economic results achieved this year demonstrate the value of collaborative destination marketing initiatives and highlight the continued opportunity for businesses to leverage city-wide activations to attract new customers.
Businesses interested in participating in future City of Fremantle activations are encouraged to contact the Economic Development team at business@fremantle.wa.gov.au.
