The economic development chapter of the latest Brisbane City Council budget has left me wondering whether there is someone sitting in the Council building, with one hand hovering over a red button, counting down to “mall activation”:

Service 7.4.2.2 Queen Street Mall Activation and Marketing

This service comprises Queen Street Mall promotions and the new “The City” CBD destination branding delivered by Brisbane Marketing. It includes brand and tactical advertising to position and promote the Brisbane CBD and Queen Street Mall, Australia’s most successful pedestrian mall, as the main shopping and entertainment destination in Brisbane.

It includes colourful, vibrant entertainment daily such as emerging music of all genres to support our brand as an Australia’s New World City.

Over 1000 events will be rolled out in 2011-12 to activate the precinct and attract residents and visitors. Previously successful campaigns including Christmas will be enhanced and the Farmer’s Markets in Reddacliff Place will be continued.

Anyone who has tried to make their way through the mall during a typical lunch hour would need some convincing that it needs any further activation, especially if there is some circus display/fashion show/Salvation Army band blocking the centre of the mall and squeezing the passing traffic into a thin ribbon hugging the extremities. And why are we spending so much money (around $4 million p.a.) promoting and activating the Queen St Mall, which pretty much sells itself, while we’re spending under $500,000 promoting and activating the Valley Malls, which have a lot more character and are probably better aligned with the whole Brisbane as Australia’s New World City concept?