“Why can’t we have someone of the calibre of Bob? It is time we set higher expectations,” Ms Robertson says. 

Committee for Ballarat announced Geldof will be a guest speaker at its Round Table Dinner in March at a dinner on Thursday night. 

“Ballarat is growing and shaking off its insecurities. Our membership base said to us as a board that we need to be bold and vision our future,” Ms Robertson says.

“Our future is going to change dramatically – we are looking at a significantly large population growth and we need to be in control of our destiny. As community leaders we need to take control of that and we need to be inspired, because nobody else is going to do it.”

Geldof will be Committee for Ballarat’s first international speaker after high profile Australian speakers Rosie Batty, Ita Buttrose and Annabel Crab. 

“We are a global economy now, we work in a global environment, it is important not only we hear local and national voices but international voices as well who bring to us wisdom, creativity, inspiration,” she says. 

Visit Ballarat will partner with Committee for Ballarat to deliver the dinner. Chief executive Noel Dempsey says Geldof’s visit will provide an opportunity to showcase Ballarat to the world. 

“We love the high profile and attention we can deliver with Bob Geldof,” he says.  

“We love the thought leadership he can challenge the town with. We think it is a great opportunity to showcase Made of Ballarat to an audience of Ballarat’s key stakeholders as well.

“We think Geldof can help sell for our campaign both into Melbourne, interstate and maybe international. And to our community we think it will give a strong sense of pride.”

Committee for Ballarat Round Table Dinners are exclusive events for committee members. 

Ms Robertson says she expects between 350 and 500 to attend the March dinner. 

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