Mr Geddes, Queenstown-Lakes Mayor, is chairman of Otago Forward, the economic development committee that commissioned the report.
The committee is made up of people from six local authorities - Queenstown-Lakes, Central Otago, Waitaki, Clutha, Dunedin and the Otago Regional Council.
Otago Forward paid $77,000 for the report, which was completed in April last year.
Mr Geddes said Otago Forward had limited resources and decided not to launch the strategy officially until there was a suitable occasion.
That occasion came yesterday when elected representatives from the region were in Dunedin for a regional transportation committee meeting.
More than 60 people attended the launch, which was hosted by the Otago Chamber of Commerce.
The 68-page strategy outlines Otago's economic strengths and weaknesses, provides a template for economic development projects and gives detailed information about employment patterns.
Not surprisingly, it says the strongest sectors are farming, horticulture, tourism and education, backed up by emerging industries such as film production, biotechnology, design and computer technology.
Asked if the strategy had languished in a drawer since last year, Mr Geddes said it had not. Many copies had been handed out already and several projects had begun or were planned.
They included the Chinese heritage trail centred on old goldmining sites, a film production studio in Queenstown, the expansion of the Upstart business support service in Dunedin, a fashion design cluster, the Otago Design School joint venture between the Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago, a joint Otago-Southland rugby cup team hosting bid, tourism promotion in China and a joint venture with Summer Fruit NZ to produce residue-free fruit.
Most had obtained some government funding.
Otago Forward would continue to support economic development ideas, even though it had limited finances, Mr Geddes said.
"What we do is get projects started and then try and hand them over to others. It is an approach which seems to be working so far."
