July 2009

• The Business of Events
• Greatest Assets
• Celebrate Events Coming Soon
• Regional Spotlight - Wild Ride
• Asia Pacific Screen Awards Update

The Business of Events

Michael Denton, Chief Executive of Queensland Events, presented on the theme 'An Event Driven Recovery' at the June 2009 'State of the Regions' summit held in Cairns.

Speaking before an audience of Cairns-based business leaders and representatives from local government, industry, and community organisations, Mr Denton acknowledged Queensland is not immune to the challenges facing the Australian tourism industry.

"The primary role of events is to level out fluctuations and bring some degree of certainty and stability to an industry that is subject to the ever-changing whims of travellers and global factors," Mr Denton said.

Quoting Summit host Scott Prasser's words from an article published in the Courier-Mail in April 2007, "State governments' enthusiasm for mega-events is driven by politicians' desire for activity without doing any real hard, long-term policy development or problem solving. Attracting a mega-event is quick, easy and relatively cheap", Mr Denton also highlighted a statement made by the Australian Productivity Commission in 2005. Regarding the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the commission claimed the event was fundamentally a case of 'bread and circuses' and went on to say that they thought this was the case for most special events.

"Why this 'identity crisis' for events?" asked Mr Denton.

"On one hand, everyone loves an event. They may not all like sporting or arts events - but essentially people love events. Whenever there is a natural disaster, one of the first things people do when life settles down is to organise an event. The purpose is often to raise money, but events also bring shattered communities together and give hope for the future. It is what humans do – they gather together.

"But while people love events and most would like to see more, they also don't want to pay for them. Academics and media criticise them. No one lobbies for them at election time. Everyone thinks that the money spent on events would be better expended on roads, hospitals and other public services," Mr Denton said.

Citing recent former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett's recent criticism of Tourism Australia's various national and international branding and marketing campaigns in The Australian Financial Review, Mr Denton highlighted the trend for regional tourism organisations to blame their branding in times of tourism downturn.

"Largely the industry's response is to develop more branding and marketing campaigns," said Mr Denton.

Questioning whether branding and marketing campaigns are really the 'panacea' for the tourism industry's ills, Mr Denton referred to Bob McNulty, principal of Washington-based organisation 'Partners for Livable Communities'. McNulty's advice for any town, city, or region that wants to get noticed is 'Make yourself famous for something'.

"I am not aware of too many cities, towns or regions that have made themselves famous through branding and marketing campaigns alone, but you can write a book – and there are several – and a library full of academic papers on towns, regions and cities that have put themselves on the map through events," Mr Denton said.

In line with this approach, the Gold Coast Bulletin recently reported that during its current "low season from hell" the city would be hosting a bonanza of recession-busting events, from the Magic Millions to the Indy, from the World Triathlon Championships to the World Transplant Games, from the Gold Coast Airport Marathon to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

"The interesting thing is that events are standing strong in current times," said Mr Denton.

"They also stood strong through the Asian meltdown of 1998, a SARS outbreak in 2003, the global Bird flu panic in late 2007, regular pilots' strikes and more. In some cases these events are nearly thirty years old, have seen clever and not so clever brands and marketing campaigns come and go, and despite all, have stood the test of time."

Queensland Events' calendar of supported events includes the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, which has set consecutive records for participation for each of the past seven years and is tipped to break the 25,000 barrier in 2009.

Denton claims the key to the success of the Gold Coast in attracting, securing and growing quality tourism events lies in a long term underlying philosophy that events are integral to the tourism mix, backed up by an aggressive strategy of attracting and supporting events.

"The Gold Coast City Council, without dissent, publicly acknowledges the importance of events and the integral part they play in the economic and social fabric of the city," Mr Denton said.

"It is not argued or debated – it is an accepted truism to a point where, when it comes to events, the best interests of the Gold Coast comes before political differences," he said.

"There is scarcely an event of any consequence that can be staged without the support, endorsement, permit or approval of a council.

"Councils are the key to developing a diverse long term and effective portfolio of events."

Denton stated: "For those councils who believe tourism is a key industry for their region, then the debate should not be whether you should be supporting events, but how you best use your limited resources to support, develop and attract events in your region.

"The second element of a sound regional events strategy is to put your money where your mouth is. You cannot expect Queensland Events, the State Government or the corporate sector to support an event that you are not prepared to support," he said.

"The third element is to establish and clearly articulate the criteria by which you will support events. This is to some degree the hardest element to get right and for people to agree on."

Highlighting the deficiencies of the standard 'economic impact (ei)' approach to assessing the value of events, Mr Denton advised councils to instead 'Know your priorities – what you are trying to achieve – what represents value for money and be prepared to publicly back that position.' "If you know why you are supporting events and why they are important to your region, then you will not have to resort to manipulating economic impact figures to either justify your investment or support your case for government investment," Mr Denton said.

Basic rules of determining priorities for regional councils: 1. Identify what are your key current events – your 'must keeps' – why are they important and how can they be improved upon and their future secured. 2. Identify your current events that with some work and support could develop into the first category. 3. And finally – and only after you have done the first two – look at your potential to attract, develop and support new events in the region.

"The final element in your events strategy is to have the people and systems in place to deliver," Mr Denton said.

"To illustrate, I can give you the name and number of the one person in the Gold Coast City Council who will work with you from the time of your first meeting to the time you pack your events up and head home," he said.

"The Gold Coast has perfected the art of the one stop shop for events."

In conclusion, Mr Denton summarised five points as to why should regions look to develop long term sustainable events strategies, especially in challenging times. 1. There is a never-ending supply of crises that will continue to challenge the tourism industry. 2. What was once initially touted as the most innovative branding and marketing campaign will inevitably be questioned when times get tough. 3. A solid, diverse, sustainable and performing portfolio of events can provide some respite from the challenges that the industry confronts and will continue to confront on a regular basis. They should be an integral part of your tourism mix. 4. If you don't have that events portfolio in place, then yes, you are too late for the current crisis but there will be another one – so start your event planning now and be prepared for what the future has in store for you. 5. And finally, councils have a key role to play in developing an events portfolio – so treat events like they were any other business.

"The events landscape is incredibly competitive, as more regions look to events to provide an economic stimulus," he said.

"Smart event organisers generally will have a range of options as to where they place their events – and will not simply be looking at the dollars – they will be looking at which region gives their event the greatest chance of success.

"And word gets out first, believe me."

To read the full text of Michael Denton's presentation at the June 2009 Cairns 'State of the Regions' summit, visit www.stateoftheregion.com.au/Cairns%20reports%2009.html

When news came in 2007 that Victorian-born Tony Ellwood had been appointed new director of the Queensland Art Gallery, many Queenslanders wondered how an out-of-towner might handle the role.

It was a question Ellwood himself considered seriously before applying for the position. "A big part of my decision was whether I believed I could be passionate about the community I'd be working in. To do this job – to build collections which make an impact and a statement about social issues of the day, to use every contact possible to secure a collection, to work seven days a week, to open your decisions up to interpretation and criticism, it is absolutely essential that you are stimulated and inspired by the community and what it represents," he says.

"At the outset, I did wonder if that would happen in Brisbane. But before I even had the job, I felt the warmth and openness of the people here. It is a very transparent community. I felt that if I was willing to put myself out on behalf of the state's major art venue – the community would appreciate and welcome that effort, and they would be clear about whether a good or bad job had been done. Within months this had proven to be the case."

Two years into his role, the warm welcome Ellwood initially received from Queensland's business, artistic and general community has been well justified by a run of ‘blockbuster' events the director and his team have carried off with aplomb. ‘Andy Warhol' (8 December 2007 – 30 March 2008) was one of the largest Warhol retrospectives ever shown around the world, and attracted over 230,000 visitors. Closely followed by Picasso and his collection, another sterling success, the latest coup in the collaboration between the Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Events is ‘American Impressionism and Realism: A Landmark Exhibition from the Met.'

"My focus has not only been about delivering a sophisticated, international experience for Queenslanders, but about asserting Brisbane's role as a major cultural destination within Australia," Ellwood says.

Commenting on the family-friendly features of Brisbane's South Bank arts precinct, Ellwood says many families have progressed from ‘annual pilgrimages' to visiting the Gallery a number of times each year.

"We offer great hospitality; families can eat at the River Café at GoMA and then head up to the Children's Art Centre to participate in whatever exhibition is being featured. It's a wonderful precinct – so many of the attractions are free or very low-cost, families can make it part of their regular recreation.

"Architecturally, the Gallery of Modern Art has been embraced, which is important for a publicly owned building. Many people in the community have a connection with the original Queensland Art Gallery building from visits made in their childhood, and now they bring their own children and they love moving between the two venues," Ellwood says.

In terms of his own ‘wish-list' as his tenure at QAG continues, Ellwood says his team are passionate about "creating as much rhythm and dynamism as possible between the QAG and GoMA buildings, with both Australian and international exhibitions."

"Our recent blockbuster events have shown us what is possible, particularly with the support of principal partners such as Queensland Events," says Ellwood.

"It's encouraging to see support at top business and government levels for the type of cultural experiences which will make people around Australia and the world take notice of Queensland. The quality experience our recent shows have offered Queenslanders, and visitors to the state, has been extremely exciting and we hope to maintain that standard with our future projects.”

Premier Anna Bligh announced today that the Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be bigger and better yet again this year, with registrations surpassing record numbers for the eighth year in a row.

Ms Bligh said the new record maintained the event’s title as the largest marathon event currently being held in Australia.

“Before participants have even reached the starting line, the Gold Coast Airport Marathon has proven it remains a big winner for the Gold Coast and for Queensland’s events industry,” Ms Bligh said.

In just three years registrations at the annual marathon and its associated events have skyrocketed from 16,000 to over 21,000. Last year’s event attracted 21,012 entries and combined with last-minute registrations, the 2009 event is expected to total almost 23,000.

“The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is a great example of how events can help a region battle the effects of an economic downturn,” Ms Bligh said.

“More than 30 percent of entries are from outside of Queensland with some 4,000 entries from Victoria and New South Wales combined,” she said.

Ms Bligh commended the co-operative international marketing campaigns by Tourism Queensland, Tourism Australia, Gold Coast Tourism, Gold Coast Airport, Queensland Events Gold Coast and Asics into key marathon markets.

“More than 1,200 runners will travel from Japan and 350 from New Zealand for the event, which is encouraging considering the effects of the global recession and the reduction in travel due to swine flu,” she said.

“In total, nearly 10 percent of entries are from 35 overseas countries including close to 100 from Singapore and Hong Kong, nearly double the total from 2008.”

“I can’t wait to take my place in the starting line at the marathon, and whether or not I finish in my socks, as I did last year, I know that I will have a great time,” Ms Bligh said.

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be held on Sunday, 5 July.

Online entries close at 5pm, Tuesday 30 June.

Gold Coast Airport Marathon

Gold Coast
www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au

Camel race organiser for the Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races Lou Thornbury has an interesting relationship with the humped stars of this unique regional Queensland event.

“When I present the winners with their ribbons and trophies, I stand well back,” she says. “I don’t like camels very much. I am wary of them.”

Not that she’s had any bad experiences. But many punters probably have. At the races, held every two years in the small Darling Downs town 300km south-west of Brisbane, camels often go the wrong way during a race, or even sit down mid-run.

“Sometimes you start them off and they go so far and then turn around and head back,” Lou says. “So it’s best if you can race them towards their camp.”

Lou might do well to have a word with camel operator Lionel Keegan, from Capalaba in Brisbane. Keegan has 14 camels, and at the last Tara Festival he raced four, coming home with a few second places.

“People think camels spit and growl and bite, but they are pretty friendly,” Keegan says. “They all have different personalities.”

Keegan has been training, buying, selling and operating camels for the past 20 years. He also publishes a quarterly publication, The Camel Mag.

It all started when “a fellow sold me a couple of wild ones”, he says. “I trained them and thought, ‘that was pretty easy’.”

Keegan spends his days travelling around the countryside with his camels, working fetes, festivals and attending race meetings.

A few months prior to a race he puts his contenders on a special regime.

“We feed them a high-protein feed to rev ‘em up a bit, and put them on an exercise program where they trot for a few hours a day… much like a runner would before a big race,” he says.

“Some really love running. They’re the ones we use for the racing.”

This year he’s keen to see how young Suzie Q will do at the festival.

“We are going to give ‘em a surprise this time, with her,” he says. “She’s a real wild one, and this will be her first big race.”

Festival committee president David Gunther says the festival is a highlight for the town, swelling the usual population of about 1000 to 5000 or 6000.

“The festival has put Tara on the map,” he says.

“It’s a weird mix, but it works really well. We don’t get culture out here much, so we try to get that culture during the festival. We try to represent every continent.”

Food is in keeping with the theme (multicultural, not camel): “We encourage local community groups, who are the only ones allowed to serve food, to do a multi-cultural menu too, serving Mexican, Egyptian, and Canadian...” says Gunther.

With only one motel and one hotel in town, accommodation books up fast. Camping is available at the showground.

Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races

Where: Tara
Contact: 07 4665 3366

As part of CNN's association with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the network is now seeking submissions from viewers for their photos or videos that best represent cultural diversity in Asia-Pacific.

The selected images will be featured in CNN's ad campaign for Scene by Scene launching soon on print, online and TV, in millions of households around the world. It could be a photograph taken on a holiday, a video shot on your mobile phone on the way to work or any image that caught your eye - the choice is yours.

To submit a video, simply go to www.iReport.com/scenebyscene. To submit a photo or video, find 'CNN Scene by Scene' on Facebook or 'CNN International' on YouTube.

A cultural initiative of the Queensland Government through Queensland Events Corporation, The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) acclaim, at a global level, the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the Asia-Pacific region. The APSAs honour the works of filmmakers across a vast region representing four billion people; 60 percent of the global population; 70 countries and areas; one third of the earth; and half the world's film output.

CNN brings these awards and the outstanding works of the region's filmmakers to its global audience through a series of television programs co-produced with APSA titled 'Scene by Scene', to be broadcast in October and November to 249 million hotels and households. The APSA Productions crew are busily gathering stories for Scene by Scene 2009. The Scene by Scene “On the Road” blog takes you behind the scenes with an in depth look at films and filmmakers of Asia-Pacific. Read the latest update from the crew’s recent visit to Kazakhstan here.

For full details on the Awards competition, entry process and key dates for 2009 visit: www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/filmentries

FIND OUT WHAT’S ON AND WHERE! www.queenslandevents.com.au/events