November 2009

• The Business of Events
• In The News
• Greatest Assets
• Celebrate! Events Coming Soon
• Regional Spotlight
• Queensland Events Gold Coast Update

The Business of Events
Farewell and Thank you to Michael Denton

Queensland Events CEO, Michael Denton, has resigned to head up the Directorate that will drive the Queensland Government’s goal to secure the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Mr Denton, who had led Queensland Events’ study into the feasibility of Queensland bidding for the Games, said he was looking forward to continuing to work in the events industry.

“Working for Queensland Events has been a wonderful experience and I have met and worked with some phenomenal people,” he said.

Queensland Events Chairman Geoff Dixon paid tribute to Mr Denton’s leadership of Queensland Events.

“Although I have only been Chairman of Queensland Events for a short time, I have developed much respect for what Michael and his team have achieved in a very competitive environment,” said Mr Dixon.

Everyone at QERDP wishes Michael all the best in his new role and thanks him for his tireless work on behalf of the regional program.

In The News
Million Dollar Boost to Queensland's Regional Events

Acting Premier Andrew Fraser recently announced more than $1 million in funding for the Queensland Events Regional Development Program (QERDP) to help bankroll 45 regional events across the State.

Mr Fraser, who made the announcement while in Townsville at the inaugural QERDP Conference on 17 October 2009, said the latest round of funding would be shared amongst a number of regional locations and would boost tourism, create jobs, and foster local economic activity.

“The government will contribute $1,078,100 to 45 events through Round 17 of QERDP funding,” he said.

“This wave of recipients will include a mix of iconic, well-established events like the Rathdowney Heritage Festival and some newer, more innovative events, like the Heart of Gold International Film Festival at Gympie.

“The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and the International Rally of Queensland will both be elevated to Significant Regional Event Scheme (SRES) status, which means both events will benefit from a $150,000 investment over three years.”

Mr Fraser said recipients would use the funding to employ staff, produce promotional material and websites, and hire infrastructure.

“We are seeing many events utilise QERDP funding to better plan for the long term, develop alternative income streams and embrace ecologically responsible practices,” he said.

“The 45 events being funded under Round 17 brings the total of funded events since the beginning of the scheme in 2001 to 645. So far, the Bligh Government has invested $13.6 million through QERDP.

“The value and success of the program is wide-reaching, and I look forward to these events continuing to bring social and economic benefits to Queensland.”

Photo caption: (L-R) Craig Wallace - Minister for Main Roads, Debra Howe - Carnival of Flowers, Brian Everitt - International Rally QLD and The Hon. Andrew Fraser

Greatest Assets
Geoff Dixon, Chairman Queensland Events

“Change is a permanent reality of modern life,” said Queensland Events Chairman Mr Geoff Dixon at the recent QERDP09 Conference in Townsville.

“With all the best planning, we cannot control the future – all we can control is how we shape ourselves to deal with it,” Dixon said, citing one of the biggest changes in modern history, the events of 11 September, 2001.

Dixon, who was CEO of Qantas at the time of the bombing of the Twin Towers in America, took immediate action to bolster up his airline’s capacity, at a time when most airlines around the globe were grounded and doubting their future.

Stressing the motto ‘no battle plan survives contact with the enemy’, Dixon congratulated conference delegates from Queensland’s regional event industry for ‘punching above their weight’.

“Size does not matter - the fundamentals of leadership, commitment and clear goals affect every organisation, from global airlines to community festivals,” Dixon said.

“Every leader is faced with people who are convinced they could do the job better, but you must be willing to lead from the front," he said.

“You will be successful if you decide not to be intimidated by change and risk.".

“Face up to new realities, stay positive and embrace the future,” he said.

Geoff Dixon is the Chairman of Queensland Events and is on the Boards of Tourism Australia, Consolidated Media Holdings Limited, Crown Limited and the Garvan Research Foundation. He stepped down in November 2008 after eight years as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Airways Limited.

CELEBRATE! Events Coming Soon
Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Australian film Samson and Delilah is one of 37 films from 16 countries vying for an award at the third annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Gold Coast, 26 November 2009).

Winners in the third annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) will be announced on the Gold Coast on November 26, 2009. The Ceremony will be attended by more than 500 film industry luminaries from Asia-Pacific and beyond and will also feature an exclusive performance by chart-topping Japanese R&B artist, AI, who will perform the feature track from multi-award winning APSA nominated film, Okuribito (Departures).

Nominees have been announced in nine Award categories representing 37 films from 16 countries and areas of the Asia-Pacific region. They are: Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Palestinian Territories, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey.

The Awards Ceremony will bring together nominees from each nominated film including renowned actors and actresses from the Asia-Pacific region, the International Jury headed by acclaimed filmmaker Huang Jianxin, the Nominations Council, and local and international filmmakers to honour filmmakers from the Asia-Pacific region. Three days of activities in the stunning surrounds of Australia’s Gold Coast will take place in the lead up to the Ceremony, including the 2009 Nominees’ Induction into the Academy of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, hosted by Academy Patron, Jack Thompson.

See the live webcast of the ceremony online via the APSA website and, for ceremony highlights, tune in to CNN’s monthly movie program The Screening Room Xtra from December 3.

www.asiapacificscreenawards.com

Regional Spotlight
QERDP09 Conference Takes Townsville

The tagline asked ‘So you want to be... Woodford, Tamworth, Tropfest?’ – a question almost every regional event organiser would answer with a resounding ‘yes’. The inaugural Queensland Events Regional Development Program (QERDP) conference, QERDP09 held in Townsville from 16-18 October gave Queenslanders the opportunity to network, learn and share with their fellow event industry colleagues. QERDP Manager Sandra Garvin said the conference, which attracted over 120 delegates from around the state, had succeeded in helping event organisers focus on the big issues.

“So many event organisers are volunteers with plenty of passion and belief in their event’s potential to become the next ‘Woodford’, but they lack knowledge and experience,” Sandra said.

“We put together QERDP09 to give them access to people at the coal-face of the events industry – lawyers, police, media consultants, online technology gurus, and others,” she said.

“Normally they would have to pay large consulting fees to access this type of advice and experience, but they were able to access these people in a great environment and get practical help for their event to grow.”

Event delegate Margie Ryder, who has been behind the now-iconic Julia Creek Dirt & Dust Festival since it started 15 years ago, said the conference had been fantastic.

“Most of us that started our events from nothing all face the same issues, but when we are from small towns we don’t get to talk to other event organisers,” Margie said.

“Queensland Events provides so much help through the QERDP, and the conference was great for people trying to achieve so much with so little,” she said.

Photo caption: Whantunah Jaban Dancers performing at the opening of QERDP09.

www.qerdpconference.com.au

Gold Coast Update
'Year of the Marathon' Gold Coast

Queensland Events Gold Coast has dubbed 2010 as ‘Year of the Marathon’ to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of the original marathon.

To celebrate this historic occasion, challenge yourself to run the 2010 Gold Coast Airport Marathon on Sunday 4 July.

Back in 490BC, Athenian soldier Pheidippides ran to Athens from the battlefield of Marathon where the Greek army had won a crucial battle against the invading Persian army. The message read “Rejoice, we are victorious”.

The ‘Year of the Marathon’ presents an opportunity for people to:

• Run their first-ever full marathon over 42.195km and do it on the Gold Coast.
• Run a personal best time in the marathon on the flat and fast Gold Coast course.
• Run another marathon on the Gold Coast just because they can.
• Run their 10th or 20th marathon on the Gold Coast and be inducted into an exclusive club of runners.

Over the next month, ‘Year of the Marathon’ branding will be unveiled at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon expo booth at the Auckland Marathon (Sunday 1 November) and Singapore Marathon (Sunday 6 December).

Marketing activities are also ramping up in Japan to ensure the effects of the global financial crisis and H1N1 virus are reversed. The target is to attract a record 2,000-plus runners from Japan in 2010.

Queensland Events Gold Coast, in collaboration with Gold Coast Airport, Tourism Queensland, Gold Coast Tourism and Tourism Australia, recently identified Japan, New Zealand, South East Asia and North America as the key international markets to target for the Marathon over the next few years.

www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au

Find out what's on and where
www.queenslandevents.com.au/events