Val Schier - More Events Make Good Sense For Our Economy

More Events Make Good Sense For Our Economy

Tuesday, 17 November 2009 07:40

It's nearly 6 months now since I first called for a major events strategy for the region and I am pleased that Council has been able to fund David Williams to complete this strategy in the new year.

Forget about getting the V8's like Townsville; whilst that event may be good for their economy it's not the sort of event for which the Cairns region wants to be known. We need events that showcase our spectacular environment and our creative people.

Interestingly, wotif.com founder, Graeme Woods, in Cairns recently for a business breakfast, is a big supporter of regions creating and marketing small, niche events. He claims that the region could target 100 niche markets (retired German birdwatchers, Japanese undersea photographers, etc) and encourage 1,000 people to visit from each niche group. 100,000 people spending $1,000 in our region is a $100 million boost to our economy.

The challenge is to identify the events most likely to take off. The inaugural Blues Festival was held on the May Day long weekend and the organisers are hoping to grow it to rival the Byron Bay Festival. The Tablelands Integrated Mountain Bike Association wants to make this region the mountain bike capital of Australia and hold several key events per year. There are lots of ideas out there - including, dare I say, the ukelele festival initiative - and we hope to capture them in the events strategy, and explore ways of making sure that they are turned from ideas into reality.