Tourism and events are symbiotic.

• Events give people a reason to travel to destinations
• Successful tourism strategies increase attendee numbers, and broaden the reach and boost the reputation of events which enhances the visitor experience

THE BENEFITS OF EVENTS

Destination managers want events to increase overnight visitor expenditure.

Check out the powerful economic impact of events like Parkes Elvis Festival and Birdsville Big Red Bash in the video below.

Events offer that, and so much more for communities!

• Optimism – when our hometown hosts an event we feel proud to be part of the community, positive and optimistic – this is the emotional power of events.
• Resilience – through volunteerism, event connect community members in collaborations
• Citizenship – through volunteerism, events help people develop skills

WHAT DESTINATIONS WANT FROM EVENTS

BRAND AND MARKETING SUPPORT

Destinations want events that bring to life the destination’s brand, and reinforce local values and the destination’s strengths. Events can change people’s perception of a destination – and can be used purposefully to do so.

Destinations need great events that are reflective of the destination and those who call it home.

VISITATION AND ECONOMIC IMPACT

Destination managers want quality events that

• give people a reason to visit
• support the tourism industry in the low or shoulder seasons
• provide opportunities to increase visitor length of stay, drive repeat visitation, and increase visitor expenditure

SOCIAL BENEFITS

Destinations want events that

• connect people, place and local culture
• leave lasting legacies such as upskilling local residents, and permanent infrastructure
• create community pride and liveability
• foster loyalty and advocacy for the destination

WHAT EVENTS WANT FROM DESTINATIONS

BRAND APPEAL AND ALIGNMENT

Events organisers want destinations with brand appeal and that alignment with their values. For example country and roots music festival CMC Rocks is better suited to its home in Ipswich in southeastern Queensland than the Sunshine Coast, and an Ironman event is better suited to Cairns than Ipswich.

Event organisers prefer destinations with strong digital presence to support marketing.

They would love marketing advice and support to drive attendance, visitation and ticket sales.

SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE

Event organisers need relevant event infrastructure to host their event e.g. trails with spacious trailheads for sporting events, and event-friendly parks with power, water, toilets, open space, and event-friendly noise regulations.

They also need sufficient services and facilities that support the event, such as enough accommodation, public transport, and waste management services that enable them to meet their sustainability goals.

EVENT-FRIENDLY COUNCIL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY

Event organisers want

• to work with a positive, supportive and collaborative Council
• tourism products and experiences that add value to the event program, for example mountain biking event Crankworx and adventure tourism experiences
• partnerships and networks that enhance the visitor experience including sponsorship and local partners that help support the event
• a supportive business community that at least has businesses open during the event! (A common problem in rural areas – you can’t get local economic impact from an event if attendees can’t spend money!)

HOW TO LOSE A MAJOR EVENT

The annual music festival CMC Rocks used to be held in the Hunter Valley until the hotels together decided they would enforce a minimum four night stay at $390 per night.

With additional barriers put up by the state and regional tourism organisations, CMC Rocks looked for a new home and found it in Ipswich, QLD, which values everything the event delivers for the region – $11 million of economic benefit, 19,000 visitors to Ipswich, 61,000 visitor nights in Ipswich, and national exposure for Ipswich – and is super supportive of it.

What a loss for NSW!

LOCAL EVENT AMBASSODORS

Events need

• community advocates and a local fan base. Connection with the community is critical – visitors want to live like locals and feel connected!
• volunteers and event support resources

LOYAL EVENT AND DESTINATION ADVOCATES

Collectively, the #1 goal for destinations and events should be to work together to create loyal event and destination advocates who love both the event and the destination, come back again and again, and tell their friends and family to come with them!

Events play a critical role in introducing visitors to a destination…they are a hook that get people to decide to travel to a destination.

The opportunity is for the destination managers to turn them into loyal advocates so that they return and they tell others about it!

OVER TO YOU

Does your destination know what it wants to gain from events?

What is the purpose of events for your destination?

Is your destination realising the full potential of its events?

Councils should really consider focusing on their region’s champion events and investing in them to not just keep them afloat but helping them to thrive and kick goals!

Pick those that have potential to provide real benefits for the community and can support Council’s achievement of its tourism and community objectives.

Which events in your region offer the biggest potential return?

Leverage them!

Just because Council has always supported a certain event or always done things this way (e.g. shared funding equally amongst all the community-run events), does not mean that it can’t change direction to get better outcomes.

HOW CAN TILMA GROUP HELP?

We are passionate about ensuring the long term viability of regional festivals and events to drive tourism outcomes for regional and rural communities across Australia, and work with event organisers, Councils and tourism organisations to grow the benefits from events.