PUBLISHER'S POINT

Whale Festival, Seafood Festival, Business Awards; it’s all on the slide

WE HAVE a major problem with major events in Hervey Bay. It’s been building for years, certainly well before a COVID excuse could be offered. Our city has grown incredibly over the last decade in population and sophistication. Unfortunately, our major events have gone backwards during the same period. For clarity and to cool the jets of the ‘what would he know’ group, in addition to being a media owner for the past twenty-five years, I have owned and operated a major events company for the past two decades. You name it when it comes to events; we have done it at one point or another. Imagine you go out to dinner and essentially pay for the ingredients and rely on the chef

and the restaurant to provide the experience and cook it up for you. This explains the major events strategy relationship between Fraser Coast Regional Council (the customer) and Fraser Coast Tourism and Events (the provider). Council pays – FCTE delivers. Seems simple enough. I would need a lot more space than this column allows to unpack the current deficiencies in that process. It is however, important to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. I reached out to Council a year ago when I became aware that they knew they had a pretty big problem. I suggested our depth of expertise may be able to add some value to the conversation. I would still welcome that.

Make no mistake, major events for Hervey Bay are simultaneously a complex and simplistic problem. The complexity lies in accepting the harsh reality that whoever is doing major events for Hervey Bay isn’t doing them for Maryborough. That responsibility must be split. Unpopular but very true. The simplicity will be found in the examination of the funding. You get what you pay for in event land. These vital community events need the focus of a commercial organisation that lives and dies on the community’s satisfaction level. They are the end customer. Did you attend the Whale or Seafood Festival? Email me and tell me what you think.

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