Events’ profile offers longer-term exposure

It’s no great stretch to suggest that the competition between states to secure major events can often be as intense as the on-field battles.

For its part, Western Australia is home to several sporting events of international standing, including Telstra Rally Australia, the Johnnie Walker Classic and Hyundai Hopman Cup.

While these events provide tremendous entertainment value and significant economic gains, the question for local events organisers is how to continue to attract sporting events to WA.

Competition for events dollars comes from heavily resourced east coast events outfits that control the national scene, and from entrenched seasonal competitions that rule the sponsorship game.

For its part the corporate world is looking for value for money in a tailored package that meets its marketing needs.

Tourism Western Australia’s EventsCorp has been heavily involved in the recently successful bids for the Johnnie Walker Classic in 2006 and 2009, and the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships to be held at Scarborough Beach every March from 2007 to 2009.

While most events inevitably don’t make a profit they have important spin-off benefits, according to Mike Rees, EventsCorp director of event development and contract management.

Mr Rees said EventsCorp had calculated the Johnnie Walker Classic would contribute $5.9 million to the economy each year, while the Australian Surf Live Saving Championships would bring in about $14.5 million a year in direct visitor expenditure.

Christian Renford, manager of surf sports at Surf Life Saving Australia, said the championships attracted 30,000 spectators, costing $1.5 million over the four-day event every year at its current Gold Coast location.

Staging the event in Perth is a coup for WA, as 2007 is the 100th year of surf life saving in Australia.

However, this event and others like it might not have been won had sponsors not been secured.

And the WA brand is the key benefactor, according to EventsCorp.

“There is no doubt the football codes control sponsorship to a certain extent. I think Super 14 Rugby will shake things up in Perth, though,” Mr Rees said.

“We are basically the biggest sponsor of these sporting events in WA.

“It is really all about increasing an awareness of Perth.”

Sporting events with large television audiences are most important for tourism, according to EventsCorp, and it appears that a major sporting drawcard this year will be the Tri-Nations Bowls Series, which is expected to attract a world-wide audience of millions.

Mr Rees said WA must continually work in competition with the other states, which have had an incredible amount of success in the past.

“We just don’t have the resources that a city like Melbourne has,” he told WA Business News.

“They took over Formula One from Adelaide, but that is a huge event.”

EventsCorp is understood to be currently working on about 30 new sporting projects to be staged in WA.

One motive for sponsoring one-off events over seasonal competitions has arisen from the platform created to market a specific product or service, according to sporting sponsor Telstra.

The sponsorship of Telstra Rally Australia includes in-kind technology support required to stage the event, according to Telstra WA senior corporate affairs adviser Andrew Gaspar.

“Last year we introduced new technology, and in the high-pressure environment of a prestigious event, we showed we could deliver,” Mr Gaspar said.

“The event allows Telstra to showcase its technology and ability to deliver solutions for a variety of business needs to our target markets.”