Campaspe Shire Council last night adopted the 2019 – 2024 Event Strategy. The strategy sets the priority areas for growth in events across the shire over the next five years.
Mayor Cr Adrian Weston said with the original strategy developed in 2012, council identified a need to review the document to ensure that council continues to drive both social and economic benefits from events across the municipality.
“The landscape for events has changed significantly over the past seven years however the principals relating to event support continue to be relevant,” Cr Weston said.
“The strategy guides council’s support for events and outlines how this can be achieved.”
The review included a desktop analysis, SWOT assessment and consultation with event organisers and key stakeholders.
Events across Campaspe Shire range from small community events of around 100 people to major iconic events of more than 40,000 attendees, including national and international visitors as well as locals.
The vision of the Event Strategy is to Continue to support Campaspe’s diverse range of events, creating a vibrant events calendar that contributes to both economic growth and social cohesion, whilst developing capacity to attract new events.
The strategy considers council’s role in events, its involvement in supporting event organisers to meet their compliance/legislative requirements, the funding of events, encouraging event growth and diversification and the attraction of new events.
“A review of the event funding framework and matrix was key to ensuring that council can cater for all types of events and support funding,” Cr Weston said.
The strategy highlights the need to actively grow the events calendar with a particular focus on quiet periods and events generating a higher economic benefit.
A copy of the Events Strategy is available on council’s website.