Source : Invest Mackay Events and Conference Attraction Program 2015 - 2021
The events industry recovery program allowed the Invest Mackay Events and Conference Attraction Program to retain 19 events in the 2020 calendar , 14 were rescheduled for dates in 2021 and three were rescheduled for dates in 2022 . None of the 36 events or conferences that were under the Invest Mackay program were cancelled or permanently lost . Further to that , council made a commitment to honour all the sponsorships and partnerships under the Invest Mackay Events and Conference Attraction Program , which included rolling over commitments to subsequent years to ensure the region retained the muchneeded economic boost and so that the local event operators were not further hindered by the effects of COVID-19 .
An Invest Mackay Events and Conference Attraction Program partner and ‘ Events the Road Ahead ’ participant Peter Lister said , “ As an event organiser I found the webinar series extremely helpful . When COVID compliance goalposts were changing daily I received the right advice at the right time to steady the ship and enable our event to go ahead after being postponed five months . I particularly appreciated the focus shift to “ How to use this time well .”
Peter manages Mackay ’ s only multisport adventure challenge , the Zach Mach Adventure Challenge , which is held in the Mackay region annually . Zach Mach provides multisport events for all skill levels in the pristine Pioneer Valley . Zach Mach was one of the first local events to reactivate a COVID Safe event and provided much needed social and economic stimulus to the small locality of the Pioneer Valley within the Mackay region .
Following the ‘ Events the Road Ahead ’ industry recovery program , Mackay Tourism in partnership with Mackay Regional Council continued to support events by delivering two further programs to keep local event organisers up to date with the rapidly changing environment , whilst also increasing their capacity and strategic approach to event delivery .
In September 2020 , more than 25 event organisers took part in a free local event update and Q & A session with a team of panellists from Mackay Tourism , Queensland Health and Mackay Regional Council to answer questions about how to organise a COVID Safe event . This included a special update from guest speakers Joanna Jordan and Krista Hauritz , who have delivered successful events during COVID-19 .
This was followed up by the annual ‘ Events Bootcamp ’ mentoring and upskilling program which was held in February 2021 . The Events Bootcamp Series attracted more than 50 local event organisers from Mackay , Isaac and Whitsunday to learn about the responsibilities of an event manager and best practice guidelines for event management plans . The event featured a special appearance from guest speaker Kate Scott , the Coordinator of Toowoomba ’ s Carnival of Flowers . The series was followed up by two days of oneon-one coaching with a mentor and the opportunity to discuss COVID event plans with the local public health unit and TEQ .
As identified in council ’ s Mackay Region Events Strategy 2020-2025 , council seeks to prioritise projects and actions needed to support the events and sports tourism industry to enable the Mackay region to harness social and economic benefits in the community .
The strategy identified a vision for Mackay to be recognised as a leading regional events destination . Council is confident that we have successfully made the necessary strides in creating and nourishing a successful regional events economy so that the optimised events benefits are able to be realised .
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VOL 14 NO 1 2020 22 www . edaustralia . com . au