FAQ

Each year, your Shire receives many enquiries from potential event organisers for various types of sporting, cultural, community and food and beverage events. In 2016, almost 100 events were given approval by the Shire, including 40 Sporting/Multi-sport Events, 24 Community Events, 22 Cultural Events and 13 Food and Beverage Events.

It is important that all events approved by the Shire meet the guidelines and requirements set out in various policies and plans in terms of community development, economic and tourism strategies, health and safety requirements and overall viability.

The Events Strategy will enable the Shire to be better equipped to:

• manage and respond to event proposals
• recruit events for specific purposes
• ensure events are staged at preferred venues within selected calendar periods
• avoid event fatigue whilst responding in a balanced way to community aspirations
• manage financial and in kind support capacity of the Shire and volunteers
• understand the social, economic and environmental value of event types and
• leverage the economic and social benefits of events staged in nearby local government districts.

The Events Strategy will also provide the Shire with a clearer direction for the number, scale, budget allocation (in support) and type of events approved in the Shire in 2017 and beyond.

The number and types of events held in 2016 are shown in the above graph, which includes  40 Sporting/Multi-sport Events, 24 Community Events, 22 Cultural Events and 13 Food & Beverage Events. 

It is very important that the community supports the events approved by the Shire. Without the support of the business and wider community, events will not be successful or sustainable. The community provides the organisers, volunteers, competitors, participants and, of course, spectators that make events work. The tourism, hospitality, transport, communications and retail sectors provide the services needed to host event visitors from within this state, interstate and overseas and ensure that the economic and social benefits of events are appropriate.

So, it is important that you have your say regarding the current and future direction of events in the Shire!

The Events Strategy commenced in November 2016 with a review of existing events plans, policies and programs. The next stage is community and stakeholder consultation which runs in January and February 2017, during which all community members and about 50 event organisers and agencies currently involved in events will be invited to contribute their opinions, ideas and options to the process. The final Events Strategy will be drafted in March and finalised in April 2017 and implemented from mid-2017 onwards.