Two Months in Leisure

Some of the industry headlines over recent months. Daily industry news can be read at www.ausleisure.com.au

TEG Live to refund thousands of basketball fans over Marvel Stadium fiasco Promoter TEG Live has agreed to refund over $5 million to thousands of basketball fans for tickets purchased to last year’s Australia-USA exhibition series at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.

The move follows an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigation that found fans at the two games in August last year were misled about the quality of views from their seats in sections of Marvel Stadium.

Fans were also found to have been subjected to false advertising by TEG Live, which used top NBA stars in promotional material but who did not ultimately play in the two games.

Record crowds of more than 50,000 fans attended each of the Melbourne matches.

As a result of the ACCC investigation, TEG Live admitted that it made false or misleading claims about seating at the games held in Melbourne and acknowledged the Commission’s concerns that it may have breached the Australian Consumer Law.

Broadcaster accuses NRL of ‘mismanagement’ as league announces plans to recommence on 28th May With the NRL moving towards a restart of its season, the code has been accused by broadcaster the Nine Network of financial “mismanagement” and breaking its lucrative television deal.

VMA supports members with suspension of membership dues The Venue Management Association (Asia and Pacific) [VMA] has announced that to support its members during the Coronavirus crisis it has decided to provide all current financial members with a 12-month membership fee free period.

In a communication to members, VMA President, Steve Harper CVE, wrote “I wanted to take this opportunity to personally reach out to each of you, our valued members, and those in our amazing industry during this challenging and unprecedented time.

“Our industry, in particular, has felt the full brunt of this crisis and we know there will be many more challenges ahead for our members, their venues and staff.”

During discussions on a restart to the season, Nine released a statement referencing COVID-19 and stating “this health crisis in our community has highlighted the mismanagement of the code over many years.”

Nine advised “(we have) invested hundreds of millions in this game over decades and we now find they have profoundly wasted those funds with very little to fall back on to support the clubs, the players and supporters.

“In the past the NRL have had problems and we’ve bailed them out many times, including a $50 million loan to support clubs when the last contract was signed.

“It would now appear that much of that has been squandered by a bloated head office completely ignoring the needs of the clubs, players and supporters.”

New national guidelines for guided outdoor adventure activities The safety of active and adventurous Australians has been strengthened with new standards and guidelines being rolled out across the country.

Developed in partnership with the nation’s Sports and Recreation Ministers, the Australian Adventure Activity Standards (AAAS) and Good Practice Guides (GPGs) are part of the first Australia-wide framework for good practice risk and safety management for providers of guided outdoor adventure activities.

The AAAS apply to organisations conducting outdoor recreation activities where the participants have a level of dependence on the leader.

This new national approach will make it easier for activity providers to operate in multiple jurisdictions, improve sharing of expertise and experience, and improve safety for participants.

Viagogo confirms website changes and accepts jurisdiction of NZ courts The Commerce Commission has dropped injunction proceedings against online ticket reseller Viagogo after the Switzerland-based company made changes to its site and advised that it had submitted to the jurisdiction of New Zealand courts.

The Commission had sought an interim injunction preventing Viagogo making representations that the Commission alleges are misleading, pending a hearing of the Commission’s full case against Viagogo.

Two-thirds of world’s gyms are currently closed The Coronavirus outbreak has seen nearly two thirds (64%) of the world’s fitness clubs, gyms and studios close, either voluntarily or as a result of Governmental restrictions.

The closures, part of measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, have resulted in around 230 million people with fitness club memberships around the world being unable to attend their regular place of exercise.

The figures have been released by new global fitness data platform fitNdata, launched in March 2020 by David Minton, the founding Director of The Leisure Database Company.

The ACT Government is set to spend $200,000 on a feasibility study to assess a potential location to build a new 25,000 seat stadium in Canberra.

Matamata-Piako District Council has approved New Zealand’s third largest tourist attraction, Hobbiton, to operate under their new development concept plan which will allow 3,500 visitors per day and a million per year, up from 300,000.

A seven-year public battle to save Melbourne music venue, The Palace Theatre has ended with its demolition in readiness for its redevelopment into a Marriott hotel.

Designed to reinvigorate Northam’s sport precinct, the new $10 million Northam Aquatic Centre (right) has been opened north east of Perth.

Johor Darul Ta’zim, the reigning champion of football’s Malaysian Super League, has unveiled its new 35,000-seat stadium in the city of Iskandar Puteri – built at a cost of RM200 million (US$47.2 million).

Geelong’s first Children’s Museum MoPA: Museum of Play and Art has opened at the historic Wintergarden Building.

The Canberra Raiders have officially opened their Huawei Raiders Centre (left) in the ACT suburb of Braddon.

North Sydney Council has lodged a development application for its planned $57.9 million overhaul of the North Sydney Olympic Pool, which includes upgrades to the existing pools, a new ‘family leisure’ pool and a replacement grandstand.

Fortress Melbourne, Australia’s biggest esports arena, has opened in the Victorian capital.

The venue (right) covers over 2700 metre² and includes a range of purpose-built attractions including a 200-seat esports arena, VIP game booths, streamer pods, and an arcade gaming area.

The Sunshine Coast has completed the $8.18 million redevelopment of its premier performing arts centre, The Events Centre Caloundra.

Casey Stadium launches Access Key To improve its access and inclusion, the City of Casey’s Casey Stadium has introduced an Access Key which provides critical orientation, structural and sensory information about the facility to prepare people prior to visiting.

Developed with the YMCA Victoria and ONE Casey, the customised accessibility guides provide convenient and accurate information on venue layout, parking, access in and around the facility, customer service/ticketing, toilets including environmental specifications, accessible offerings, procedural and sequential information on accessing services and sensory elements.

NSW Government abolishes Sydney Olympic Park Authority The NSW Government has merged the Sydney Olympic Park Authority into its Place Management NSW agency.

As part of a move to rationalise and align several functions and boards across the NSW Government, the Board of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA), headed by Chair and former NSW Premier, John Fahey, has been dissolved.

The decision to abolish SOPA ends its post 2000 Olympics legacy, which Fahey was instrumental in securing for Sydney as NSW Premier.

LOCAL UNDERSTANDING, GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE, TRUSTED ADVICE

Otium Planning Group is a contemporary sport and leisure consultancy providing trusted advice to the sport, recreation and leisure industries. Offices In Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Auckland, Christchurch . Head Office: 304/91 Murphy Street, Richmond VIC 3121 +61 (0)3 9698 7300 info@otiumplanning.com.au www.otiumplanning.com.au

SCALE + REACH + CAPACITY + TRACK RECORD

New report aims to prompt recognition of climate change threat to Australian Open The Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub has produced a new report, Love 40 Degrees? Climate change, extreme heat and the Australian Open, which aims to prompt authorities to recognise the threat climate change presents to tennis and take action to safeguard its future as a summer sport.

With Januarys predicted to get hotter the report says tennis authorities should consider a series of actions to protect players, such as extending the length of the tournament – to allow games to be cancelled in the hottest part of the day if it’s too hot on court – or moving the event to November or March.

It also advises that climate change threats may soon represent ‘material financial issues’ for Tennis Australia and its directors, who could face liability under the Corporations Act for failing to adequately address and report these risks.

UN launches international program to enhance security of major sporting events Mindful of threats to major sporting events around the world, the United Nations and its partners have launched a ‘Global Programme on the Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism (PVE)’.

Released at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, the program came about with input from high-level representatives from member nations, international and regional organisations as well as the International Olympic Committee, national Olympic committees, sport federations and private companies.

In a statement accompanying the program launch, a UN spokesperson advised “in the last few decades, many terrorist attacks have been perpetrated in public places against soft targets.

“Attacks against sports events are particularly hideous as sports have historically played a significant role in the dissemination of positive values across civilisations and cultures, especially for young people.”

AIG to end All Blacks sponsorship deal US insurance group AIG has decided against renewing its sponsorship of New Zealand Rugby when the current deal ends next year.

The current sponsorship agreement involves AIG sponsoring New Zealand’s senior men’s national team - the All Blacks - as well as the All Blacks Sevens, the Maori All Blacks, the Black Ferns, the New Zealand Black Ferns Sevens, and New Zealand’s U-20 teams.

AIG has sponsored NZR’s national teams since 2012, with the initial five-year deal worth a reported $80 million, and a six-year renewal in 2016 worth, according to local media reports, $10 million to $20 million annually.

Sports injuries impact Australians Almost 60,000 Australians were admitted to hospital for injuries sustained while playing sport in 2016/17, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The report, Hospitalised Sports Injury, Australia, 2016–17, finds that almost one-third (32%) of all hospitalised sports injuries were sustained while playing one of the various codes of football.

Injuries, including AFL, rugby codes and football, each accounted for around 8% of injuries, plus almost 2% for touch football. Most football injuries were to the hips and legs (30%), followed by the head and neck (25%).

Just over a quarter (28%) of all hospitalisations for sports injuries were for women or girls. Among females, equestrian activities accounted for 11% of hospitalised injuries, followed by netball (10%), and cycling (7%).

Sport Australia slammed for extravagant spending on offices and consultants Sport Australia has been slammed by a media report that suggests it spent extravagantly on executive staff, office accommodation, training and recruitment consultants.

The report in The Australian cites “swish offices” in Melbourne and Brisbane, spending of more than $8 million on executive training and an outlay of nearly $5 million on recruitment consultants.

The Australian revealed that senior Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) executives are on “eye-watering salaries of more than $400,000 a year and that another handful of staff earn well over $220,000”, referring to AIS Chief Executive Peter Conde’s salary of $426,000 a year and former Sport Australia Chief Executive’s Kate Palmer annual salary of $452,000.

Further investigation by The Australian showed that Sport Australia spent $2,018,947 in 2018 and $2.785 million in 2019 to recruitment companies while also referencing leases of nearly $2 million for leases on office space in Brisbane and Melbourne up until 2021.

Report says Moree pool pricing Indigenous Australians out of its waters The Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre in northern NSW, known for having denied local Aboriginals access in the 1960s, has been accused of modern-day segregation by charging costly entry fees beyond the reach of the area’s poorer residents.

One of the key locations in the 1965 ‘Freedom Ride’, when young civil rights activists faced an angry crowd to force the local council to allow Aboriginal people to swim in the pool, a report in the Guardian Australia suggests that 55 years on, “segregation still exists at the pool in the form of an entry price so steep few can afford to go there.”

With the Guardian Australia having collated the entry fees charged by counciloperated swimming pools in each of the NSW’s 129 local government areas, analysis shows the Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre (MAAC) is one of the two most expensive public swimming pools in NSW.

It advises that “MAAC’s entry fee per adult of $9 is higher than every other councilowned or operated swimming centre except Fairfield in Sydney’s western suburbs. Fairfield council’s entry fee at its three aquatic centres is $9.50, which includes access to indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna and steam room.”

MAAC’s entry fee for children, at $6.80, is also the second most expensive in NSW.

When only the best will do! Choose Zelbrite, the only filter media to be awarded

for its water saving capacity

New Zealand performing arts, recreation and sport sectors generate $6.2 billion in economic activity New Zealand’s ‘active’ industries delivered $6.2 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018, according to new research from Skills Active Aotearoa.

Skills Workforce Scan - covering sport, community recreation and aquatics; outdoor recreation; performing arts; and exercise - found that these industries employed a total of 85,812 people in 2018 with all industries barring exercise seeing increases in the size of their workforce during that year.

NBL regular season attendances rise through 2019/20 The National Basketball League has become the only major summer sporting league to have increased average attendances over the last 12 months, registering an 8% increase in crowds through what has been its fifth year of consecutive growth.

The NBL’s total attendance for 2019/20 regular season also increased by 21%, attracting a total of 866,082 fans at an average of 6,874 per game – by contrast with last year’s total attendance of 714,346.

Only Zelbrite ® produces pool water of crystal clear clarity. Zelbrite ® is suitable for use in all types of media filters and is endorsed by Australia’s leading filter manufacturers and swimming pool product suppliers.

Zelbrite ® also saves over 50% water usage through fewer and faster backwash and rinse cycles. Australian water Quality Centre tests prove Zelbrite ® outfilters sand with as little as 2 microns.

MANUFACTURED IN AUSTRALIA BY: ZEOLITE AUST PTY LTD

For more information Contact Peter Rabbige on 0407 078 075 www.zelbrite.com

AFL Taskforce report shows Tasmanian team viable and sustainable A Taskforce report investigating the granting of a Tasmanian AFL and AFLW licence shows that a Tasmanian team from 2025 onwards is viable.

The long-awaited report outlines that the inclusion of a Tasmanian team not only stacks up financially but can strengthen the AFL by making it a national competition.

The report into whether a Tasmanian team should be granted an AFL licence has found the state would benefit from more than $110 million a year delivering more than 360 additional jobs, urging the Tasmanian Government to take the case to the code’s governing body - or watch as the code dies.

New Zealand Government approves Christchurch stadium funding The regeneration of central Christchurch has reached another major milestone, with the New Zealand Government approving its NZ$220 million contribution to the city’s new multi-use stadium.

With the new 25,000-seat roofed stadium set to cost NZ$473 million, the Crown’s contribution will be made via the Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Fund (CRAF) with Christchurch City Council to contribute the remaining NZ$253 million. An artist impression of a concert at the new Christchurch stadium. Courtesy of Christchurch City Council.

TEG survey suggests most Australians expect ‘normal life’ to resume within six months 41% of Australians believe life will “go back to normal” within six months while a third think the return to normality will take between six months and 12 months, according to TEG Insights & TEG Analytics’ first weekly COVID-19 Sentiment Tracker.

The survey of a representative sample of more than 500 Australians reveals a profusion of insights into the nation’s thoughts and feelings about the growing pandemic, including how our political leaders and the live entertainment industry have handled the crisis thus far.

Tellingly, TEG Insights & TEG Analytics’ COVID-19 Sentiment Tracker shows that Australians are more concerned about the impact of the Coronavirus on their loved ones and the community than themselves.

While 63% of Australians are concerned that they will be infected, 83% are concerned others close to them will be infected and 89% are very concerned or somewhat concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

AALARA releases COVID-19 Action Plan The Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) is equipping members and attractions industry stakeholders with resources, including a COVID-19 Action Plan, with which to face the business and operational implications of the Coronavirus crisis.

AALARA is steering members to measures offered by the Australian Government to address the crisis and, as it explains “the many financial and livelihood implications that we are seeing as a result.”

AALARA advise that “the challenge at this time is making sense of it all, so we’ve tried to collate all the information, to help you navigate and find the resources and assistance that you need.”

Viva Leisure sheds more than 1,000 staff in 48 hours Leading fitness facility operator Viva Leisure was forced to stand-down or let go more than 1,000 staff members in a 48 hour period as Government measures to halt the spread of the Coronavirus halted the operations of fitness clubs, gyms and indoor sports centres across the country.

In a Stock Market update, the Canberrabased company advised on its current progress and future operations following, as Viva Leisure Managing Director and Chief Executive, Harry Konstantinou explained “the decision by Government to force close all gyms in Australia with no idea on when they will reopen.”

Writing on LinkedIn back in March, Konstantinou stated “this week our team went from 1,050 staff members, to 42, in 48 hours.”

Tokyo Olympics’ organisers face ‘massive’ facilities costs for rescheduled Games The Tokyo 2020 organising committee has advised that it is facing “massive” additional costs in securing the facilities needed to deliver a rescheduled summer Olympic Games in 2021.

Speaking at the launch of a 2021 Games ‘Task Force’, Tokyo 2020 Chief Executive, Toshiro Muto conceded that organisers are facing “massive” additional costs in securing the facilities needed to deliver a rescheduled summer Olympic Games in 2021.

With the Tokyo Aquatics Centre (the final permanent Olympics venue completed at the end of February), Tokyo 2020 announced in March that all new venues for the Games had been completed.

Council rejects financial assistance request from aquatic facility operator Almost three years after Coffs Harbour City Council controversially decided to award the tender to manage three public pools to contractor Lane 4 Aquatics, the Council has rejected a request to provide financial assistance to the contractor of approximately $300,000 per annum above the agreed price to continue to operate the facilities.

Swimming Australia celebrates first year of iSwim Swimming Australia is celebrating the first year of its free training app, iSwim, which has achieved 20,000 iSwim downloads while allowing its ‘swim tribe’ to watch the 2019 World Swimming Championships live and free in Gwangju, South Korea.

With Australian recreational swimmers spending more than 10.6 billion minutes in the water each year, their ability to track their time and engage with other like-minded people is aided with iSwim.

Royal Life Saving welcomes JobKeeper payments as a ‘lifeline’ for aquatic facilities and swim schools Royal Life Saving Society - Australia has released an estimation that the Australian Government’s JobKeeper payment “represents a $700 million lifeline for many businesses and employees across aquatic facilities and swim schools.”

With Government restrictions having required the closure of all public aquatic facilities and swim schools as of 25th March 2020, Royal Life Saving has regularly highlighted the plight of the estimated 1,077 aquatic facilities, the majority of which are owned by local councils, and 1,176 swim schools, including many small businesses, are experiencing as a result of Coronavirus closures.

With approximately 67,000 frontline workers affected, Royal Life Saving noted that almost half of the workforce were casual employees, three-quarters were female, and that 40% were between the ages of 18 to 24 years.

Royal Life Saving has estimated that the financial impact of a six-month closure of facilities would be $900 million in lost revenue, and $430 million in lost wages. Nepean Aquatic Centre

ABS survey shows

‘arts and recreation’ businesses as being hardest hit by Coronavirus pandemic Newly released data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that the sector it defines as ‘Arts and Recreation’ has been the hardest hit by the Coronavirus pandemic with more than half (53%) of businesses ceasing to operate in the past month.

Data from the new ABS Business Impacts of COVID-19 Survey released this week shows how Coronavirus restrictions on arts and recreation businesses as being greater that the two other industry groups most impacted to date - Accommodation and Food Services and Information Media and Telecommunications.

The devastating impact on these sectors is clear given the ABS found overall that 90% of Australian businesses reported that they were operating in the week commencing 30th March.

The ABS’ classification of arts and recreation includes: creative and performing arts activities; fitness, recreation and sport activities; gambling activities; and heritage activities. It does not include tourism.

www.ausleisure.com.au for all the latest industry news

WATER & LAND INFLATABLES

More Visitors

More Revenue More Fun

NEW ZEALAND MADE

Ask about our wide range of inflatable products info@aexinflatables.com Aus Free Ph. 1800 147 017 NZ Free Ph. 0508 423 539 Worldwide Ph. +64 3546 6747

FROM TICKET SALES TO THE ACTIVITY COACH

When it comes to business, first impressions count.

Biz Collection elevates the style profile of your brand with a distinctive uniform that’s designed to perform. We’re standing by with an unbeatable range of stock service uniforms that’s ready to go when you are.

New Pollstar figures show Elton John’s Australasian dates as world’s second most successful tour Newly released figures show that Sir Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour dates in Australia and New Zealand over the past summer was the world’s second top grossing tour of recent months.

Global first-quarter figures (spanning the period from 21st November 2019 to 19th February 2020) from USA-based concert industry publication Pollstar, show that Sir Elton’s 31 dates in Australasia, which started at Perth’s HBF Park on 30th November last year, generated US$67.6 million in gross income.

While the artist’s Australian and New Zealand dates on his three-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour finished at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium on 7th March (outside the reporting period), the concerts covered by Pollstar’s report recorded over 360,000 ticket sales.

While the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour in North America topped Pollstar’s first-quarter figures, U2, whose last tour included dates at Perth’s Optus Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground, as well as concerts in Singapore; Saitama, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; the Philippine Arena in Manila; and Mumbai, India during the reporting period, recorded 360,710 ticket sales and US$52 million gross income.

Among venues, Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena recorded 130,990 ticket sales for the quarter, compared to 94,725 sales in the same period in 2018/19, to be Australia’s top performing arena while Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne generated Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne 97,822 ticket sales and $9,612,116 in gross income and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre recorded 61,790 ticket sales and $7,368,517 in gross income.

Sydney Showground’s new virtual reality tool helps clients plan their event Sydney Showground has introduced a new interactive virtual reality (VR) tour which is set to provide a unique perspective for Sydney Showground clients, providing a one-stop-shop for all photos, 360-degree videos and fact sheets.

Designed by Rapturous Media, the interactive tool will take event sales into the new decade, assisting clients and prospects to understand the precinct, venue space, setups, location and functionality.

New structure and management for Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness, the body responsible for all of the University of Sydney’s sport, fitness and recreation activities, has introduced a change of structure and management.

Sydney University Sport (trading as Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness) has been run as an unincorporated association since the amalgamation of the Sydney University Sports Union (SUS) and the Sydney University Women’s Sports Association in 2003.

Following a review of the corporate form and governance structure of the Sydney University Sports Union in 2019, a new company limited by guarantee has been formed (Sydney University Sport and Fitness Limited) governed by a board of 10 non-executive directors.

Melbourne study shows how cities struggle to enhance urban tree cover Many cities around the world are struggling to reconcile ambitious environmental targets with development pressures, according to a new study based on trees in the city of Melbourne.

The study, conducted by the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University and published in the Sustainable Cities and Society journal show that over a 10-year period Melbourne recorded a net gain in street tree cover but a net loss in parks and private land.

The RMIT team says measures to protect mature trees are “critical” if the urban forest cover is to be enhanced in the future.

Globally, the role of trees in towns and cities are well recognised, such as providing shade during hot summer months, and helping to absorb noise pollution and floodwater.

Live Performance Australia backs consumers getting better information on ticket resales Better information for consumers is crucial to helping them make informed choices when using ticket resale services according to Live Performance Australia (LPA).

LPA has welcomed the introduction of an Information Standard for ticket resales which is currently under consultation by the Federal Department of the Treasury. The Information Standard will require ticket resale websites to disclose the face value of tickets, and to disclose the fact that the website is not a primary ticket seller.

More than 26 million tickets were sold for live performance events in Australia during 2018. While there is limited data about the extent of ticket reselling, unscrupulous resellers and scalpers are the scourge of the industry causing detriment to consumers, artists and producers.

Perisher Valley courtey of Destination NSW

Australia’s ski resorts prepare for winter 2020 season amid Coronavirus uncertainty Australia’s major ski resorts are continuing to plan for the 2020 snow season despite uncertainty as to when Coronavirus restrictions will be lifted.

With major ski resorts across Europe not operating during their season, the Australian Ski Areas Association (ASAA) is confident that there will be some sort of opening.

ASAA Chief Executive, Colin Hackworth recently stated “it will be a different season than we’re used to seeing, but once the restrictions are lifted by government(s) we can have a snow season.”

Advising that the industry is flexible and accustomed to delayed openings, Hackworth commented “all of the operators are highly experienced at onboarding large numbers of seasonal workers in a pretty short time.”

Village Roadshow Theme Parks back staff during lockdown With its Gold Coast theme parks closed, Village Roadshow Theme Parks (VRTP) are continuing to follow Government guidance on operations during the Coronavirus crisis.

Throughout the closure VRTP - which operates Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild, Paradise Country and Topgolf - has been engaging with team members and has advised that it “will continue to support them during this period, including providing access to their accrued leave entitlements.”

Online Subscriptions Australasian Leisure Management magazine 12 month/six issue subscriptions cost AUS $90