Considerations for the new icon event

A collaborative approach is key

Through the survey process, it was found that regional businesses are open to and welcome a collaborative approach to management and marketing of a new icon event for the region. Many businesses surveyed conveyed the sentiment of fatigue and burnout when it comes to running events. They welcomed the idea of collaboration, where support was provided from an event management company or resource and all businesses work together on the common goal. Volunteer burnout is a key consideration for the introduction of any new event, so working together mitigates this by all businesses doing their part to add to the whole.

Incorporate multiple industries into one event

With limited budgets and a relatively young destination brand, it’s recommended a new event cater to as wide a population base as possible. So, rather than building a festival around a niche experience (such as produce, wine, music, mountain biking or other sport), AHOY recommends that a new icon event focuses on becoming an expression of the regional identity. Then each event included in the program can be an expression of that identity, whether that be outdoor experiences, food and wine, or arts and culture. In the example of Festival of the Wind, restaurants can still host events on the program, as can children’s activities, arts organisations and outdoor touring businesses. All are authentic to the offering. The festival can become an expression of the regional brand, adding greater value to the region and reaching far beyond those who attend the festival through the marketing campaign that accompanies the festival. Note that while not industry specific, the event should be tightly packaged around a strong brand and theme that connects all experiences and industries involved.

Keep it simple; champion what the region is good at

The key experiences in the Esperance region are mainly related to scenery and outdoor natural environments. While food and wine are of interest to residents, it is recommended that capacity be built in the food and beverage space before the region starts to host major events of this nature. The Festival of the Wind, as an example, was well loved and familiar to Esperance, and plays into something the region is known for. It is also broad in its genre, meaning businesses and community groups from all industries can take part in some way.

Businesses need support

There are plenty of fantastic venues, producers, vendors and service providers in the region. They know how to successfully run their businesses, however many smaller producers or venues haven’t worked in events before and aren’t sure what it takes to run a successful event. In particular, many surveyed businesses said they would like support around marketing of events, or support from people in the industry who can teach them how to do events. There’s an opportunity for capacity building with these venues, where an event management team work closely with businesses to teach them what’s required and upskill.

Avoid summer months

Community consultation highlighted the burnout of local businesses during Summer. While there is a need for community activations and events to occur during the summer months to still add vibrancy to the town for locals and visitors, an icon event should avoid the peak tourism period from December to February, when businesses are at capacity.

Minimise risk

While it is exciting to look at new, pie-in-the-sky event concepts for Esperance, it is important for events to fit within the limitations of the region (financial, logistics, business know-how). AHOY is aware of other regional events run in Western Australia that still run at a loss, despite significant investment by the State Government and sponsors. This is due to the management structure for these events relying heavily on ticket sales. If ticket sale forecasts are not met, budgets are not met, and therefore the festival owners must wear that loss. Without a tourism association and Shire with significant funds to wear such a loss, AHOY advises against any event where the structure relied heavily on ticket sale revenue for events run by the management company in the first year.

An umbrella model, where individual businesses in the region run their own events which are marketed under a collective festival brand, is a safe and simple way to disperse the risk. Many businesses surveyed would support an event structure of this nature.

In future years, once a new icon event has proven successful and a loyal fan base established, there’s opportunity to introduce some higher-financial risk concepts under the festival umbrella, such as ticketed events organised by festival management that will deliver money back into the event budget, with the potential to provide revenue back to the host community.

Capacity of local tourist services

The success of an icon event and its positive impacts are very much tied to the capacity of the local tourist services required by visitors. The overall visitor experience doesn’t come solely from the event, which is a reason to visit and to have a memorable experience. It also comes from the experience of the town, which will determine their overall experience and desire to return or tell friends and family about it. Accommodation type and availability, number of and accessibility to restaurants, cafes and food offerings, along with other visitor experiences set up for large numbers of visitors are all key considerations when planning for a new icon event.