Dunedin city councillors have recommended the company that
runs Forsyth Barr Stadium establish an events procurement
strategy and investigate setting up an incentives fund for
attracting events to the venue.
Increasing events and other usage was the main suggestion
from respondents to a recent council survey on how to
increase revenue from the stadium and cut costs and how the
community could make the most of the venue.
After considering what Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML)
was already doing in response to many of the public's
suggestions, a council subcommittee of Mayor Dave Cull and
councillors Syd Brown, Kate Wilson, Chris Staynes and Lee
Vandervis yesterday made five further recommendations to DVML
and its parent company, Dunedin City Holdings Ltd (DCHL),
based on the public feedback.
The subcommittee recommended they be part of the companies'
review of the community use and affordability of the stadium.
Asked about whether an events incentive fund was needed, DVML
chief executive Darren Burden said a roofed stadium was
attractive to promoters, but it was not enough for them.
There was a perception the promoter did not carry any risk,
but quite often they put up the money themselves, so took a
huge risk on an event, he said.
It was difficult to say what would clinch an event, as each
promoter sought different things.
Promoters of sports events, for example, were interested in
how much cash was in it for them from the venue, while others
might want assistance with logistics, such as transport, or
guarantees about ticket sales or media coverage.
Other promoters wanted to take more of the profits
themselves.
"[At the moment] when it comes to getting them here, we come
with nothing. The only leverage we have is to cut a
significant discount offer in terms of venue hires, and that
cuts out our revenue."
Mr Cull said a Melbourne event marketer recently told him
local government there put millions of dollars into an event
incentive fund, even though Melbourne had many great venues.
"It just shows we can't take [events] for granted, because we
have a great venue."
Cr Brown said if events like the Elton John concert injected
$14 million into the local economy, perhaps commercial as
well as community contributions should be made to an
incentive fund.
Cr Wilson said the sound issues with non-concert events
needed to be sorted out, as well as those around major
events.
A smartphone application, for example, with which people
could connect to the stadium's sound system, would mean
people could better hear commentary at sports events or
events such as the recent rodeo, at which the sound quality
was reportedly poor.
It could also be another way of increasing the revenue of the
stadium, she said.
With regards to a special lottery, Cr Vandervis, who made a
similar suggestion in 2010, said the idea was worth looking
into.
"We need some kind of funding line where we are going to be
able to get money from outside Dunedin."
One of the main issue would be getting lottery status for it.
"Whether it's a flyer depends on a lot of things, enthusiasm
probably being the key thing."
He could think of plenty of things that would make great
prizes, including Carisbrook seats and other memorabilia and
signed All Black clothing, although he conceded it might be a
bit late to set up a stadium lottery of the kind he had
initially proposed because most of the Carisbrook chattels he
proposed as prizes had since been disposed of.
"Some updated concept will hopefully still be investigated."
The subcommittee adjourned before considering other ideas
suggested by the public, including grazing sheep in the
stadium and using if for growing cannabis - although DVML has
already told councillors it is "not sure this would be
sanctioned and the power bill would be too high".
The subcommittee will also consider whether community events
should be subsidised by commercial events or a ratepayer fund
or subsidy.
-debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz
The five suggestions to DVML
Dunedin City Council subcommittee recommends Dunedin
Venues Management Ltd and Dunedin City Holdings Ltd:
• Establish an event procurement strategy.
• Investigate an events incentive fund and how it
might be funded.
• Investigate improving stadium sound for concert and
non-concert events.
• Keep up with artificial turf technology and be ready
to make changes.
• Investigate a stadium lottery.
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