[Source: World Triathlon] Organisers of the World Triathlon Multisport Championships have today announced that the event will be heading to Townsville, Australia, in 2024. The 10-day event will be held in the charming town in North Queensland in 2024, with thousands of athletes from around the world expected to take part.

The World Triathlon Multisport Championships will see duathlon, long distance triathlon, long distance aquabike, aquathlon, cross triathlon and cross duathlon world championship races organized together during a week-long festival. This ground-breaking event now allows for athletes to compete in various multisport races, as opposed to electing only one each season. And participants can even vie for the Multisport Legend, a title reserved for those who compete in four events.

World Triathlon President and IOC member Marisol Casado said that the organisation was looking forward to heading to Townsville in 2024. "We are absolutely delighted to return to Queensland after such a long time without events in Australia, this time for one of our flagship events: the Multisport World Championships in Townsville,” she said. “Over the last years, Australia has become synonymous of triathlon on its multiple variations, and has proved to be a magnificent host for the triathlon family, playing host to some truly memorable performances and great champions, staging races the results of which have helped shape the path of entire seasons.

“Being able to hold these important races in one fantastic location and all under the banner of one festival has proved to be hugely beneficial for athletes, spectators and media alike, allowing the global World Triathlon family the opportunity to gather together for a true celebration of the sport, and we are extremely excited to head to Townsville in 2024,” she said.

Member for Townsville Scott Stewart said the Multisport World Championships cemented Townsville’s place as the sporting events capital of northern Australia. “I’m looking forward to seeing the Multisport World Championships come to life here in the North, bringing together thousands of elite and age-group athletes,” Mr Stewart said. “The Palaszczuk Government is proud to support the Multisport World Championships because we understand the importance of events to local jobs and Townsville’s visitor economy.

“This event is great news for North Queensland tourism operators, accommodation and transport providers, and local retailers,” he said. “It’s also a golden opportunity for competitors and spectators to build extra time into their stay to explore Townsville’s amazing tourism and Indigenous cultural experiences, world-class dining, the reef, and breathtaking tropical islands and rainforests.”

Mayor Jenny Hill said the Townsville City Council and the wider community was looking forward to welcoming the Multisport World Championships to the city.

“Hosting this event is a real coup of Townsville and further reinforces our city’s reputation as the events capital of Northern Australia,” Cr Hill said. “With our beautiful natural environment and ideal weather, I can think of no better place for the world’s best athletes to test their skills and endurance.

“The championships will also provide a platform to promote our city and region to the world, which will boost our tourism industry for years to come.”

Miles Stewart OAM OLY, Triathlon Australia CEO, welcomed news that the event would be held in Townsville in 2024. “This is fantastic news for triathlon and multisport in Australia, and for our members who have been anticipating, and looking forward to racing and officiating at these world championships on home soil,” said Stewart. “We’re expecting our largest Australian representative team on record for Townsville 2024 with seven championships on the schedule from cross-triathlon, aquathlon to long course.

“The festival format will mean athletes can race across multiple disciplines on multiple days, which is really exciting, and will be a great boost for Australian events with athletes racing to qualify for a spot on the team from 2023,” he said. “Australia has some of the best triathlon events in the world, and we can’t wait to welcome the world’s best to Townsville, and continue to build on our legacy of hosting world-class events.

Official dates for the Townsville Multisport World Championships will be announced in the near future.

The World Triathlon Multisport Championships made its debut in the World Triathlon calendar in 2017 in Penticton (Canada), a successful event that was followed by Fyn (Denmark) in 2018 and Pontevedra (Spain) in 2019. After the event being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, in 2021 the races were held in multiple locations (Almere, El Anillo and Aviles). In 2022 the event will travel to Romania and Slovakia, and will return to the original format of all races in one location during a 10-day festival in Ibiza (Spain) in 2023 and Townsville (Australia) in 2024.

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord has announced that Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) will be a Silver Partner of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit for the next three editions of the global sports industry’s most influential annual gathering in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The long-term partnership will begin with next year’s highly anticipated event from 23-28 May at the IEC Ekaterinburg-Expo in the dynamic city of Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) played a vital role as a Host City Partner in the successful delivery of SportAccord 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia, which took place just a year on from the acclaimed 2018 Commonwealth Games in the same city.

SportAccord 2019 was recognised at a prestigious annual awards show for the Australian events sector in May 2020. SportAccord 2019 was selected as Platinum Award winner for Best Event at the 2019 Meeting & Events Australia (MEA) State and National Awards and also scooped the overall Government Event of the Year and Queensland’s Event Legacy Award.

“We are immensely grateful for the support of Tourism & Events Queensland,” SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt said. “TEQ proved to be an outstanding Host City Partner for SportAccord 2019 and we are delighted to be working with the organisation as a Silver Partner as it focuses on driving the state’s considerable post-SportAccord legacy opportunities.”

Leanne Coddington, CEO of Tourism & Events Queensland, said: “We are looking forward to building on the legacy of SportAccord 2019, which represented an unprecedented opportunity to showcase our world-class hosting capabilities. We are working hard to convert significant interest in Queensland into future events across the state and our SportAccord Silver Partnership will play a central role.”

The annual World Sport & Business Summit is a six-day event attended by leaders of the global sports community. As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord also brings together organising committees, hosting cities and regions, governments and administrations, rights-holders, agencies and athletes, as well as top-level experts and organisations from the sports media, technology, investment, medical and legal sectors.

Registration is open for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021 in Ekaterinburg, the 19^th edition of SportAccord’s flagship annual event. Organisations interested in becoming an official partner or exhibitor can contact SportAccord to discuss these investment opportunities by emailing sales@sportaccord.sport, with SportAccord also offering an interactive exhibition floorplan and 3-D flyover of the SportAccord 2021 exhibition space.

You can follow SportAccord’s portfolio of events via Twitter @sportaccord or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

The State Government of Queensland confirmed on Monday 9^th December that it has given the green light to bidding for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The State Government said in a statement that it “will pursue hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, if all levels of government get behind the State’s efforts and provide appropriate financial support”.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a detailed value proposition assessment had shown that a Queensland based Games in 2032 could deliver significant economic and community benefits for the State.

“This is about so much more than a few weeks of sport,” she said.

“Hosting the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics could be a game changer and deliver 20 years of accelerated opportunity for our State.

“That’s why Cabinet has today made the decision to continue working towards securing a Games – and we will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure we receive the financial support we require from all levels of Government.

“There’s more work to do to ensure we are in a position to put a compelling case to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“As I’ve said all along, we will only proceed if it is in the best interests of Queenslanders.

“A strong partnership, including the right funding commitments, is vital – and our focus now is to secure that ahead of key discussions with the IOC at the Tokyo Olympics in July next year.”

Palaszczuk said the value assessment had shown the Games could: create 130,000 jobs; accelerate infrastructure development; boost international tourism spending by more than $20 billion; deliver up to $8.6 billion in new trade opportunities; and deliver procurement and supply chain opportunities for businesses throughout the State.

The approach towards the Games bid will be pursued in stages, with the next stage being to secure financial agreement between all levels of government, followed by finalisation of the candidature file.

“The world’s greatest event provides a platform like no other. It’s an opportunity to showcase Queensland to the rest of the world,” said Palaszczuk.

“Hosting around 11,000 athletes from 206 countries, and an estimated television audience of 3.2 billion people would see the world watching Queensland at its best.

“Queensland’s climate and world-class facilities provide an ideal environment for elite athletes to train and perform at their best, but it also has the ability to motivate our communities to participate in sport and lead a healthier lifestyle.”

She said the IOC’s “New Norm” rules meant it was the ideal time for the State to pursue the opportunity, with the IOC prepared to put in a significant investment towards Games delivery and provide flexibility.

“We are well placed with more than 80 per cent of venues existing or proposed to be temporary.

“This is not only about a few weeks of sport. This would leave a legacy supporting Queenslanders for decades into the future.”

The news comes shortly after a delegation from Tourism and Events Queensland participated in Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, on 26-27 November.

[Source: EventScotland] EventScotland and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during a meeting between the two organisations at Host City 2019.

The sixth Host City Conference and Exhibition was the ideal place for the signing of the agreement as 300 representatives from some of the world’s leading event cities, destination marketing organisations, cross-sector rightsholders, organising committees and suppliers gathered together for two days. The conference and exhibition included plenary presentations, panels, VIP dialogues and workshops on how to attract, bid for and host secure and engaging events with positive long-term legacies. The MOU will see EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, and TEQ work in collaboration over the next three years, sharing information and insights into the securing and delivering of major sporting, cultural and business events.

It will also build on the strong relationship both Scotland and Queensland developed during their respective hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018 as both organisations look to build meaningful social and economic impacts for their country and region through event tourism.

Areas of collaboration outlined in the MOU include information sharing, event bidding and prospecting, impact measurement, delivery capability, and strategy development.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for events and our reputation as a world-leader in event delivery has seen us secure and deliver some of the world’s biggest events, including The 2019 Solheim Cup and the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023.

“Events play a key role in our society by helping to bring strong social and economic benefits to the whole country. We are delighted to be signing this MOU with TEQ that will allow both organisations to flourish through the regular sharing of knowledge and insights into this incredibly dynamic and exciting industry.”

TEQ CEO Leanne Coddington said the partnership would prove beneficial to both parties.

“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the past decade to build Australia’s most diverse events calendar that sees unique events held in Australia’s best destinations from the Gold Coast to Cape York and the Outback,” Ms Coddington said.

“Events not only drive visitors to Queensland but also contribute strongly to the economy in their own right, whether they be large-scale sporting events, business events, cultural events or community events.

“We look forward to collaborating with EventScotland in the coming years as we continue to build the value of the It’s Live! in Queensland calendar.”

The signing of the MOU also comes at an exciting time as recruitment for key positions to oversee and deliver the 2023 Cycling World Championships will shortly commence.

Paul Bush added: “It has been an exciting year for the events industry, especially for us here in Scotland. During my opening keynote address on day one of Host City 2019 I touched on the impact of three aspects on the events landscape this year – the growth of women’s sport and women’s events; contingency planning; and audience engagement.

“Unlike any other year I believe we have seen the tectonic plates of the world sporting events shift, collide and indeed, totally reshape. We have seen record crowds and TV audiences for major international events including The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles and the Women’s World Cup in France.

“We’ve also seen pay parity and equality and diversity continue to be topical subjects and while we’ve seen great strides in the last 12 months, there is still much work to be done within the equality and diversity agenda as sport still lags society.  As an events industry we can and should take a lead whether its gender balance, LGBTQ, BAME or disabled representation; providing the platform for all people from the field of play right up to the boardroom.

“The year has also raised a number of interesting scenarios within the area of contingency planning. While some organisers like the Cricket World Cup got it spot on, others did not, and it is an area we need to focus our minds and give further consideration to ensure we are not left wanting.

“We have also seen a seismic change in audience and fan engagement, with some events like World Athletics Championships failing to ignite the interest of locals, leaving stadiums unfilled while others like the Women’s Netball World Cup in Liverpool and England women’s football team’s recent match against Germany playing to sell-out crowds.

“With the world changing at a rate of knots, as an industry we need to respond at the same pace to the many variables that now exist.”

Queensland’s calendar of activities features events of all genres from professional to mass participation sport, to arts and culture, music festivals and business events, across the length and breadth of the Australian state. Like Glasgow in 2014, Queensland’s Gold Coast hosted a highly successful Commonwealth Games in 2018.

As Gold Partner, TEQ will send a delegation to Host City 2019 led by CEO Leanne Coddington, who is giving a keynote Destination Showcase address.
She said: “We are very excited to partner with Host City and look forward to reconnecting with old and establishing new relationships with a range of entities across the conference and exhibition.

“Host City will provide us a great opportunity to share experiences, thoughts and learnings with industry leaders from around the world, while also showcasing what makes Queensland a great destination for successful major events, whether sporting, cultural or business events.”

Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director at Host City, said: “We are delighted to welcome Tourism and Events Queensland as a Gold Partner of Host City 2019, and particularly pleased to welcome Leanne Coddington as a keynote speaker. Tourism and Event Queensland’s focus on all kinds of events – sports, business and cultural – is an ideal match for Host City’s network.”

TEQ is a member of the International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), with which Host City enjoys a Strategic Partnership.
Host City is delivered in partnership with EventScotland, its primary Supporting Partner.

Read Host City’s exclusive interview with Leanne Coddington here and in the next issue of Host City magazine.

About Tourism and Events Queensland
As the Queensland Government’s lead tourism marketing, experience development and major events agency, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) identifies, attracts, develops and promotes major events that drive visitors to Queensland, contribute to the Queensland economy, raise the profile of Queensland and generate community pride.

Working strategically with event owners, rights holders and promoters, TEQ’s focus centres largely on growing the number of visitors from outside of Queensland to events on the calendar.

TEQ works closely with regional tourism organisations and local councils to assist event owners better connect with and promote tourism experiences, dining, entertainment and transportation to optimise the event experience of visitors.
https://teq.queensland.com/

Host City: How would you describe the main focus of Queensland’s event hosting strategy?

Leanne Coddington: As the Queensland Government’s lead tourism marketing, experience development and major events agency, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) identifies, attracts, develops and promotes major events that drive visitors to Queensland, contribute to the Queensland economy, raise the profile of Queensland and generate community pride.

The It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar is the platform from which we market events and our goal is to continue to grow the value of the calendar in delivering real economic benefit for the state. In 2019, the calendar is expected to generate $800 million for the state’s economy – having more than doubled in value from $380 million in 2015.

Host City: How does TEQ plan to achieve these ambitious targets?

Leanne Coddington: While the ongoing acquisition of new high-value events will certainly help drive this growth, we also endeavour to continually optimise the outcomes of existing events on the calendar. Working strategically with event owners, rights holders and promoters, TEQ’s focus centres largely on growing the number of visitors from outside of Queensland to events on the calendar. Optimising the event’s own marketing plans and leveraging TEQ’s tourism marketing channels and assets are some methods we employ to do this.

Host City: What does the Queensland calendar of events typically look like?

Leanne Coddington: Queensland’s calendar of events features events of all genres from professional to mass participation sport, to arts and culture, music festivals and business events, across the length and breadth of Queensland, from the Gold Coast and Brisbane in the south east of the state to Townsville and Cairns in the north and the Outback in the west of the state.

The calendar reflects the diversity of Queensland as a tourism destination and is therefore a highly effective form of destination marketing in its own right. Whether it be Wagner’s Ring Cycle strengthening Brisbane’s reputation as a world class arts and cultural hub, the Quiksilver Pro showcasing the Gold Coast’s iconic surf breaks or the Airlie Beach Race Week showcasing the spectacular sailing in the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, each event is a platform from which we can market our unique tourism experiences and also tells a story about the host destination.

Host City: How is the calendar promoted?

Leanne Coddington: Under the brand It’s Live! in Queensland we can augment the marketing efforts of our event partners, and raise the equity of Queensland as an event destination. Targeting key interstate markets including Sydney and Melbourne and international markets such as New Zealand, It’s Live! in Queensland is promoted across digital, print, television and at each TEQ-supported event.

Host City: Australia has long boasted a strong major event hosting reputation. How does Queensland compete against other Australian event destinations?

Leanne Coddington: Indeed, Australia has a great reputation when it comes to major events. We focus on leveraging our unique competitive advantages, centred around the diversity of event hosting destinations on offer in Queensland. The decentralised nature of Queensland means we have numerous destinations capable of hosting large international events – Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in the south east and Townsville and Cairns in the north of the State have all for example held world championship sports events.

Another competitive advantage is that our natural environment, ideal climate and laidback lifestyle makes hosting outdoor events possible all year round. This factor has certainly helped us carve out a reputation as a world class destination for endurance sport events such as triathlon, marathon and cycling.

And lastly, we are home to iconic tourism destinations and experiences. People love travelling here for an event, particularly participation sporting events and they love bringing family, friends and supporters with them because they can extend their trip and enjoy a holiday pre or post event.

Host City: How important is the broad appeal of the host destination to the success of an event?

Leanne Coddington: Very important. Events must be considered as experiences and a range of ingredients contribute to the delivery of a compelling event experience. While the quality of the event content itself and its delivery is key, perhaps the most important factor in delivering the success of a major event is the appeal of the host destination and how it engages with the event audience to augment the experience.

TEQ works closely with regional tourism organisations and local councils to assist event owners better connect with and promote tourism experiences, dining, entertainment and transportation to optimise the event experience of visitors. We’re also known for our friendly locals and our laid-back, friendly lifestyle is something we portray strongly under our tourism brand “beautiful one day, perfect the next”. We know that if we can optimise the event experience in this way, event visitors are far more likely to leave as advocates and come back again for a future holiday.

Host City: What is most important, attracting visitors from other states and countries into Queensland, or local community benefits?

Leanne Coddington: While TEQ’s strategy recognises the importance of both as ingredients to a successful event which deliver strong returns on investment, ultimately the attraction of visitors from outside Queensland carries the most weight in our event investment metrics. This is because it most closely aligns with the remit of TEQ. However, unless the event has a tangible benefit on the local community, the community is probably going to be less likely to engage with the event in a positive way. An event that is not engaged with the local community is unlikely to deliver a great experience for visiting attendees, therefore community engagement is certainly a consideration.

Host City: What would you say has been the most important impact of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games for the Gold Coast and Queensland?

Leanne Coddington: The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games delivered many great outcomes for Queensland. For TEQ, the event provided a high-profile platform to showcase Queensland’s tourism experiences to a large international audience. It also showcased the Gold Coast and Queensland’s major event hosting capability and given its success, has provided us with a great reputation to leverage and secure more events into the future.

Host City: How did hosting SportAccord in 2019 help with your sports event strategy?

Leanne Coddington: SportAccord 2019 was a highly strategic event acquisition that was about continuing to build the legacy of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Hosting the key decision makers from International Federations, national sports organisations, the IOC, event promoters and the world’s sports industry media all in Queensland – many for the first time ever – provided the opportunity to showcase our competitive advantages and most importantly build long term relationships that will ultimately result in future high-value events secured for Queensland.

Host City: We are delighted to welcome Tourism and Events Queensland as a Gold Sponsor of Host City 2019. What are your expectations of Host City, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events?

Leanne Coddington: We too are very excited to partner with Host City and look forward to reconnecting with old and establishing new relationships with a range of entities across the conference and exhibition. Host City will provide us a great opportunity to share experiences, thoughts and learnings with industry leaders from around the world, while also showcasing what makes Queensland a great destination for successful major events, whether sporting, cultural or business events.

Leanne Coddington is giving a keynote Destination Showcase address at Host City 2019

[Source: Tourism & Events Queensland] An Easter blockbuster between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood has been locked in at the Gabba for the next two years, Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones has announced.

Ms Jones said the game between the two AFL powerhouses would be played at the Gabba in 2020 and 2021 in a fixture that traditionally draws huge crowds.

“We work hard to secure footy games that we know will draw huge crowds and generate a great return for local businesses in Queensland,” she said.

“The Pies love to fly north for the winter – we proved that earlier this year.

“That’s why we’ve worked closely with the AFL and with both clubs to get this deal over the line.”

Today’s announcement is part of a three-year deal that will see the Lions play Collingwood at Easter for the next two years and another Victorian team in the third.

Ms Jones said Queensland’s share of the domestic tourism visitor market was growing faster than NSW and Victoria – with major events helping to deliver a strong windfall for operators in the Sunshine State.

“When it comes to major events, Queensland is kicking goals. Earlier this year we used this fixture to successfully market Queensland in Victoria - one of our key source markets,” she said.

“Off the back of this deal, we’ll run another marketing campaign in Melbourne to showcase the amazing tourism experiences on offer here in Queensland.

“Huge events like this give people a reason to travel. While they’re here, we want them to stick around and enjoy what we have to offer.

Sport Minister Mick de Brenni said nearly 35,000 fans packed into the Gabba in April to watch Collingwood play the Lions during the regular season.

Mr de Brenni said AFL in Queensland has this year gone from strength to strength – with the Lions roaring to the top of the ladder, and the women’s team doing us proud following another great season of AFLW.

“Under Activate! Queensland, the Palaszczuk Government’s new sport and recreation strategy, we’ve set clear targets to get more Queenslanders more active, more often, including through Aussie Rules,” he said.

“When young Queenslanders see the Lions at the top of their game, they have something to aspire towards – and it pushes them to get involved.

“We’re backing our local clubs and investing in the top-end of the sport, with $35 million in upgrades to the Gabba progressing and a contribution into the new game-changing $70 million AFLW Stadium ‘The Reserve’ which is getting underway.”

Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann said today’s announcement was a great win for the club.

“We are thrilled that the AFL have entrusted us with the Easter Thursday clash for another three years here at The Gabba,” he said.

“We believe we have been rewarded after producing a successful year on and off the field with growth in membership, crowd attendance and making our first AFL Finals Series in a decade.

“Chris Fagan and his men play an exciting brand of footy that will light up The Gabba and tv screens each Easter for the next three years."