Taupo on Top of World in Events

Taupo has cemented its position as the ‘events capital’ of New Zealand with selection as one of the top event and festival towns in the world at the International Event and Festivals Association awards in St Louis on 16th September (US time).

Taupo was selected as the top global entry in ‘Population under 100,000’ category and was also officially recognised as a 2010 IFEA World Festival and Event City in recognition of the town’s community leadership and ongoing, concerted efforts to encourage the success and growth of festivals and events.

“We are absolutely blown away by this award – it is the culmination of several years work in establishing the events capital brand and a fantastic opportunity to recognise the entire Taupo community for their assistance in making this town the ‘events capital’ of New Zealand and to pay tribute to the volunteers, event staff and participants who have made this possible,” said Warwick Hall, Regional Event Marketing Manager of Events Capital, an arm of the Taupo District Council.

“This is yet another example of New Zealand punching above its weight on the international stage,” he continued.

“Taupo’s position in the centre of the North Island and natural settings such as the lake and mountains combine perfectly with the town’s infrastructure of venues, cafes, restaurants and motels of varying standards for participants in the over 150 international and national events held annually in Taupo – on average, there is one international event each week and a series of local and community events throughout the year.

The Taupo township has a population of 23,000 and it is estimated that over $350,000 people visit Taupo each year for festivals and events contributing approximately $20 million towards Taupo’s multi-million dollar visitor industry.

“Taupo’s success with events is possible thanks to a forward-thinking Taupo District Council which has commissioned facilities far beyond that which a town of 23,000 could ordinarily expect – the facilities are then utilised by the whole town,” continued Mr Hall.

“The impact of the events industry in Taupo goes far beyond ‘event day’ – it is estimated that approximately 20 people are employed directly or indirectly by the events industry.

“In a town of 23,000, we are fortunate to have over 12,000 volunteers that make our events and festivals possible – over $250,000 is provided annually to voluntary community groups and schools for their invaluable and professional assistance with events.

“It is a win-win situation - these groups are the life blood of events in Taupo without whom we simply could not function; for the groups, it is a guaranteed source of funding without which some would not achieve their goals or projects.

“And it is no time to rest on our laurels – we are already well into our planning for our next big event, the 2010 Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge on November 27th, and looking forward to hosting the South African, Welsh and Irish rugby team during the 2011 Rugby World Cup,” he concluded.

ENDS

© Scoop Media