“Bring it on” is the undertone of Dubbo Regional Council administrator Michael Kneipp’s reaction to the state government’s formal bid to host the TV Week Logie Awards in regional NSW and possibly Dubbo.
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The government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, has lodged an Expression of Interest (EIO) to hold the event in Tamworth in 2018 and explore the feasibility of Dubbo and Albury hosting the awards in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
“While the idea has been humoured in the past, I don’t think it’s an unrealistic bid for cities in regional NSW to secure the Logies,” Mr Kneipp told the Daily Liberal.
“We have the accommodation available, a number of outdoor spaces to host the venue as an alternative to an indoor setting and a number of tourism attractions, such as the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, to occupy the potential visitors.
“It would certainly be a unique Logie awards ceremony, but the city could definitely handle it.”
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall announced the lodging of the EIO in a statement released early on Tuesday morning.
“The impact of hosting an event of this stature in regional NSW cannot be overlooked and this is no ambit claim,” he said.
“We’ve done our homework and taking the Logies to the bush represents more than double the value of hosting them in Sydney.”
State Member for Northern Tablelands, Mr Marshall said the potential for regional NSW to host major events was huge.
“These areas have some of the best food, wine, unique tourist attractions and country hospitality that you couldn’t find anywhere else in the world,” he said.
“The positive flow-on effects would be felt right across our regions with more heads on beds, and more tourist dollars ending up in the pockets of local businesspeople.”
Mr Marshall said the government’s bid followed the #BringTheLogiesToDubbo campaign.
The minister said the campaign had captured the hearts and imaginations of television celebrities and people across regional NSW.
State Member for Dubbo Troy Grant wholeheartedly agreed.
Mr Grant said the campaign showcased Dubbo as an event destination.
“Thanks to a joint campaign with former Star FM radio duo Chris and Juelz, the campaign received nationwide coverage,” he said.
Mr Kneipp said Dubbo was a thriving regional centre in NSW.
“It’s remarkable to see the city be shortlisted by Mr Marshall,” he said.