The following comments are attributed to Greater Geelong CEO Martin Cutter:
What is the City's response to the cancellation of the event?
We are disappointed by the cancellation of the 2020 Blackball World Championships. However, we understand the difficult decision that the event organiser has had to make, given the significant number of international attendees that were expected to attend the championships. With the uncertainty of the timeline for lifting of restrictions on overseas travel, we understand why this decision has been taken.
How much money had the City invested in the championships prior to its cancellation?
Council via its Geelong Major Events Committee had committed sponsorship support of $60,000 to the Championships. This sponsorship is not paid if the event is not staged.
What is the expected financial impact of this cancellation?
The expected estimated economic benefit from the hosting of the 2020 Blackball World Championships was $3.3 million.
Upon the announcement of this event, the city noted Major Events contributed about $65 million to the local economy every year. Does the City have an estimate of what impact the coronavirus has had on the financial contribution of major events to Geelong so far?
No, we don't have those numbers at the moment. We are currently collecting information to give us a better understanding of the lost economic benefit from events which have been forced to cancel due to COVID-19.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
