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Events currently under contract with Sports Marketing Australia. Image: CVC

CVC to run its own sports tourism program

Geoff Helisma

Clarence Valley Council (CVC) will cease its engagement of Sports Marketing Australia (SMA) at the end of the current three-year contract and run the program ‘in-house’.

Councillors unanimously supported the change, which includes the development of a sports tourism policy “to guide CVC’s sponsorship dollar”, at the May 25 CVC meeting.

The draft policy will be tabled at the November 2021 CVC meeting, when it will be “considered by the new council” elected in September.

Staff advised councillors that “the relationship between CVC and SMA has been a fruitful one; however, it is now becoming evident that it has run its due course”.

Events currently under contract with Sports Marketing Australia. Image: CVC

Staff cited SMA’s increased client base (from 32 to 64 local government areas (LGAs) across Australia, since 2013 – when CVC engaged SMA – as the primary reason for ending the arrangement.

“In 2013, SMA set a limit of servicing 12 LGAs across NSW,” staff wrote in the report to council.

“They no longer set a maximum limit, meaning more location options in NSW for the events.”

“…At the time of engagement … one of the strong reasons [for] pushing CVC to engage SMA [was that] their clients included a number of our neighbouring LGAs (Ballina, Lismore, Port Macquarie, Taree, Tweed Heads); currently, only Port Macquarie remains as a client of SMA,” staff wrote.

“SMA has expanded to include entertainment events, which are spectator, rather than participant orientated.

“These types of events do not meet our needs.”

Overall, the purpose of the program was “to leverage economic benefits for the community and maximise the potential of the niche industry of sports tourism”.

Staff wrote that they “have gained a good foundation of knowledge about the sports tourism industry over the past eight years”.

The fees paid to SMA, $10,000 per annum will, in the future, be diverted towards direct sponsorship of events.

The proposed sports calendar is a confidential document, staff wrote.