A new event championing some of the country’s most successful events saw Wagga became a hub of innovation and creativity.
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Earlier this week, a crowd of event crusaders gathered at the inaugural Regional Events Conference, which saw presentations from the brains behind acclaimed events, including Bluesfest, the Woodford Folk Festival and the Deni Ute Muster.
Conference organiser Belinda King, who runs her own events company in Wagga, said she created the event to initiate conversation among the regional event industry.
"The conference was born from a frustration with the lack of professional development opportunities for those of us in regional areas,” she said.
The event saw a dynamic list of presenters, featuring speakers from nationally renowned festivals to fledgling events.
"We wanted to incorporate smaller festivals and events into the program, because they really can be the liveblood of a regional community,” she said.
“There was a huge amount of knowledge that was passed on and soaked up and the connections people made were invaluable.”
Wagga’s Gears and Beers committee organiser Phillip McIntosh said the conference allowed him to gain insight into running events smoothly, managing vendors and, perhaps most importantly, marketing.
“I learned so much about how to promote yourself as an event, because that can be a challenging thing to do,” he said. "Our little festival pales in comparison to some of these bigger events, but it gave us the opportunity to learn so much.”