Key challenges threatening regional and rural events across Australia

In response to the recent webinar we delivered for the Foundation for Regional & Rural Renewal (FRRR) on ‘Optimising Community Events’, we want to address the key challenges that were raised by the 130 participants from across regional and rural Australia.

These are the challenges and trends that they identified as threats to the ongoing viability to their events, and are in addition to the usual suspects of volunteering and finances which remain consistent as two key challenges event organisers face.

It is interesting to reflect on these considering the many recent articles about the cancellation of music festivals across the country.

1. Lack of appreciation for how much is involved (and how much it costs) to plan and deliver events 

Working in events is often perceived as a glamorous job – how much fun to work in this exciting industry. Yes, it is fun, it is seriously rewarding, but it’s also a tonne of work! Many don’t often see the long hours, weekend work, stress and pressure of non-movable deadlines and managing ridiculous budgets.

We often use the analogy of spinning plates; as an event organiser you are expected to juggle so many things (from budgets to logistics and HR to marketing) and if you drop one of those ‘plates’ many others will come falling down.

We also see many local councils struggling to understand how events align with and support their broader community and organisational objectives. They see events as good things to do for community, and to attract visitors, but they don’t necessarily see how events can support them to achieve environmental targets (by empowering events to implement environmental policies) for example.

We need to work together as an industry to continue to demonstrate how much resourcing goes into events to achieve the desired outcomes. We also need to ensure that events are linked to broader organisational objectives and measure results to quantify this.

2. People are not attending as many events post COVID – they are taking a slower pace to life 

I get it - I am one of these people focused on slowing down and appreciating the little things (and the quiet)!

We can’t work against macro trends such as these in events, but we can work smarter.

This highlights the importance of ensuring your event remains relevant and to not get complacent in the experience you deliver. Think about how you can adapt and evolve your event experience to meet these changing needs and expectations of attendees/consumers.

Do you create FOMO around your event? It is important that you do not take your audience for granted – you need to continue to ensure that they see value in your event, especially considering time is now more valuable than ever.

The other thing this raises is the number of events that exist within a community – are there too many?  Can we consolidate or merge some events into a reimagined or revitalised event experience.

3. Less money to spend attending events due to cost of living  

Like the point above, we cannot change this. But we can be mindful of it and think of ways to adapt our event in the short term to survive through this external threat.

This is possibly one of the key factors impacting large scale music festivals (combined with the trend of people not committing until the last minute to purchase tickets) that are highly dependent on volume to cover costs and be commercially viable.

Should you scale your event back? Maybe you take a year off (hello, Dark Mofo!)? Do you need to review your budget to look at how you can offer an event that breaks even without high ticket prices without impacting the visitor experience?.

This is a tough one especially considering the rising costs of basic event requirements.  This links to creating a sense of value around your event - disposable income is more valuable than ever at the moment. What drives a person to prioritise spend on your event?

4. Challenges of increasing regulations and difficulties in affording or getting insurance

Ouch! I was speaking to an insurance company at a networking function recently and it was depressing all round – the increasing cost of insurance, the reduced risk appetite of insurers and the impact of natural disasters on regional and rural Australia. All of these things make it hard and/or costly to insure an event (or anything, to be honest).

Let’s not mention the growing compliance and requirements which is causing headaches for events and local government planners across the country. I really wish we had an easy solution for this one because it is the combination of increasing costs and pressures of cost of living that mean the regulatory process just tips event organisers over the edge. Right?!

Events need to work very closely with their Council in the early stages of planning the event to work out the approval pathway and map a streamlined approach. It is also critical that you have solid contingency plans to avoid cancellations and if necessary, relook at your event model to reduce the risk.

5. Understanding exactly what a community wants in the event space 

To us this falls into the ‘We can’t please everyone’ bucket and takes me back to the point about events supporting broader community and organisational objectives. Every local council has a community strategic plan of some form, which guides the values and aspirations of the community.

This plan should determine the events that are a priority for your community! Let’s take an example; perhaps your community strategic plan talks about the need to engage youth in the community to build a stronger sense of pride and passion. Your event strategy should align with this and consider events that are targeted at youth, with the purpose of engaging them in the community and showcasing why this is such a great place to live (and protect).

Remember, community needs and expectations change.

6. Coming up with new ideas to keep an event fresh and different in a competitive environment

What is the distinctive difference of your community? (Think environment, infrastructure , community, etc.)

What are the values of your community?

What are the needs and expectations of target event attendees?

Questions such as these, along with the purpose of the event, should allow you to keep your event fresh and relevant (and focused!). It’s important to watch competition, but don’t get distracted.

Remember that continual improvement is at the heart of remaining competitive in events. How robust is your post event review process? How do you maintain connection with your event attendees and stakeholders to ensure that they are advocates?

Looking outside your ‘bubble’ will also assist you to remain fresh and relevant. What are the macro trends impacting consumers and events and how can you embrace these in your event? For example, what worked pre-COVID may not work now.

Watch the recorded webinar on Optimising Community Events

Over to you

We would love to hear from you on any solutions you have to navigating these in the comments below!