Events bring thousands of visitors to the High Country, generating significant economic and social value for the local communities - bringing people together to explore a broad range of unique experiences.
Whether they are sporting, health and lifestyle, cultural or food and drink, each event celebrates Victoria’s High Country and supports an enviable year-round program.
The guidelines below provide a framework for event attraction/selection and development to increasingly attract and sustain a vibrant High Country events calendar. With a balanced portfolio of events that celebrate the regions strengths, Victoria’s High Country has an opportunity to increase destination awareness and intention to travel.
Event Typologies
Tourism/destination driving events - significant events that have the potential to increase visitor nights and expenditure, maximising the economic and social outcomes for the region.
- Visitor number guide: >500
- Medium to large scale events that deliver profile to the region
- Are of regional, state or national significance, attracting intrastate and interstate visitation
- Increase overnight stay to 2 - 4 nights minimum
- Demonstrate plans to achieve economic impact/growth (new and existing events)
- Aimed to rebuild tourism in areas impacted by natural disasters (2020 bushfires) or designated areas of priority
Community events - an organised activity, open to the general public, where people gather with a common purpose that aims to enhance community life.
Fall into the following categories: creative; cultural; festival; sport; culinary; agricultural/country shows; and community public holiday celebrations such as Australia Day or ANZAC Day. Events support: community wellbeing; social connectedness; and economic benefits (eg. spending by event attendees)
- Visitor number guide: <500
- Targets primarily local audiences
- Undertakes local marketing
Cycle events - events that offer synergies with the Ride High Country (RHC) brand.
- Visitor number guide: >100
- Cycle events that reinforce the market leading positioning of Australia’s premier cycling destination, to build the brand with our target segments
- Grow demand for the regional cycle offering from the four key cycle disciplines (road, mountain biking, gravel and rail trail/recreation)
- Educate our target segments about the region's natural cycling assets, sound cycling infrastructure and strong local cycling scene
- Present engaging activation opportunities
- Create customer loyalty in our target segments
Event support summary
| Monetary or in-kind support | TNE brand presence (digital or in event village) | Listing on VHC website | ATDW listing support | Pre/post event promotion via VHC/RHC channels | Social media training and support | Access VJP program | Product development support | Encourage wider tourism support (eg Visit Vic, LGAs, RMBs) | Guidance re Funding support | Leverage VHC/RHC social media (eg #seehighcountry) |
|
| Tourism driving events (guide >500 pax) | Considered | ✔ | ✔ VHC website | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Community events (guide <500 pax) | - | - | ✔ | - | - | ✔ | - | - | - | - | ✔ |
| Cycle events - with RHC alignment (guide >100+ pax) | Considered | Possible | ✔ VHC & RHC website | Possible | Considered | ✔ | Considered | Considered | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Next steps
TNE is committed to collaborating with you to attract events which encourage people to visit more and stay longer, and highlight the regions competitive strengths to the lifestyle leader visitor markets.
- To easily promote your event locally and state-wide (for free), list your event on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse. Please allow at least five business days from the time you register your event to when it appears on our feed.
- Join in our social media programs
- Keep up-to-date with industry news and opportunities for event organisers by registering for our e-newsletter
Regional Events Fund
The Victorian Government is backing the return of a packed calendar of crowd-pleasing public events in regional and rural areas in 2022, bringing thousands of visitors and creating local jobs.
The $20 million Regional Events Fund opened on November 1 2021, with organisers of festivals, sports events, exhibitions and other attractions encouraged to consider making an application for support.
The Regional Events Fund will be instrumental in bringing events to our region to assist the continued recovery of tourism, attracting visitors from outside the region, creating job opportunities and contributing to the local visitor economy.
For more information, click here>
If you have questions or would like to discuss the suitability of your event, please contact us.