Lismore City Council is continuing to position the city as a leading events destination, with Groovin the Moo delivering a resounding success story for the region. On Saturday, more than 8000 people attended Groovin the Moo at Oakes Oval, securing Lismore's reputation as a major events city that not only welcomes this calibre of events but has the facilities, partnerships and vision to support them. Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg said the success of Groovin the Moo reflected Council's long-term commitment to investing in facilities and creating opportunities that benefit the entire community. "Lismore has always been known as an events hub, but what we are seeing now is the result of intentional planning and investment to ensure we lift that standard to be recognised by major event operators as a city that makes hosting events of a national scale easy," he said. "We are building and activating facilities that can host everything from elite sport to major cultural events and that creates real benefits for our economy, our businesses and our reputation as a regional city that is open for business." Council is now working closely with Groovin the Moo organisers Fuzzy to build a long-term future for the event in Lismore. "We are currently working toward establishing a Memorandum of Understanding with the intention of setting the foundations for a multi-year agreement between Council and Fuzzy," Mayor Krieg said. "That process will give both Council and the organisers a clear understanding of how we can continue working together to grow the event in Lismore and ensure it continues to get bigger and better every year." Groovin the Moo is the latest in a growing list of nationally significant events attracted to doing business in Lismore, alongside the Legends of Cricket match, Newcastle Jets versus Brisbane Roar A-League fixture and the recent Rumble on the River Olympic pathway skateboarding event. "These events are helping drive visitation, support local business and strengthen Lismore's reputation as a regional city capable of hosting major events at the highest level," Mayor Krieg said. The benefits of Groovin the Moo extended well beyond the event itself, with strong local participation and economic flow-on effects throughout the region. Around 50 per cent of suppliers used for the event were Lismore-based businesses, while half of the security workforce came from across the Northern Rivers. Local workers also filled bar and event staffing roles across the site. Adelle Robinson, CEO of Fuzzy, said Groovin the Moo Lismore has been one of the best events she has ever worked on in her 30 years of producing events around Australia. "From the moment I did the venue tour of Oakes Oval it was clear it was going to be a real collaboration between ourselves, the Council and the people of Lismore. That collaboration is what made this show really special," she said. "We want to thank the people of Lismore for hosting us, for telling us what you wanted from the show and for showing up in droves on Saturday. See you all next year!" Looking ahead, Lismore is set to host a major event every month through to October, continuing Council's focus on growing visitation and activating key venues across the city. Upcoming events include Norco Primex and Lismore Gemfest at the Lismore Showground later this month, with the two events expected to attract more than 33,000 visitors combined. Council's approach is focused not only on attracting events but building long-term relationships and creating a sustainable pipeline of nationally significant events that continue to return to Lismore. "We are committed to growing our city, our reputation and our economy through this type of activation," Mayor Krieg said. "We have a team within Council that thrives on delivering major events, building strong industry relationships and looking to the future to ensure Lismore continues to be home to these kinds of events, not just a one-off location." |
