The Gold Coast Show’s future is in doubt
THE future of the Gold Coast Show is in limbo after the event recorded a massive loss for this year.
Sun Community
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IT may well take a miracle to save the Gold Coast Show.
The future of the event remains in limbo after members made no decision to shelve the event at a scheduled meeting of the show society last Tuesday despite a catastrophic loss at this year’s event.
It’s understood the show lost around $180,000 on this year’s event which came on $19,000 profit previous year and loss of $82,000 previous year.
It’s also understood that while the society retains some cash reserves, there aren’t enough to fund a show in 2018.
The show is also now without a manager, after it was decided not to take up a three-year option on the event’s former manager Lavinia Rampino employment contract, a move Ms Rampino said was jointly agreed to by herself and the society.
“We have to be financially responsible and whatever cash is in kitty has to go to paying our liabilities,” she said.
“In all fairness I can’t sit here and collect a wage and not pay our contractors.”
However Ms Rampino said she was continuing with the show in a volunteer basis.
She said the next meeting of the show society would determine if there was a 2018 show.
Ms Rampino said while there was some hope for the show’s short-term options, suggesting that event could operate as a ‘pop-up’ show for a couple of years and operate out of locations such as the Spit or Southport’s Owen Park, to survive long-term it would need an appropriate venue.
“It’s more about showgrounds, and everyone’s forgotten that,” she said.
“The show was the cherry on top of the cake to show off the society which ran the showgrounds.
“But the grounds would be running events all year. Parklands was the most successful showgrounds in Queensland in terms of income.
“When you look at the facilities for the Commonwealth Games everyone came out of it well bar the former tenants at Parklands. The hockey club, bowls club, swimming pool and the stadium have all got new facilities.”
However councillor and show society patron Dawn Crichlow felt the show still had a future, saying that several new committee members had been voted in at the last meeting.
“I’d like to see the turf club and show society get together and work together to run it,” she said.
“The turf club has all the expertise in marketing big events.
“The show is important to the people of the Gold Coast and I would hate to see them walk away from it.”
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