Comm Games officials make eleventh hour plea to attract punters to Gold Coast

THE nightclubs’ fridges are stocked, the hotels’ rooms are ready, and athletes from around the world are here. But there is just one thing missing from Australia’s biggest party: YOU.

COMMONWEALTH Games boss Mark Peters and Gold Coast traders have made an eleventh hour bid to attract punters to the city’s biggest party.

Transport was expected to be a major issue on the eve of the event, but today roads were clear and major Coast hubs were a virtual ghost town.

Broadbeach businesses owners are worried, but Mr Peters said it was time for anyone still deciding whether to come, to bite the bullet.

Empty streets in Broadbeach for the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Alex Coppel.

He urged Southeast Queenslanders to buy tickets, or “regret it for the rest of your life”.

Mr Peters, involved in the 2011 bid team when the city won the right to host the 21st Commonwealth Games, said tickets and accommodation were still available.

“We are saying to people to look at the calibre of athletes, look at the festival program and you are just going to have a ball when you get here.”

Mr Peters said just about everyone he knew who had left Sydney during the Olympics or Melbourne when it had the Commonwealth Games in 2006 regretted it afterwards.

“What I say to people is if you have mates from Melbourne or Sydney ring them up because those who did leave (during those Games) regretted it for the rest of their lives because they missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“They are the best advocates for us. Some of our volunteers here lived in Sydney for the Olympics and didn’t go, they chose to leave and they say they’ve regretted it for the rest of their lives.”

Empty streets in Broadbeach for the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Mr Peters said some tickets remained available to tomorrow’s opening ceremony for $495 or $380, and at last count more than a million had been sold with under 150,000 left across the 11 days.

“When people hear about the opening ceremony and start to read about the athletes, we’ll sell a lot of tickets in that first week so we’re not concerned at all.

“We are getting a lot of inquiries still from interstate.”

The Oasis Shopping Centre was empty for most of today and traders admitted they were nervous.

Empty streets in Broadbeach for the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Nathan Smith from Boutique Meats Broadbeach, said it’s “devastating”, but they’re trying to remain positive.

“We turned up today, and just hope they’re all going to turn up today too,” he said.

“We were way too prepared, buying in Easter, Commonwealth Games and school holidays — we were expecting at least double the trade. But it’s lucky to be half.”

A number of businesses in the Oasis Shopping Centre sharing their concerns, noting significant drops in trade.

“As soon as they closed off the roads and put the stages in, it’s just dropped and become a ghost town,” Maison Broadbeach’s manager said.

“It’s hell on earth — just chaotic.”

Empty streets in Broadbeach for the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Alex Coppel.

But Steve de Maio from Koi Dining and Lounge Bar said he was confident it would pick up.

“It’s typical for a tourist destination to have a trough before a peak,” he said.

“A precedence is set by Easter, so it’s lulled us into a false sense of security, but we’ve been through seven summers, seven music festival events, but never an international event of this calibre ... so in terms of what to expect next, it’s like, how long’s a piece of string?”

Mr Peters said the only thing keeping him awake at night was the potential for anything to go wrong

“The planning is in place, the athletes are here, so what we’re thinking about is what can go wrong ... are we prepared for everything,” he said.

Empty streets in Broadbeach for the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“We are checking, rechecking. It has been great to have the two opening ceremony rehearsals but we’ll have double the number at the final one ... So be patient, you might get home later than you normally would.”