NTI Townsville 500 powers ahead with economic benefits after marking 15th anniversary

Key stakeholders have reflected on the success and future Townsville’s latest Supercars event, revealing historic attendance numbers, its cost, and benefits to the community. Read the details.

Following the latest NTI Townsville 500, Event Manager Matt Ramsden, Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith, and Townsville Deputy Mayor Paul Jacob have reflected on the event's success. Picture: Supplied.

Following another busy weekend of Supercars racing action, key stakeholders have reflected on the NTI Townsville 500 event’s success and future, revealing historic attendance numbers, its cost to ratepayers, and benefits to the community.

Regarded as North Queensland’s largest annual sporting event, the NTI Townsville 500 celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2024, welcoming a weekend crowd of 126,618.

Compared to previous crowd figures, 2024’s attendance was similar to the 2019 pre-Covid figure of 128,300, but well down numbers which exceeded 140,000 between 2014 and 2018.

NTI Townsville 500 Event Manager Matt Ramsden described this year’s Repco Supercars Championship event as a “resounding success”, saying the energy, excitement, and sheer passion from everyone involved made it one of the best events to date.

He praised new inclusions like the popular Torque Alley display, Saturday night’s spectacular performances by Cyril, G Flip, and Tones and I, the Drone Light Show, and the thrilling on-track action with Saturday’s race arguably one of the best in recent years.

Historic weekend crowd figures for the NTI Townsville 500. Picture: Supercars.

“The NTI Townsville 500 brings numerous benefits to the people of North Queensland and tens of millions of dollars worth of economic benefit,” Mr Ramsden said.

“It significantly boosts local tourism, with fans travelling from all over to attend, thereby supporting local businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and shops.

“The event also fosters community spirit, as residents and visitors come together to celebrate North Queensland’s biggest annual sporting event. Moreover, it provides a platform for local talents and businesses to showcase themselves to a broader audience.”

He confirmed that their crowd figures were calculated based on ticket sales and attendance data collected at the gates, where the same person could be counted multiple times if they attended on multiple days.

“We are in constant discussions and have a strong partnership with the Queensland Government, Tourism and Events Queensland, and Townsville City Council, and look forward to announcing future plans for the event in coming months,” he said.

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said Townsville’s Supercars events continued to get better every year, driving more than $35m into the local economy.

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith praised the NTI Townsville 500 event. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“This event not only drives a significant economic benefit, it also helps to showcase and profile our destination to the world. With millions of people beaming into the event from over 100 countries across the globe,” Ms Brumme-Smith said.

“This puts Townsville North Queensland top of mind for future visitors and I have no doubt they were wishing they were here while tuning in.”

Townsville Deputy Mayor Paul Jacob said the ongoing cultural and economic success of this event highlighted the importance of the council’s capacity to partner with world-class events.

Supercars drivers Ryan Wood and James Golding (centre) with Deputy Mayor Paul Jacob, Townsville Enterprise director of visitor economy and marking Lisa Woolfe and Townsville MP Scott Stewart at Reid Park. Picture: Evan Morgan

“With an injection of around $35 million to the region, we’re pleased that our direct contribution of $300,000 in cash support, alongside in-kind support for things like event precinct works, venue and facilities support, traffic management and marketing support, pays dividends to the community,” Cr Jacob said.

“I think it’s safe to say the event has ingrained itself in north Queensland culture and continues to provide Townsville with great value for money.

“Alongside our working relationship with other strategic event partners like Tourism and Events Queensland and Townsville Enterprise, we have a detailed agreement with Supercars to ensure the community continues to get value for money through a reporting and acquittal process.”

He said Townsville City Council also conducted its own monitoring process to inform on the ongoing return on investment represented by the event to assist with consideration of continued future financial support.

The council is in discussions with Supercars in relation to future events.

Originally published as NTI Townsville 500 powers ahead with economic benefits after marking 15th anniversary