BUISNESS EVENTS CASE STUDY – Prepared by Bree Noonan: Marketing Communications Executive – Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

THE EVENT

The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) came alive as the home of the Staunch Energy Drink National Finals Rodeo on the Gold Coast in January. The extreme multi-million dollar production showcases true blue professionals in the sport of Rodeo. Qualifying Cowboys and Cowgirls took the reins and competed for the prestigious 07/08 Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) Australian title.

The National Finals are the grand finale of the APRA rodeo season and feature the top fifteen APRA Cowboys and Cowgirls competing in six events. Champion events include Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Barrel Racing, Saddle Bronc, Team Roping and Bull Riding.

The action packed competition held over four days and nights, included a kids and family night as well as stilt walkers, rodeo clowns, face painters, daily autograph sessions and best dressed Cowboy and Cowgirl.

The over 18’s were treated to a star studded line up in the “Cowboy Bar”, the bar featured nightly live entertainment, mechanical bull riding competitions and all the action broadcast on the big screens. The Cowboy bar came alive on the Saturday night with living legend Jimmy Barnes rocking the just over 6,000 square metres of concert goers.

Corporate Sponsors and VIP’s were spoilt each night with a plated fine dining experience provided by the GCCEC award winning kitchen team. The corporate dining area was the place to be with a prime view of all the action on the dirt. 

WHAT WE DID

The transformation of the GCCEC from a state-of-the-art conference and meetings facility to a professional bull ring and amphitheatre took 4 days. On day one the Arena was transferred into an open space with retractable seats and carpet tiles removed. Day two was busy with the scaffolding, corporate dining area, the bull ring and the shutes all starting to take shape.

Next came the tonnes of dirt! To ensure no permanent damage to the venue, the Arena was completely covered in black plastic, and then ply boards were placed over the plastic and lastly dirt tipped on top to create the perfect competition surface. Once the bull ring and the Arena were set for competition next came the logistics of bringing in the real stars of the event; the horses, steers and bulls.

The livestock were introduced to the venue the day before the event for familiarisation and rehearsals.  During the competition the stock was delivered each day prior to show times and kept in holding bays on the GCCEC loading dock.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

The GCCEC has had plenty of practise when it comes to the Staunch Energy Drink National Finals Rodeo having hosted the event in 2007, 2008 and again this year. With this in mind, the professional staff at GCCEC have been able to use the history of previous years to plan the event and prepare for any likely challenges or problems.

Peter Haywood, GCCEC Event Manager describes the biggest challenge of the event is in organising multiple contractors over the four days of bump in. “Taking away the challenge of transforming the Arena into a professional bull riding surface, getting people to work together to complete their jobs on time was the most frustrating”. He said.

To overcome this problem, GCCEC staff scheduled times for each external contractor to work together to get the jobs done in the correct sequence.

Another logistical challenge came with the corporate dining area. Each night Rodeo organisers Increased table numbers inside the dining area. The GCCEC was able to accommodate the extra VIP’s by adding extra seats to tables and additional tables at the last minute.   

OBJECTIVES & RESULTS

Overall the Staunch Energy Drink National Finals Rodeo ran very smoothly. Doors opened on time, corporate dining was delivered to over 300 people per night and guests enjoyed the opportunity to get an autograph from their favourite Cowboy and Cowgirl. The addition of the Jack Daniels Cowboy Bar with live entertainment each night provided a great atmosphere to the event. 

Next year, the organisers of the Staunch Energy Drink National Finals Rodeo plan to further develop their program to increase the popular bull riding. They are also considering a revision in ticket prices and programming to ensure maximum attendance and exposure on the Gold Coast.

In concluding, the event was highly successful and the staff at GCCEC look forward to another spectacular action packed event next year.