One of Australia’s longest running jazz celebrations is hoping to make Ballarat its home for another year, as it pushes for a large tourism grant.
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While the convention requested $20,000 for equipment hire and marketing expenses, City of Ballarat council officers recommended a reduced grant of only $10,000.
The Australian Jazz Convention will take place on December 26 to 31 this year, in venues across the city.
Officers said there was “little evidence that the event could fund itself in the future” and no concrete promise the convention would stay in Ballarat past this year, according to a report tabled for next week’s meeting.
The Australian Jazz Convention’s contract Gerald Ballinger said the event brought life to Ballarat in what is “traditionally a quiet time of year”.
“The grant itself we applied for was to offset some the costs, and to go toward marketing the event,” he said. “The more we can market it, the more people will come to Ballarat to listen to the jazz.
“This is the fourth consecutive year it has come to Ballarat. It has never been done four years a row in one location, but Ballarat’s great advantages are its proximity to Melbourne and between venues.
“We have great support from those venues and it is a great celebration … but when there’s 1000 people coming to town as well as musicians, there is a fair expense to put it on.
“We have to put our equipment in multiple venues, so we’re talking thousands and thousands of dollars.”
The event will contribute $467,840 to the Ballarat economy, according to modelling by the municipality.
Despite recommending a lower portion of grant funding, council officers said the event “activates several prominent CBD venues whilst also providing a welcomed economic injection in the hospitality and accommodation sector”.
City of Ballarat councillors will vote on whether to approve a tourism grant for the six-day event at an ordinary meeting on Wednesday.
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