Editorial: Six of the best for Whanganui

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

The bright sparks of Whanganui converged on the War Memorial Centre on Wednesday evening where their creative credentials were given a good workout.

And they came up trumps.

Whanganui and Partners Den of Dragons competition saw six finalists battle for the chance to put on their event in 2017, with $15,000 worth of promotion and expert guidance behind them.

Events are a key driver of the local economy, bringing in visitors who fill accommodation, eat and drink in restaurants and cafes, spend at the shops ... and, all being well, have a good enough time to tell their friends and come back.

But this competition - the brainchild of marketing manager Lyn Cheyne - was not just about the dollars. It was also about creating an event that would become synonymous with Whanganui and would brand the River City both nationally and, hopefully, overseas.

The winners were Fine Arts Whanganui with their Visual Art Symposium, but any one of the other contenders would have been worthy choices.

With impressive presentations and well-researched business plans, these happy amateurs, fired up by ambitious dreams to strengthen their community, put the four judges - all seasoned professionals of the events and marketing industry - on notice that their decision would not be an easy one.

And the good news is that, while mentoring and promotional spend will go to just one project, a number of the others are also likely to be realised.

The people's choice winner - decided on a text vote by the audience - was the Youth Games for year 9 and 10 schoolkids. Something for the youth of the district has got to be worth supporting and this event is still going ahead, despite missing out on the main prize. If the Aims Games for intermediate age children can pull 9000-plus to Tauranga, what could the Youth Games do for Whanganui?

Robert Cochrane, a man well-versed in staging successful events, is also likely to proceed with his Art Blues and Chrome Festival, while Spring Into Whanganui, exploiting the growth in garden tourism, should also see the light of day.

The Road Rodders plan for a River City Park Up bringing in 500 vehicles of the vintage, classic and who-knows-what variety looks to have wheels, with the nationwide network of car clubs sure to produce a good turnout.

And Alex Falkner's Film Craft event was one out of the box, and worth pursuing.

Great credit to all - bring on 2017!