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Speaker 1: Well did you head along to Base in the Grass.

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Speaker 1: It was an absolute cracker from what I'm told thousands

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Speaker 1: of party goers or festival goers I should say turning out.

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Speaker 1: I think it was close to sixteen thousand. But joining

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Speaker 1: us on the line right now to tell us more

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Speaker 1: is Tim Watsford, the CEO of NTA Major Events. Good

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Speaker 1: morning to you, Timkatie. How are you very well mate?

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Speaker 1: How many people ended up at Basing the Grass on

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Speaker 1: the weekend?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we had a tick under sixteen thousand. I think

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Speaker 2: their final the final entry count was fifteen eight five eight,

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Speaker 2: I think it was. I came through and enjoyed everything

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Speaker 2: that we threw at it.

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Speaker 3: It was a day my boat of the thing straight.

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Speaker 1: But yes, truct good time time, I bet you did.

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Speaker 1: How did it all go? From?

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Speaker 2: You know?

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Speaker 1: From that management perspective, it sounds like was that the

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Speaker 1: biggest crowd we've ever.

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Speaker 3: Had, ever had? So we went we had at fourteen

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Speaker 3: thousand last year.

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Speaker 2: From the tumble beginnings in the Amphitheater to now putting

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Speaker 2: close to sixteen thousand through that venue is quite an achievement.

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Speaker 2: But look it went. It went brilliantly operationally. Thanks to

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Speaker 2: everyone that came out and effectively behaved themselves in its

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Speaker 2: purest form. We had minor, minor incidents. It was hot

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Speaker 2: like it was hot, and the guys are in there

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Speaker 2: early doing what they do big thanks to all our

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Speaker 2: emergency services including St. John's and the guys at the trauma, so.

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Speaker 3: We didn't have many presentations at all.

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Speaker 2: Everyone was really really well behaved and enjoyed everything that

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Speaker 2: we did for.

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Speaker 3: Over twelve hours. It was unbelievable, so much fun.

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Speaker 1: What was some of the highlights from the day.

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Speaker 3: It has to be activating the beach.

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Speaker 2: Not many places in the world can you effectively now

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Speaker 2: boogie on the beach. So we put a bit of

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Speaker 2: time into doing a really special welcome to Country with

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Speaker 2: Richard Fij and the Lead Brothers at Sunset, which is amazing.

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Speaker 2: It was just spectacular. But then if you come back

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Speaker 2: inside Hilltop Woods just they just keep doing it getting older.

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Speaker 2: But jus a comparty, so plenty of guys. Plenty of

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Speaker 2: guys came to that stage and then all the activations

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Speaker 2: through you can get a haircut, all.

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Speaker 3: The the dazzling stuff they do so on on disco went off.

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Speaker 2: The literally the whole festival experience you mentioned partygoers at

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Speaker 2: the start, and they then correct itself at festival. It

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Speaker 2: is a festival. It's a true festival. People get out

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Speaker 2: and just enjoy the day. And it was pretty special

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Speaker 2: to do what we did.

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Speaker 1: Oh how wonderful. Do you have any idea how many

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Speaker 1: people were here from other states?

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Speaker 2: And teret trace good question. So we've definitely had over

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Speaker 2: seven thousand tickets purchased, so we know that by linking

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Speaker 2: it to where their postcode comes from. But look in

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Speaker 2: saying that we're going to go to our research now

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Speaker 2: and are doing our research around how many how many

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Speaker 2: locals have bought for a friend, Because I can hand

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Speaker 2: on heart, I can say that we're probably up there

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Speaker 2: mid eight's. Maybe nine thousand people came from in the state.

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Speaker 2: They were everywhere there was. It was such a such

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Speaker 2: a big drawing crowd from right across the country. A

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Speaker 2: lot of people I spoke to from from all corners,

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Speaker 2: a lot, a lot out of w A actually, which

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Speaker 2: is which is good. But I think anyone that saw

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Speaker 2: the city over the weekend as well noticed the sudden

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Speaker 2: influx of party revelers or festival goers that that joined

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Speaker 2: us over the weekend.

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Speaker 3: But big hit and a big economic driver as well.

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Speaker 2: They spend a lot too when they come, So the

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Speaker 2: event's doing what it's doing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to say, what does it mean,

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Speaker 1: you know, when you when you look at the economic

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Speaker 1: activity then for the rest of Darwin, when you've got

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Speaker 1: such a large number of people here and plenty of

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Speaker 1: them from interstate, what does it mean for Darwin in

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Speaker 1: terms of those economic drivers.

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Speaker 2: That's and that's that's what we're trying to do here.

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Speaker 2: And I think since I since I've been in the

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Speaker 2: chair Katie for the last four years, I mean, I'm

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Speaker 2: really trying to say that events are a catalyst for conversion.

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Speaker 2: So to get those tourists up here, what's that trigger point?

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Speaker 2: To get them on a plane and based in the grass?

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Speaker 3: Is that trigger? So I've heard stories.

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Speaker 2: Around people now sticking around doing kakado. We're going to

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Speaker 2: drive back down through the center on their way back

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Speaker 2: to Adelaide. It's stilling, hostel rooms, restaurants, the whole works.

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Speaker 2: We've got to work now with industry to make sure

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Speaker 2: that that's a sustainable long term. I guess time and

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Speaker 2: the diary that people can plan and book ahead. But

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Speaker 2: we had we had a we had a really great

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Speaker 2: Travello partnership, and so a travel package was put on

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Speaker 2: that you could get a VIP ticket and then go

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Speaker 2: on a boat yesterday and do the site. So we'll

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Speaker 2: start developing those offerings with industry now from a tourism perspective.

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Speaker 2: But look, I guess from literally Thursday night through to

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Speaker 2: through to today have packed and even going down to

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Speaker 2: watch the Dregs play at Mindle Markets last night, there

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Speaker 2: were there were people with their bags packed ready to

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Speaker 2: get back on the plane last night. So they've spent

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Speaker 2: all yesterday and hanging around and dropping their hard earned

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Speaker 2: in town. So they're significant, significant times for the town

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Speaker 2: and I'm glad we're doing what we're doing. Yeah, it's

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Speaker 2: our partner to develop.

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Speaker 1: Well, it is good stuff. I'll tell you what as well,

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Speaker 1: So have I is it right that tickets have already

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Speaker 1: gone on sale now for next year?

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Speaker 3: So we have. Yeah, we did it.

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Speaker 2: We did an early bird sale literally as if you

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Speaker 2: walk down on the venue on Saturday night at twelve

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Speaker 2: thirty and cut a couple of beers, you could log

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Speaker 2: on and buy your ticket. We've only literally got about

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Speaker 2: one hundred left to be honest, of early bird tickets

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Speaker 2: so getting quick if you want to grab them for

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Speaker 2: eighty five bucks.

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Speaker 3: So that's well over a thousand have already been sold,

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Speaker 3: which which is pretty spectacic.

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Speaker 2: We haven't announced their line up yet, so that's a

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Speaker 2: testament to what people what people witnessed and went through

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Speaker 2: on Saturday.

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Speaker 3: And look on I think I've said it before. We'll

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Speaker 3: go bigger again next year.

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Speaker 2: We just need to need to work out how do

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Speaker 2: we continue to grow. Middle Beach is only a certain

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Speaker 2: site and we'll want to do that. But you know,

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Speaker 2: whether we try to activate the Fridays or the Sundays,

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Speaker 2: let's see what the heaven's now in a wash up.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, they put me, but you can't smile off

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Speaker 2: my face, that's for sure.

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Speaker 1: Well, and mate, you've got a new minister as well,

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Speaker 1: Paul Kirby just been announced as a new Minister for

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Speaker 1: Major Events.

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Speaker 3: I have just yeah, just got the quadra of the call.

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Speaker 2: Looking forward to working with Minister Kirby and continuing kind

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Speaker 2: of what we're trying to achieve with it with those

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Speaker 2: tourism outcomes. So obviously we've we've really enjoyed working with

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Speaker 2: Minister files and today and she's been really supportive in

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Speaker 2: terms of what we want to do, both from a

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Speaker 2: tourism and a major events perspective. So yeah, let's see if,

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Speaker 2: let's see if we have some fun with curbs.

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Speaker 1: Now, keep going, well, it's always good to catch up

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Speaker 1: with you. We'll let you go and rest your voice

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Speaker 1: for a little while there. Tim watsonth CEO of been

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Speaker 1: two major events. Thank you for your time.

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Speaker 3: Good on, Ni Katie.

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Speaker 2: Thank you