AT LEAST 25 event organisers have already made tentative bookings to use Tamworth’s $30 million Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC), even though the facility isn’t due for completion until August.
National, State, regional and local organisations representing horse and cattle groups are amongst those to have reserved an AELEC slot between August 2008 and June 2009, with about 10 others expressing an initial interest to use it sometime during the 12 months.
One of the first events will be the Monty Roberts Horsemanship Clinic planned for the last weekend of August.
The initial interest includes more than 10 events which are either new or have not been held in Tamworth before. The total earlybird interest accounts for some 135 days between August and June next year.
Tamworth Regional Council’s general manager, Glenn Inglis, told The Leader this week the earlybird interest confirmed the centre was a “significantly targeted development”.
He said the bookings also cemented the fact that AELEC was a valuable investment for the Tamworth region which met a direct industry demand.
“What we’re seeing is the creation of new events for this region with many of these bookings – they are events that have been put together because the equine centre offers the capacity for them or because they are events that are now being scheduled on a zone or national scale directly because the centre now exists,” Mr Inglis said.
“It is obvious from the initial level of interest that the centre is fulfilling a need in the equine and livestock industries. We are not taking away business from other places so much as providing a venue that offers capacity for larger events.”
Those expressions of interest cover a variety of productions, including a clinic by world-renowned horseman and horse whisperer Monty Roberts, the reining horse state and national titles, the US based professional bull riders spectacular, and the return of the appaloosa breed nationals.
A number of stud cattle society shows, sales and seminars were also holding dates.
Interest has escalated in the past few weeks as building progresses, while requests for inspections and general information about the centre have also increased.
“We’ve had a jump in interest by commercial and community groups who are seeing the prospects for new service industries,” Mr Inglis said.
“We’re talking to a lot of people who are looking at forming cooperatives or new business groups to realize new business potential from the centre. I think we will see a lot of new exciting businesses created when this centre opens.”
The council has invited the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to officially open the AELEC, however, a response has not yet been received.
The spectacular Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre is being built on a 22-hectare site along the New England Highway near the Longyard area by National Buildplan, a contractor with extensive experience in major construction projects.
It will have an indoor arena to seat 3500 and ultimately 5000, stables for 478 horses and ultimately 700, a covered stud selling area with seating for 660 which can double as a warm up area, and truck and camping facilities for at least 195 vehicles.