Only a few months after what was thought to be the most successful Newcastle show in about two decades, next year's event has been launched with its revitalised board aiming to "springboard" off the momentum it gathered in 2019.
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Rebranded as The Show - Newcastle and Hunter last year, the gathering of community and business identities at the launch event last week heard about the extent of this year's success.
Show general manager Gabe Robinson presented a video from the 2019 event compiled by marketing firm Enigma, which contained a round-up of this year's show results.
Mr Robinson used the gathering to also launch a range of sponsorship packages - which he said, he preferred to think of them as partnerships between The Show and Hunter organisations and adding that the event's revenue jumped by 50 per cent to $798,000 from 2018 to 2019 and had swung from a 12 per cent deficit to a seven per cent profit in that time.
Mr Robinson said the 2019 show attracted the largest crowd across its three days than any other event in the Broadmeadow entertainment precinct since 2011, with gate takings up by 42 per cent.
Show president Peter Evans said the show was being launched earlier than usual this year to take advantage of the momentum gathered from the efforts of 2019. Mr Evans said the board wanted to use that as a "springboard" to make the show better - and that volunteers and sponsors were an essential part of that.
Board member Brian McGuigan said the Newcastle show had been around for 120 years and "deserved every chance to re-model itself".
Mr McGuigan talked about visiting the Newcastle show as a child growing up near Branxton and said the event had been a catalyst in bringing together the city as well as the Hunter Region's towns and villages.
"We want to make sure this show goes on from 120 years to 220 years ... if we all put the roots down properly," he told the gathering. We want to return the show to its rightful position of Hunter Valley on parade."