Red Bull Air Race 2010

Please attribute the information below to City of South Perth Mayor, James Best…

What areas will be partitioned off for fee-paying spectators?
Finalised this week, there are two ticketed areas that will be fenced off along the City of South Perth foreshore in Sir James Mitchell Park.

Ticketed Area #1 will be between Coode St and the Esplanade car park, Ticketed Area #2 will be between Hurlingham Rd and Douglas Ave.

What will the costs be?
The City is not directly involved in the process of deciding admission prices for the ticketed areas, and Red Bull Air Race organizers have not yet finalised prices.

Will there be any space dedicated for "free viewing"?
There will be two substantial free viewing areas between Narrows Bridge and the Esplanade car park, and between Hurlingham Rd and Ellam St.

Free spectator areas will have toilet facilities, first aid stations, an area for lost children, free drinking water and rubbish bins.

The City required significant areas of the park to be unfenced to enable the public to enjoy the event free of charge.

What is the Council's position on charging spectators? Is it in favour of the move and does it see the move as justified?
This event is not organised by the City of South Perth. Charging spectators for events is a knock on effect of the global trend towards ticketed events.

One bullet point highlights a requirement is for the TWA to provide a"clean venue" involving obtaining Council approval and covering all associated venue costs including venue hire fees for Sir James Mitchell Park. How much will the Council be charging TWA?
Council has agreed to charge Tourism Western Australia $65, 000 venue hire. This figure is based on a similar calculation used by the City of Perth for events.

In this agreement, what are the City's other financial obligations and what services will it provide on the day? How much those services will cost the council and will it charge TWA for those services?
The City is not a sponsor of this event and we are not providing any special services.

How does this event benefit the City of South Perth?
This event brings local, international and interstate visitors to our beautiful City showcasing our unique riverside location.
 
There are some benefits and also some challenges in having an event of this scale in South Perth, the number of visitors is great for local businesses but not always so great for local residents due to increased people, traffic and road closures, all of which are potentially an inconvenience to the community.

Does the City of South Perth have the resources to accommodate the influx of spectators? What forward planning has gone into the event involving the City?
Many months of planning with key stakeholders go into an event of this scale. Detailed forward planning ensures everything runs as smoothly as possible and the resources are in place to accommodate a temporary surplus of additional people to the City.

An event plan will be finalized 90 days before the event, which includes details about parking, fencing, stalls and marquees.

Other essential considerations include waste management, toilet facilities, noise management, and food handling and vendor standards.

This is the first year that Red Bull Air Race has charged admission fees for spectators, so we are expecting fewer visitors to the foreshore, and perhaps less vehicle traffic from those who do attend because ticket price will include free public transport.

Have members questions of "cost-recovery", "consultation" and “road closures” been addressed yet? What was the outcome?
Council members’ queries to date have been addressed at two briefings.

When will this issue go before Council?
Council will consider any outstanding issues remaining in February 2010.