More Destinations. More Possibilities. More Partners 

SMA’s Events Placement Program is expanding its reach with more new Local Government destinations coming on board to open their regions to a broad range of event opportunities. 

SMA partners with destinations and tourism organisations across Australia and New Zealand placing events in targeted Local Government Areas (LGAs) through a network of more than 700 events owners and promoters. These partnerships strengthen the national destination network, giving event owners and organisers greater choice when it comes to selecting the best location for their next event. Among the latest destinations to come on board are Visit Northern Tasmania (VNT), Destination Riverland (SA), Sutherland Shire Council (NSW), and the Shire of East Pilbara (WA) as well as the City of Ballarat in Victoria. 

Through SMA, a number of regions have signed up to produce Capacity and Capability Assessments and/or Events or High Performance Sports Prospectus documents. These materials highlight regional assets and prove local capability for sporting and high-performance events. Our regions include Dunedin City Council in New Zealand, Townsville City Council in Northern Queensland, Maranoa Regional Council west of Brisbane, Glenelg Shire including Portland, Shire of East Pilbara in Northern WA and Lismore, in the stunning Northern Rivers of NSW. 

These destinations offer incredible depth and diversity to the Events Placement Program with an increasingly broad selection of assets spanning metropolitan, country and coastal locations, all supported by excellent venues, facilities, support networks and unique attributes which are matched to different event types. 

SMA Managing Director, Craig Gibson said the expansion of the SMA footprint was significant. “For councils, participation in our program provides opportunities to position destinations in front of event owners seeking the right location and venues to deliver a successful event,” he said. “For event owners, this means more options and better choices.” 

SMA looks forward to building this growing network and connecting more destinations with committed event owners who will drive visitation, economic impact and long-term value for all aspects of local communities. We look forward to taking the next steps on this journey to expand a powerful events tourism industry within all our partnering regions.