Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Major Events CEO Tim Watsford says thousands attended the NBL Blitz with efforts now underway to secure a Territory team

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NT Major Events CEO Tim Watsford says thousands attended the NBL Blitz with efforts now underway to secure a Territory team · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The NBL Blitz has indeed been a big hit, with
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: thousands of dar and basketball fans flocking to MA well
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: to I believe it was to the I'll have to
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: find out whether it was to the Convention Center or Marara.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is the CEO
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: of int Major Events.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: It is Tim. What's for Good morning? Tim?
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: Morning Katie.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: I'm good. I thought everybody was flocking to the waterfront.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: No, look, there was, there was the three x three
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: that was there. But now the daw And Basketball Center
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  Speaker 3: hosted what was a very successful NBL Blitz. I'm very
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: happy to say.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Mate, how many people do you reckon? We got there.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: Look, we're still washing up the numbers. Our total capacity
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: for the week that will complete sell out every night
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: was around about eighty two hundred. We're sitting, as I
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: understand about seven five hundred. So people of the territory
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: and visitors alike really voted with their feet and so
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: they loved basketball. So it was jammed. There was there
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: was pretty night. It's obviously then Tuesday's a bit of
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: a struggle to get people out, but every the night
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: was just about four. Yeah, it was amazing, it was electric.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: It is wonderful to hear. And you know, Territorians love
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  Speaker 1: their sport. There is no doubt about that they love
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: their basketball from your perspective.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: You know, now that it's all wrapped up, how did
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: it go?
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: Really well, I'm not going to shy away from the
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: fact that everyone that was out at Marara, I'm sure
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: had had an amazing time seeing the best of the
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  Speaker 3: best in terms of what's considered the best basketball league
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  Speaker 3: in the world behind the NBA. At Darwin. It was
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  Speaker 3: pretty special. You know, everyone from kids, adults, grandparents alike,
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: it was. It was amazing and complete success. What what
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  Speaker 3: we set out to achieve is test the market, I guess,
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  Speaker 3: and see if this is this a code or a
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  Speaker 3: sport that the territory can get behind on a long
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: term future around you know, potentially holding a license. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: I can safely say that both US at major events
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  Speaker 3: and the NBL were incredibly wrapped in terms of what
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: was produced. So look now it's I guess we've proven
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  Speaker 3: the community sentiment piece. Now time to really start hitting
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: the putting a feat the rubber, I guess you could say,
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: or run on the road and getting a business case
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: developed and see if we can get something up.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: So why are these discussions out now team?
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Like, what's the next steps for us to have an
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: NBL team?
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Good question. So once again we've proven kind of that
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: first box is box is ticked. I think there's definitely
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: that community support. We have had some amazing discussions with
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: the NBL throughout the week and they've been quite public
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: around their appreciation of the territory as well. So now
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: it's just making sure it stacks up. Obviously, financially, we're
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: looking at venues coming home to the team. The world's
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: the challenging place in the Laman Katie. Obviously, travel and
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: logistics and supply chains are all getting smashed. So we've
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: got to work through a really detailed plan around what
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: the next five to ten years looks like. I think
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: the earliest we can possibly get a team is kind
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: of that twenty four to twenty five season that we're
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: looking at, which is kind of two years from now,
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: but we will work hard. I think there's really a
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: chance now to try and grab it if we want
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: it and say the NBA this is ours as part
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: of major events. Due diligence. We'll get into detail now
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  Speaker 3: and will present something to government to support hopefully and
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: not to this in future.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: And so how quickly do you think that you know
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: that that work from nt major events perspective can happen
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: and be presented to government.
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: Look, I would love to hope that we've got something
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: up in at least draft form kind of by the
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: end of the year. To be quite honest, we've done
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: a significant a ount of work over the past eighteen
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: months with with the owners of the NBL, so we've
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: got a bit of an idea of where we want
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: to go and how we want to do it. We
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: will now go deeper with NBL in particular around player
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: contracting and rock we access and our strategic pillars being
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: indigenous and access to Southeast Asia. There's all areas that
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: we'll now highlight with a bit more detail to the
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: NBL once again. Hopefully then they can say yes and
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: by the end of the year, I'm hoping we can
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  Speaker 3: probably have a bit more of an understanding, you know,
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: going into early twenty twenty three. This is something that
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: we can do and that's probably the latest we can
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  Speaker 3: possibly do to get a team in towards the end
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: of twenty four anyway on in months is kind of
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: a limit. That's based on what the Tasmanian jack jumpers
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: did a couple of years ago. We had about eighteen
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: months to build it, so we're using that as our
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: as our blueprint, I guess. And the NBL had been
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: great and kind of looking at you know, we've done
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: it before in Tasmania. Why can't be doing in the territory
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: is what they're doying. So it's really time to you know,
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: try to get our thinking caps on and work as
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: hard as you possibly can.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: And so from your perspective, you know, based on those
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: discussions with the NBL over the over the last week
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: and over the weekend, were they pretty impressed with what
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: they saw here in the Northern territory.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah they were, they were. They've all they've all come
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: out of Melbourne too, by the way, so they did
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: enjoy a bit of reprieve and heat. But now they
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  Speaker 3: were looking in all honesty, it was it was a
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: test case. I think I said this with you a
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: couple of weeks ago. You know, if if, if they
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: come out for the blitz and if and if we
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: can get behind as territorians and you know, then that's
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: that's the first step. And I can painfully say that
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: they were happy Vince. It was their CEO who enjoyed
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: the week in the territory and out of Marara was wrapped.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: So think I think that was that was a key
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: point for the territory. If it was, I'll be honest,
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: if we didn't sell tickets and there was an atmosphere
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: and it was a bit of flop then before we
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: wouldn't gave in this conversation. But I can safely say
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: that that we're engaged now with the NML, and I
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: know I know Vince had some or the NBL had
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: some great discussions with a few of the ministers that
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: managed to get out and have a look as well,
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  Speaker 3: and I generally there's there's a support there and it's
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: a it's an afford option for the team to have
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: for the territory to have a premier team in a
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: national competition. So look, that's that's the most exciting bit.
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: And I think coming to the end on Friday when
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: the thirty six took out the gong, that was we've
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: done that bit. Now it's now it's trying to make
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: sure it stacks.
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  Speaker 1: So it is just a matter now of making sure
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: that that business case does stack up, and that'll be
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: something that the Northern Territory government have to approve and
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: if they do well, we're all all going ahead with
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: the with the NBL team.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: Basically, yes, I think there's simply from a major events perspective.
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: You know, our bill's been behind this discussion for a
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: better part of you know, two or two and a
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: half years. But yeah, now it's just to make sure
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: it does stack up, particular financially, Like I said, hopefully
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: the world rights itself to be honest and get kind
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: of by the twenty four to twenty five seasons, so
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: we shouldn't be seeing those those exorbitant flight costs and whatnot.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: The good thing about this too, though, is it activates
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  Speaker 3: our wet season, Katie. So yeah, that's a that's a
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: big selling point for the territory in particular areas around Darwen.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: So you know, accommodation and flights and all the things
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  Speaker 3: in between can level out a little bit and become
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: a bit more on affwordable option. And that's that's for
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: a kind of reason why we're doing it. So yeah,
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: I think it's crossed. We can get we can get
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: some stuff to really make it work and press.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: On and tim.
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  Speaker 1: Would they be playing at the Waterfront at the Convention
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Center there or would they be playing at Marara definite possibility.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: I think what I think what we found out over
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: last week is wherever they're going to play, we're going
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: to need to do some work. The convention center up
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: is amazing and that's the center point of where where
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: Darwin is. It needs to fit out. Most basketball do,
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: most basketball teams do playing convention centers around the country.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: Or if it's a Marara option, then then we're going
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: to do some decent fit outwork there. Either way, there's
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: going to be some couple of expanders, just spend to
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: get the internal of what those shells look like up
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: to grade they do everything from retractable seeding to the
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: big screens PA, everything needs to kind of go through.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: So if it was if it was going to be
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: at the Waterfront, there's too an amazing there's two amazing
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: training venues out at Marara brand and at ball Center
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: and Basketball Center as well. So look we're halfway there
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: and we're not building anything new and such, it's just
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: it's just kind of doing a bit of a refit
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: which is which kind of helps in terms of our
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: economic because the economic woes at the moment as well,
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: so an affordable option.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Nonetheless, well Tim Watsford, it is going to be interesting
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: to see exactly what happens. We will keep in contact
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  Speaker 1: with you. Thank you so very much for your time
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: this morning.
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: Good only Katie, Thank you