Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Major Events CEO Tim Watsford reflects on his time in the role as he leaves the Territory for a new position with Supercars

Transcript

NT Major Events CEO Tim Watsford reflects on his time in the role as he leaves the Territory for a new position with Supercars · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, as you may have heard, NT Major Events Company
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: CEO Tim Watsford is going to be hanging up his
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: hat and taking up a new role well with the Supercars.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: He's been recruited as their chief Innovation and Sustainability Officer
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: and he is set to start in that new position
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: later this month. Now, Tim joins me in the studio
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: right now. Firstly, congratulations, Yeah, thanks Katie.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: I'm really really excited.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I bet you are a bit of a loss
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: though for.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: The Territory month.
• 0:26
  Speaker 3: It's yeah, I'm quite a commotional talking to you right now.
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: Actually it's on a couple of weeks left in the chair.
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: The team that we've put together over at Major Events
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: are amazing bunch of people. What they do is is
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: unbelievable to be honest. Watching them kind of develop and
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: thrive over the last five years has been a privilege
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: and something that I'll take with me forever more. The
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: territory has really left a spot on me and my family.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: And yeah, it's a tough one to say goodbye, but
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: exciting to start a new chapter over.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: A Supercars I bet it would be. And you know
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: that team that is ash NT Major Events. They are
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: an incredible crew. I mean even on Friday last week
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: rocked up. What is a parent Monday? So much fun.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: But what I love about you know, what I love
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: about that crew and and you guys, is that it's
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: so busy. It's such a fast moving world. But you
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: have all always got a smile on your face and
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: you're ready for the next big event.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah it is.
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: And and that was very funny on your social channels,
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: Katie watching watching the guys jump around in a fish
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: suit is always the best. But look, honestly, it is.
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: It's a hard it's a hard job. People people think
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: it's it's sexy and always have done my twenty years
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: of being in this industry. It's they think the job's easy.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: It's not.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: It's it's early mornings, it's late nights, it's weekend work,
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: it's it's quite it's quite strenuous. But the fact that
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: we do what we love and we've built a culture
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: inside major events that everyone's on the same page, going
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: the same direction and really enjoying what they want to do,
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: and it breeds success. And we can see that through
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: some of the some of the events, in particular through
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: a COVID driven ridden a couple of years that have
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: gone from shrink to drink based in the grass I've
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: never told you when I walked in the door four
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: years ago to say what it's achieving now and what
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: it will achieve in the future. It's massive as an example,
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: and saying with the supercars up here and parks more
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: and NAT's in the center, they're all going from strength
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: and strength and look mean, dool Fisher's on its track
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: to be probably break records in terms of registrations this
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: year as well.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: So that's all due to the people and they're loving
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: what they do.
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  Speaker 3: We've really you know, we kind of recruit on people
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: first and technical ability second, and that's what we've got.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: We've got a great group.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Now, when you reflect on your time with major events,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: what would you say have been you know, some of
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: the highlights for you?
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: Definitely definitely base.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: I probably shouldn't say that out loud, but I come
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: now because I'm leaving, they're I'm not supposed to do that,
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: but look coming in and seeing that event and it's
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: growth opportunities. In twenty eight eight when it was five
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: thousand over at the Amphitheater, thinking why don't we go
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: and blow this up at Mindle seeing that come to
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: Fruition and having sixteen thousand I think through the gates
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: this year and you know, twenty thousand people that wanted
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: to come becauseaching Storm was wait list was was was
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: pretty special. But probably another one too. And where I'm
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: obviously going in Supercars is idea spot starting the Indigenous round.
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: I think that's a really important round for the calendar
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: of Supercars more broadly, but you know, to do it
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: here in the territory where where Cultures Front Etcenta is
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: pretty special as well. And watching watching that just breed
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: a life of its own, really not not really pushing
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: that too hard from us and letting it run has
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: been has been great part of Red Center ats this
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: year was mental like that Alice Springs just came a
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: live and that was that was one of the biggest
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: ones I've seen in my time.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: But look what.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: The Probably the memories are going to be what we
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: do off the field, Katie, So that stuff in the
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: fish suit and dancing around it, you know, all hours
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: of night and at Supercars out of Edting Valley.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: It's that they're the memories that you take with you.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: And that's what I heard dear, Oh.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: What's so, tell us a bit more about this new
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: role that you're going to with the supercars and and
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: you know what we can expect there not going to be.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: Too far away, which is which is good. So I'll
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: be back. I'll be back each year for the for
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: the Darwin Round. But look, the role is really looking
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: at what's the what's the long term future of supercars.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: How do we how do we engage both with our
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: current fans and obviously fans of the future and developing
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: innovative options to truly try and drive supercars forward.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: I'll keep that.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: I'll keep those relationships with government at all forms, both
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: from a state and federal level, very close to supercars.
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: The outcomes that fall on the back of supercars events
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: are phenomenal that we see what that does to the
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: territory here and that's right around the country.
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  Speaker 2: So I'll be advocating. I'll be advocating for that and
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: also be advocating for the for the dar And Round.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: For sure.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to say, are we going to
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: expect anything extra special for the dow And Round now
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: that you're in this job, Now that you're moving into
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: the job with the Supercar.
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: I haven't started yet, but I think it's I think
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: it's everyone at Supercars knows that this is this is
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: a round that everyone holds to youar they love coming
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: up here, and that's speaking my current role we've had.
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: We've got a great relationship with everyone from Supercars right
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: through the company. So yeah, I'll be I'll be doing
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: everything I can to push that to the top and
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: tak taking me wrong.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: And so you will be back here obviously for the
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: for the Triple.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: Crown at least once the year. Yeah, it might have
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: been sneak seek up for base so much.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Well what will be your first event that you're going
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: to be involved in, do you think?
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: So?
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  Speaker 3: I've got another week here, so there's a bit to
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: tidy up. We've got plenty to do, particularly around that
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: MBA license, which I know I've been advocating for a while.
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: So I'll try to get a much stuff as I've
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: done before vacating the chair next next next week. But
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: my first event over there will be Gold Coast, so
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: the goal cost five hundred wich at the end of
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: the month and then we've got the big one in
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Adelaide's so looking forward to getting on board and meeting
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: everyone and stakeholders and teams and really seeing where I
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: can drive some value.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: So, Tim, can we expect any final announcement on the
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: basketball before.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: You finish that?
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: No, I think I think I've said it before on
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: air k that we want to move and I'm pretty
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: close to this one as it's been a bit of
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: a passion project for the last thirteen months. But yeah, look,
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: I'm hoping that we can try and figure out some
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: form of a one page that can go up to
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: the guys before I'm out, at least give a bit
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: of a direction. As I understand you know, there's there's
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: definite appetite from the broader territory stakeholders, so you.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: Know, watch this space.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: I'm hoping kind of that end of the year at
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: least we can try and start talking to you know,
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: the point end of government and our various stakeholders around
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: what a team looks like. And NBL are on board
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: as well, so the new person who takes up the
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: role will have the delight of trying to run this through.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: But I'm working pretty hard to try and get as
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: much done before I go.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: And do we have any idea who that new person
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: is going to be at.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: This point no no options open or the channels jump
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: online have a look for anyone that may be interested,
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: going for a big search, big global search. So the
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: territory has now put itself in a spot where you know,
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: we're competing with the big guys in particularly around the
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: uniqueness of what we have to offer. So yeah, they're
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: going for a pretty wide search the board. But look,
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: the board has been amazing, big thanks to them. I
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: have to have to thank Alistairfa and our chair of
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: the last four years has been an amazing support and
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: kind of fostered what we wanted to achieve. I'm sure
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: they'll find a very suitable candidate to take on the
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: reins Well.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Tim Watsford, the CEO of NT Major Events the outgoing,
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: It's been wonderful to work with you, mate. I know
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: that your whole team is certainly going to miss you.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: They speak about you so fondly, and I know that
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: they're a whole lot of fun to work with. So mate,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: thanks so much.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Yeah, and thank you and thank you for
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: your personal support as well.
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: I know the last we have off Era is something
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: that will take with me as well. It's always been
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: it's always been fun, but your advocation for events and
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: tours in the territory second and one, so thank you.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: No worries at all will Tim what's for all the
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: very best to you and your little family mate. Thanks
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: so much for your time.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: THANKSTI