Spotlight on: Rob Battocchio
Rob Battocchio is an events veteran. As the owner of Activate Events, he has directed some of Wollongongs favourite mass participation events including Splash Wollongong and the Australia Day Aquathon which has been running for over 22 years. Like many in the industry, his business has been hit hard by COVID - both during the lockdowns, as well as ongoing due to the knock-on effect that the pandemic has had on our industry.
The latest postponement was Splash Wollongong, which was unable to take place in March due to the recent flooding in NSW. After over 2 years of COVID, this was absolutely heartbreaking to see. We sat down with him to ask a few questions.
1. Describe the different things that led to the Splash Wollongong’s postponement?
To say the past couple of years has been a challenge is an understatement! From Covid, to storms and now unpreceded rain and subsequent water quality concerns which was what eventually forced Splash Wollongong to be postponed.
2. Have you taken out any event insurance recently in light of all the uncertainty around the pandemic?
I do not have specific Covid related insurance, though maintained communication with my broker whom was understanding and able to negotiate an extension on my insurance at no further cost, to encompass the new date.
3. Do you offer your participants a refund or a rollover to the next event? Does rolling over entries to the following year have an impact on the event as a whole?
All paid participants were automatically offered a roll over credit to the new date. This will though have an impact, as moving the event from the original date in March 2022 to now December 2022 has meant we will likely not proceed with March 2023. I will conduct a review after the December event and pending the success will then determine if we will commit to a permanent move to December or miss a year and move back to March 2024. As a smaller event it will not be financially viable and difficult to secure local services to conduct events back to back.
4. Did you take advantage of any of the government support packages or grants offered over the past 2 years?
Sadly, as a small independent operator whom also works full time, I was not able to secure any funding. I was extremely disappointed that the NSW Government did not offer any direct event support (sporting/recreational) and more so as smaller event operators we were left to absorb the financial loss, many whom I fear will not be able to come back from.
5. What do you think of the latest Event Saver the NSW government have announced for our industry?
I read the PR release months ago though there was little detail on when this may occur. I have yet to read the fine print of the latest Event Saver fund, though not sure it will do much for smaller events post two years of pandemic losses already absorbed.
6. Have you seen a trend of increased staff turnover or people leaving the industry due to all the uncertainty around COVID over the past few year?
As a smaller operator, I work mainly independently so not directly. I have seen some friends in the industry able to source work with larger events on the horizon (eg. ICU World Cycling champs) at a local level which has helped.
7. Can you tell us about any significant cost increases you've experienced as a result of the pandemic/floods, how has this had an impact on your business?
The biggest cost is the volume of hours of planning and promotional time, and direct marketing & advertising costs you cannot claim back. Other costs are local council event fees and Aquatic Licence fees, all of which are lost. Whilst we will roll over entries, given the pandemic and rain, many entrants were hesitant to enter. We will need to re-run our marketing campaign and also have to re-pay and submit all event plans and approvals. We do not have additional income and will likely be lucky to break even. Thankfully our sponsors have indicated they will stay on board and we hope to soon begin discussions on the postponed event.
8. Anything else you'd like to tell us or think its important to include?
I just hope that the NSW Government, Local Government and public see the value and effort that go into smaller local events and the benefit they bring to the local community. Events are difficult to run and costs continue to rise. Yet local events offer so much, and are likely to be around for the long haul, as opposed to bigger ‘entertainment’ or special events that come and go.
Event Information:
New date: Saturday 10 December 2022
Rob & Daughter Frankie at the last Australia Day Aquathon in Wollongong.