Press Release
12 May 2009
for immediate release
 
Reel Earth the Real Deal?
 
Reel Earth 2009 launches in Palmerston North on Saturday 16 May 2009 with a Gala Awards spectacular at the Regent on Broadway followed by a two week festival of films featuring environmental themes at Downtown Cinemas. The 5th season sees the event move up a major notch with films from 30 countries nominated for awards.
 
Mr Lance Bickford, Chief Executive of Destination Manawatu, is currently working towards implementing a regional event strategy in conjunction with key partners from across the region. He comments "Currently we lack any major annual event of international significance that helps position Palmerston North and Manawatu. The Wellington 7's, Taranaki's Womad Festival and Napier's Art Deco Festival are good examples close to our region of events that help define who they are and what makes those regions interesting to visit. We know Manawatu has so much to offer. We need markers to help us define who we are and what we stand for".
 
He believes that the Reel Earth Awards and Film Festival have the potential to fill one gap in an annual calendar that could see six excellent annual events spread across the calendar each year.  "Events are a great way to bring visitors to a Region. Better still, the events themselves help enrich our daily lives by providing sporting, entertainment and cultural occasions that we can participate in ourselves".
 
"With the greater exposure and support that Destination Manawatu have been able to give the Festival, and the move to the Regent on Broadway for the Gala Awards, we think we are on the way to putting this event on the international stage".
 
"We have invited business and civic leaders from all corners of Manawatu to attend the gala awards to judge for themselves if this event really is the real deal. And if we collectively believe we are onto a winner, we then need to find ways to enhance future events with complimentary activity and make sure the event is firmly anchored locally".
 
He issues a warning though "creating great events is one thing - keeping them is quite another, as Nelson found out when the annual Wearable Arts Awards became internationally recognised and moved to Wellington. The trick is to make sure that the superb and talented local volunteer group that established the Reel Earth Festival is strongly supported and that the local community builds a solid culture around each year's programme".
 
"We think that Palmerston North City 
Mr Bickford issues a challenge to the various regional agencies, the business community at large and civic leaders. "These are uncertain times and there are parts of our local economy battling with recessionary pressures; these conditions won't last, and hopefully Manawatu with its economy underpinned by large academic, military and government organisations, will not be as greatly affected. We need to move forward with more confidence in planning our future so that when economic conditions change for the better, we are well positioned to capitalise on new opportunities. Success in delivering a major events strategy won't just happen based on our collective words on paper, but from deliberate action taken by people that want to make a difference. Whilst funding is always an issue it's not fundamental
 
 ends
 

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