EVENT UPDATE -
APRIL 2008
The Tattersall’s IDSF World Latin Championship on the 14 December, 2008 in Melbourne is fast approaching. Eight months out from the event the pressure at the office has moved up a gear.
The following countries have already accepted their invitation from Australia. Most will be sending two couples;
• Australia
• Azerbaijan
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• China
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• England
• Finland
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Latvia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Russia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United State of America
We plan to speak to these countries representatives in Blackpool. I will be following up with the remaining member countries who have not confirmed their involvement at the IDSF meeting in Moscow where I have been invited to address both the Presidium and the membership.
Easter weekend saw a variety of promotions happening throughout Australia and the World;
Sharon Courts, now based in Queensland, reported that significant interest was generated at the Queensland Open with regular announcements and distribution of the literature.
Ambassadors for the 2008 Tattersall’s IDSF World Latin Championship, Michael Miziner and Anastasia Belykh, competed at Bill Lau’s prestigious event in Hong Kong. Malcolm Batty and Desmond Cheung attended as VIP guests.
Desmond translated all literature into Chinese prior to distribution at the event. Desmond’s work is invaluable in reaching the Asian market. His enthusiasm is refreshing, and he is a very valuable volunteer on the team.
We were able to organise a strong team for this event and congratulations to the following on their achievements;
• Michael Miziner & Anastasia Belykh
• Arsen Kishishian & Yuliya Niketenko
• Jacob Grech & Zalie Merrett
• Michael Glickman & Milana Deitch
• Nethanel Abisedon & Angelica Zaslavsky
Stewart and I were invited to attend the Nelson Easter Dance Festival, New Zealand. My role was to promote the upcoming event and to further develop the links with New Zealand. Stewart officiated as an adjudicator.
Ambassadors for the 2008 Tattersall’s IDSF World Latin Championship, Nuria Santalucia and Mirko Sciolan, received a standing ovation two nights in succession for their floorshows. They spent a considerable amount of time creating excitement among the competitors regarding the World Latin Championship which involved signing posters.
They also conducted an interactive workshop on what it meant to them to have a World Championship in Australia. They spoke of the need to focus and set goals. They were excellent and did Australia proud.
Most of my time was spent at an information point answering questions and providing information about the World Latin Festival. 37 enquiries for Platinum Packages were registered. There was a significant amount of interest especially in the IDSF Adjudicators’ Congress and the Asia Pacific Symposium. People were genuinely excited about the prospect of seeing some of the World’s best Latin dancers so close to home. We even registered some volunteers and explained the benefits of the Event Travel Office packages.
Congratulations and special thanks to Sandra Maxfield and the Organising Committee for such a friendly and successful event. I would like to make a special mention to Viv Hitchcock. She was a wonderful host. DanceSport Nelson recognised her hard work by awarding her the Amateur of the Year award. This was a very popular announcement.
The New Zealand DanceSport Association will be funding two couples to compete in Melbourne.
There will be a large support team accompanying the New Zealand couples and many of these people will be booking through the Event Travel Office. These are a direct result of the New Zealand promotion. The office currently receives at least two enquiries a day from New Zealand. It has been steady since my return.
So if you are interstate or overseas and haven’t contacted the Event Travel Office to book your package, do so immediately before New Zealand book them all!!!
The Event Travel Office can be contacted on +61 3 9676 2439 or email events@gtaus.com.au.
Some exciting promotional opportunities are coming up thanks to the support of Peter Jones Special Events. So keep your eyes out for dancesport at different events around Melbourne – starting with the opening of the new Melbourne East Link and fundraiser for the Peter Mac foundation, “Tango in the Tunnel”.
Oliver Pineda and Luda Kroiter, 5 times World Salsa Champions, have confirmed they would be delighted to be involved in December. Oliver sees the event as, “a fabulous opportunity for Australia to showcase to the rest of the world.”
Jason Gilkison who is really making a name for himself as an international choreographer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and through “Burn the Floor” has agreed to again choreograph the Opening on Sunday 14 December. Wow!
How fortunate we are to have such an extraordinary talent. Throughout my journey as an event organiser, Jason and Peta have never declined a request made to be involved in what I am doing or to promote the sport of dance.
Watch the website (www.worldlatin2008.com.au) and the Australian Dance Review for updates on the Asia Pacific Salsa Championship supported by the City of Melbourne.
The Australian Dance Review (ADR) is again on board as an in-kind sponsor for the Tattersall’s IDSF World Latin Championship, Melbourne 2008 and the Tattersall’s Australian DanceSport Championship. Now into their 26th year they provide an invaluable service to the industry. Well done!
Floorside seating has all sold out for the Grand Final of the Tattersall’s Australian DanceSport Championship and for the Tattersall’s IDSF World Latin Championship. Please call Bryony in the office on 03 9510 7770 to check availability for the other days.
Don’t forget to visit both of our websites frequently for news updates on both the Australian and World Latin Championships. This is where all the breaking news and profiles on our competitors will be posted as they come to hand.
Visit www.worldlatin2008.com.au and www.theaustralianchampionship.com.au.
Margaret Lonsdale
Event Director
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