IN the quieter winter months, I could not help but notice how important events and conferences are to the overall economic well being and vitality of our city.

You can certainly tell when the Touch Footy and OzTag are in town.

So too with the Coffs Cup – it’s great to see motels fully booked and restaurants buzzing.

What a great result there’s been running the Coffs Cup on a Friday.

Council has asked for this in the past and was previously advised that this desirable outcome was not likely.

But it’s great to see that we now have this sensible outcome to work with and build upon.

Our events staff are always hard at work supporting an annual calendar of events – and one of their main objectives is to have something in the local government area every possible weekend.

From cat and dog shows to major sporting events such as the Big Bash League cricket – they all contribute to the region “filling our boots” with winter dollars and the energy they bring.

These events can come in all shapes and sizes and our location – halfway between Brisbane and Sydney – which historically may have worked against us, is now working for us.

An interesting pre-event meeting I had was with the Woolgoolga Orchid Society.

This group, which has 180 members and is the largest of its type in regional Australia, will ambitiously host an International Orchid Convention at the newly opened Wiigulga Sports Centre in October 2025. This event will be transferred from Perth, Western Australia.

Orchids are big business and the devotees to this discipline are passionate!

Interesting facts for us locals: The Coffs Harbour area is home to the world’s smallest orchid and the world’s tallest orchid. I find this fascinating, as is the fact that we are a natural mecca for orchids.

International speakers, presenters and attendees will come to this event which only underlines the growth potential for our city to host such events.

So, please make yourself familiar with the annual events on offer.

A good place to find community events is on the City of Coffs Harbour website coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Events-directory.

You can also check out what’s on for locals and visitors, and find live music venues and gig guides on coffscoast.com.

Plus, there are some fantastic events the City and others deliver for local businesses listed on 6degreesco.com.au

It looks like a festival celebrating the contributions of the Italian immigrant community in our region is also in the pipeline.

If you have the entrepreneurial flair and initiative to fill the Coffs Coast calendar with a suitable event, festival, or activity, we would love to work with you to make something happen.

Start by checking out the online information and help on coffscoastevents.com.au

By City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Paul AMOS