So, had a read of This today, i know it's the usual tabloid Murdoch crap but it was interesting.
Just gauging everyone's thoughts on this, spending $1 million to bring a celebrity - Sam Smith in for an all expenses paid concert solely for invite only influencers who were flown there to get drunk. Should the tourism ministers be allowed to use taxpayer money for this?
The quoted tourism valuations sound dubious at best as well…
Do we have any Aussie artist who is as relevant and will attract the attention of tweens on tiktok?
While influencers are like cockroaches, I can see why the gov is targeting people who are going to further advertise the state to millions of people, rather than average Joe who will just tell his dog.
Who knows, I don't know who Sam Smith is, couldn't name one of his songs. The kid laroi would have been much better surely?
gov is targeting people who are going to further advertise the state to millions of people
Why can't they be transparent on how much it's costing to wine and dine these dirtbags?
Helps put SA on the map if those influencers had genuine influence. We all joke about "influencers" but some social media users have a lot of followers who never miss a post, they can genuinely influence their follower's thoughts and behaviours. Makes sense to hide the fact it was basically a staged event too where possible. Adelaide wants some of the very lucrative tourism stuff that Melbourne and Sydney have been enjoying for years. If that means paying Sam Smith and boozing up a bunch of popular people on social media then so be it, anything to get a bigger slice of that pie.
It would be good if more people saw Adelaide as a good place to live and moved there instead of Melbourne and Sydney. We should market Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane more to immigrants.
I visited Melbourne once and the locals there just let their dogs shit on the sidewalk, right in front of cafés big piles of dog shit. You'd never see that in Adelaide.
Adelaide is far nicer than Melbourne.
Wow, Adelaide sounds like a great place to live. We should definitely encourage more people to move there.
Don't go to NYC then. The streets stink of piss and shit and garbage is stacked 5ft high. They never show you that on Friends or Sex in the City.
Adelaide wants some of the very lucrative tourism stuff that Melbourne and Sydney have been enjoying for years
Changing their shop trading hours would be a start …
Disagree. A place that makes time for leisure instead of non-stop consumerism is attractive for many.
More like people in Radelaide are decade behind, it’s probably work for families with housewives back in the day as one can go shopping when other is working. People in other cities can enjoy leisure much better, they don’t need to plan visit shops, they can visit in their leisure.
And no alcohol in Costco/Aldi or shops, thats like leisure kill.
they don’t need to plan visit shops, they can visit in their leisure.
This is what shits me about Sydney. The only late-night trading there is one day a week.
@Ghost47: Imagine you go on a road trip or holiday, come back at late night. With the late night shopping, you get all the essentials and go back to work next day. You can't do that in Adelaide.
And on weekends, you spend time with your family, then you need things for dinner or something. Oh wait, supermarkets are close at 5pm!? And restaurants kitchen close at 8 lol
Apparently, it was <$1/2 mill. Half the attendees had won tickets via radio promotions. Usual tabloid exaggeration pushing Lib's claims. I think some of it was sour grapes as Libs missed out on free tickets.
Libs are sour that they are going to lose the next three SA elections, because it's going to take more than a decade to reform the party.
Why don't they just say how much it cost? Why use a UK artist?
Sam Smith has been charting in Australia for months, he was number one selling single, and even right now is the number two top selling single.
I still couldn't name one of his songs.
https://secretadelaide.com/sam-smith-is-performing-an-exclus…
Tix went up for competition, and media knew about it in November… but sure let's kick up a stink now
Well in fairness to any of the alleged investigative journalists at NEWS, the website is called secretadelaide.
I have no truck with the event in principle. But disclose the costs and everything else associated with it. If there is nothing to hide, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
The prevarication and attempts to deflect the truth doesn’t pass the pub test. The public has a right to know.
The prevarication and attempts to deflect the truth doesn’t pass the pub test. The public has a right to know.
True! Next thing the Premier will have a number of undeclared ministries.
I was in Flinders Ranges (I guess in 2018) and ran into an Italian film crew (3 people). I spoke to them and they told me they were filming South Australia and all expenses were paid by SA Tourism including a guy from SA Tourism who was travelling with them for FOUR weeks. Even he had a laugh about his job. When I asked which program, documentary or TV series they replied "It's for the short 10-second commercials in between programs and news". I go to Flinders at least 3 times a year and still haven't met any Italians.
About the concert, I hate that whole d'Arenberg Cube. It's subsidised by SA Gov and as an Adelaide (tax-paying) citizen I still have to pay the full price, it's not worth it and I wasn't even invited to the concert.
I don't believe it was anywhere near $1m. However, while I understand commercial in confidence, I do believe that these things tend to be poorly executed in terms of expectations and cost/benefit.
5 social posts, none of which were particularly focused on SA, is hardly a good conversion, even organically when none of the posts were linked to SA Tourism or any of the places he was at.
If this was any other business, ever $ spent would be analysed for its impact. This, as well as the 500 expenditure etc, all should be transparent regarding bang for buck.
CIC would only apply to smith and maybe businesses. Cost of all the rest of the hooplah shindig wouldnt.
Cost of the press conference disaster - priceless.
Had to Google this Sam Smith person.
https://samsmithworld.com/wp-content/themes/samsmithworld/as…
He looks like if George Michael and Eminem had a love child.
Boy George 2.0
Sees news dot com link.
Moves onto next forum post
Influencer often sounds and acts like influenza
helps things go viral
They just copied QLD.
Here they paid a million to a bum on the Whitsundays to get the world talking.
9 months before Covid tourism collapsed, good money had been thrown after bad….
Just shows how desperate SA is to stay relevant…just like the “influencers” unemployed bums they invited to the concert. Personally I would have rejected the offer to see sam smith.. my time would be better spent elsewhere, not everything free is worth having… there is a reason it was free!
Dont know who Sam Smith is and cant be bothered googling him.
Let me break it down to some of you.
Sam Smith (Pop Star) currently in top charts in few countries with about 15M followers.
Some of you may not head of him/they?, (that could due to type of music/ things you into). Can't blame you.
but if you are listening to any of the main stream radio stations, his current new song gets played like 100 times a day (unfortunately I hate that song).
But after this tax payer founded concert, He made a comment, “I honestly didn't know Adelaide is so beautiful. It's like Italy,” then said. “I never knew this existed beyond the city. “It's incredibly"
But if you ask any other Australian Celebrity about Adelaide, they probably says its a hole.
Now you be the judge (if you from Adelaide) is it money well spent?
My money would be on that he would never have made those comments had Tourism SA not been paying him.
Something Something don't bite the hand that feeds you.
True but I think he is worth the money than Lara Bingle :)
Bingle did bring a great set of great personalities though XD
Are politicians or influencers the biggest leaches/worthless scumbags? I honestly can't pick.
If they did this as some sort of Australian tourism thing, perhaps they should have had an Australian artist performing?
Also, how is it acceptable to have how much it cost taxpayers hidden to a "confidentiality agreement". All government spending should be public knowledge.