Event sponsorship on agenda

A request to sponsor an event aimed at highlighting emerging industries in the Pilbara to the tune of $15,000 should be denied, according to Town of Port Hedland officers.

The request was to sponsor the second Pilbara Economic Development Conference — an initiative of the Pilbara chambers of commerce, including Port Hedland’s — which will be held in Perth at the end of August.

Councillors are set to decide on the sponsorship at their meeting tomorrow, but officers say the event’s effectiveness cannot yet be judged.

Should the deal go ahead, the Town would have their logo on promotional material, be allowed to nominate 15 delegate passes to issue by invitation to “strategic developers, investors, entrepreneurs and key decision makers from local, State and Federal government agencies”, be given an exhibition booth at the forum and the “opportunity to erect display material at the forum and sundowner”, and given four delegate passes.

The first event was sponsored the Pilbara Regional Council and one option laid out for councillors to decide on this evening proposes the Town requests PRC sponsor the event on behalf of Pilbara councils.

The conference is described by Town officers as “encouraging diversification in the Pilbara”. However, the agenda item argues the first event had fewer than 400 delegates and there was “insufficient evidence to provide to (the) council regarding the positive effects that other sponsors of the inaugural event have received”.