Event Management Scholarship awarded to Leeton's Hannah Fitzsimon

21 Jun 2018 9:56 AM -

Member for Murray Austin Evans yesterday announced Hannah Fitzsimon is the successful recipient of a scholarship in a Diploma of Event Management, funded by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Mr Evans said the scholarship program is part of the NSW Government’s partnership with Australia’s peak industry body for business events, Meetings & Events Australia (MEA), which aims to upskill and create more job opportunities for rural and regional NSW communities.

“I am delighted to announce that Ms Fitzsimon, who is Leeton Shire Council’s Event Officer, is one of 18 recipients who will benefit from a Diploma of Event Management, thanks to the support from the NSW Government.

“Ms Fitzsimon will be connected to an online community of students, providing a great opportunity for networking and learning more about the development and delivery of events from fellow peers.

“Our region already plays host to a fantastic array of events and its opportunities like this which help us to expand our current tourism offering while upskilling our local champions.”

Ms Fitzsimon said she is looking forward to undertaking the course and fast-tracking the evolution of her ideas for Leeton in an online, expert environment.

“Leeton Shire has a number of large industries with a global presence located within the region including SunRice and Freedom Foods, and I am hoping I can utilise my new skills to think laterally and work collaboratively with these organisations and innovative local farmers to attract new emerging business events to our town.

“Ultimately, my goal is to plan and execute events that will stimulate our local economy in a variety of ways”.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said almost 80 applications were received by Destination NSW since the program opened in February 2018.

The 18 recipients were selected by a panel which included representatives from Destination NSW, MEA and the six Destination Networks.