Northern Territory events including Parrtjima win seven global awards

The Northern Territory is receiving international attention after Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) festivals won seven awards at the global Eventex Awards 2022. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light received six awards, and BASSINTHEGRASS music festival received one.

Parrtjima, the only authentic Aboriginal light festival of its kind in the world, was recognised as best overall Australian/Oceania Event (Platinum), best Outdoor Event (Gold), best Public Event (Gold), best Cross-Channel Storytelling (Gold), best Cultural Event (Bronze) and best PR Campaign (Bronze).

BASSINTHEGRASS, the Territory’s biggest music festival, was awarded best Music Event (Gold).

It is another win for Parrtjima, which received the Best Regional Event and Best Achievement in Marketing or Communications Awards at the 2021 Australian Event Awards.

NTMEC CEO Tim Watsford said the recognition was a great achievement for the Territory, and for a small team delivering big things.

“The Northern Territory is a small jurisdiction, but we know how to deliver world-class events that attract thousands of attendees,” he said.

“These awards are testament to the colossal effort given by the NTMEC team amid the very real challenges faced by events over the last few years. We are constantly striving to deliver more for our event attendees, and these awards show we are achieving that.”

Both events are huge economic drivers for the Territory, with Parrtjima – A Festival in Light 2021 generating a Total Expenditure Stimulus of more than $11.5 million for the economy. Almost $10 million of this was new money to the region. This year’s event was held in April and attracted more than 23,000 attendances.

BASSINTHEGRASS 2021 generated a Total Expenditure Stimulus of $14.5 million for the Territory economy, $12 million of which was new money. It also attracted a record crowd of 14,000 during a time when events around the world were being cancelled. This year’s event will take place on 21 May at Darwin’s iconic Mindil Beach, with another record-breaking crowd of 16,000.

Founded in 2009 to celebrate creativity, innovation and effectiveness in the events industry, the Eventex Awards are highly prized across the international world of events, and recognise the best agencies, events and technology. This year there were 606 entries in the awards from 33 countries. To find out more visit https://eventex.co/winners/