Blockbusters at Perth venues contribute to $286 million boost for Western Australian economy  

Premier Perth venues including RAC Arena, Optus Stadium and HBF Park with their ability to hold massive crowd numbers and deliver impressive and memorable event experiences, result in events continuing to return to the city.

Blockbusters held at these Perth venues are among the major, large regional and mass participation events funded by the Western Australian Government last financial year which boosted the state’s economy in 2023/24 by an impressive $286 million.

Securing major events is an important part of the WA Government's plan to create local jobs and set up the state's economy for the future, and the strategy is clearly working with last financial year's total smashing the 2022-23 figure by more than $100 million.

More than a third of the economic impact was generated by three blockbusters - Coldplay ($43.3 million), WWE: Elimination Chamber ($36.2 million), and the FIFA Women's World Cup matches ($25.3 million).

Other events held throughout the financial year also delivered massive benefits to the WA economy.

The inaugural HSBC SVNS Perth, which took place over three days in January 2024 at Perth rectangular stadium - the first global SVNS event to sell out on the final day, generating $7.4 million in economic impact and attracting more than 3,600 interstate and international visitors.

In May, a sellout crowd - including 2,000 people from outside Western Australia - packed into RAC Arena for the Triple World Title Boxing event, headlined by Australian George Kambosos Jr and Ukrainian Vasiliy Lomachenko, injecting $4.1 million into the Western Australian economy.

The Italian football spectacular which kicked off the June long weekend also benefited the Western Australian economy. The historic match between AS Roma and AC Milan was the first time the two Serie A teams have played on Australian soil and took place in front of a 56,000 strong crowd at Optus Stadium. That event drew 7,500 people from interstate and overseas, delivering $8.9 million in economic impact.

Regional Western Australia also benefited from a range of events held across the State, including Broome's Festival of the Pearl Shinju Matsuri - which injected $6.2 million into the local economy - and the Margaret River Pro, which generated $8.1 million.

The Western Australian Government currently has 25 major events secured for the 2024-25 financial year, supported by its $77.5 million events budget.

Economic impact assessments include measurements of the total number of visitors, their average length of stay and average daily spend at hospitality, accommodation, retail, entertainment and tourism businesses.

Western Australian Tourism Minister, Rita Saffioti enthused "Western Australia is well and truly on the map when it comes to major events.

"We're successfully securing global-scale events, putting the eyes of the world on Western Australia, bringing in thousands of visitors and helping our city to reach its full potential, while creating jobs, supporting small businesses and pumping millions into our economy.

"Our world-class facilities, including the international award-winning RAC Arena and Optus Stadium, provide incredible venues for major events, holding massive crowd numbers and delivering an event experience that often results in events returning to Perth time and time again.

"We have so much to offer visitors from all over the world, and this event strategy is clearing giving many thousands of people a reason to come to Western Australia and see all that we have to offer."

Image top. Triple World Title Boxing event May 2024. Credit: RAC Arena; Image centre: Coldplay on stage at Optus Stadium. Credit: David Etherton/VenuesWest; Image below: The Western Australian Margaret River Pro