Published on Wednesday, 11 December 2024 at 9:34:39 AM
SALTWATER is now 78 per cent complete and the City of Busselton has been busy securing entertainment and confirming venue bookings for the opening year and beyond. 
City of Busselton Director of Economic and Business Development, Maxine Palmer said significant progress had been made on construction over the past few months.
“Saltwater is rapidly evolving into the cultural hub the community has been waiting for," Ms Palmer said.
“With completion clearly on the horizon, we’ve been busy behind the scenes booking national touring theatre productions, entertainment and art exhibitions,” Ms Palmer said.
“The website and booking portal only went live last month and we’ve already booked more than 100 event days for the first year,” Ms Palmer said.
“We will see a diverse range of entertainment presented at the Saltwater Theatre in It's opening year, including the WA Symphony Orchestra, a yet-to-be-announced well-known Australian comedian and an award-winning adaptation of the much-loved children’s book, Where’s the Green Sheep?"
“Our full program of events will be revealed early next year when tickets go on sale. I recommend following Saltwater's social channels for announcements about the grand opening and the exciting line up of entertainment throughout the year."
"In terms of visual art, the new Saltwater Gallery will dramatically enhance the City's cultural landscape, presenting ever-changing national touring exhibitions and high-calibre regional art."
"We look forward to featuring touring art exhibitions from Melbourne’s ACMI Museum as well as high-profile South West artists such as Christian Fletcher and Elmari Steyn," Ms Palmer said.
"The highly-anticipated opening of Saltwater's A-Class gallery will also spur the return of the popular Busselton Art Award."
In addition to presenting a diverse program of entertainment and art exhibitions, Saltwater is also proving to be a highly sought-after venue for business and community events.
“We’ve booked several large multi-day conferences, such as the 2025 Acoustics Convention.”
Business Events Perth CEO, Gareth Martin said Saltwater will support the development of the South West as an internationally recognised destination and will maximise the business events contribution to the South West economy.
“Business events are a strong driver of direct economic impact through tourism visitation as well as broader knowledge sharing for local communities and a catalyst for trade and investment promoting the best of Australia’s South West,” Mr Martin said.
“The Asia Pacific region as a whole is the fastest growing meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition market globally with an estimated industry revenue growth from $229 billion in 2017 to a projected $441 billion by 2025.”
“Securing increased business events to Australia’s South West flows directly through to increased airline passenger traffic for the Busselton Margaret River Airport and delegate activation of world-class facilities at the Busselton Jetty, award-winning wineries, breweries, art galleries, accommodation providers and industry operators across the region.”
As well as attracting large corporate events to the region, Ms Palmer said Saltwater would also provide a much-needed local venue for schools and community groups.
“Several regional high schools have booked graduation ceremonies for 2025 and local dance schools have reserved the Saltwater Theatre for their end of year concerts."
"Hosting these special events at Saltwater will not only mean local families won't need to travel to Bunbury for graduations and concerts, it will also benefit local businesses by activating the CBD's night-time economy," Ms Palmer said.
"Local community groups are entitled to discounted rates for venue hire, so if your organisation is considering booking a space, please contact the Saltwater team soon to avoid disappointment."
Further information & venue hire enquiries: www.saltwaterbusselton.com.au
Like Saltwater on Facebook and follow on Instagram: @saltwaterbusselton
Media Contact: Jodie Darragh - jodie.darragh@busselton.wa.gov.au I Ph: 9781 0480
Objectives outlined in this statement are aligned with the City of Busselton’s Council Plan (2024 - 2034) Key Theme Lifestyle – Our community is safe, welcoming and inclusive, with access to services and facilities to support good health and wellbeing.
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