Good day everyone, and thank you for joining us for the AGM of the Tablelands Folk
Festival.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their elders past and present and remind everyone the land was never ceded, so always was always will be aboriginal land.
We need to plan to ensure the Festival’s ongoing success, and the steps we need to take to make it even more inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable.
2025 we applied to the Qld Arts for a new grant opportunity that would have allowed financial assistance for administration. $50,000 per year for 2 years, with an option for 2 more. Unfortunately we were not awarded the grant. It was an exhaustive and time consuming exercise in what appears to be futility. Time to move on.
We have lodged our 2025 TRC Sponsorship acquittal and I am pleased to tell you we sold more tickets than 2024 and made a small surplus of $3,700. This included in the 2025 figures a further $5,000 increase in our infrastructure and assets with purchases including 7 new marquees for the Maude Kehoe Park stalls area. In 2025 the festival spent $100,000 locally and a conservative estimate shows the Festival brought 2.5 million dollars to the Tablelands economy. Financial stewardship remains a cornerstone of our strategy. By closely monitoring our financial performance against budget, we’re making sure the festival remains viable and can continue to grow without compromising its values.
We did spend a lot more on performer accommodation and transport due to last minute changes to some sponsorship. A big thankyou to Bronwyn for her outstanding achievement in finding accommodation not too far away and a bus driver to ferry them around including pick-up and delivery to the airport. Thanks Sonia.
I have also made application to take responsibility for the Tennis Clubhouse for an initial period of 5 years. This will enable the TFF to have an on-ground presence in the Yungaburra community. The clubhouse is currently not required by the tennis association and we have used the building now for 2 years as our camp kitchen for the festival with growing success. I’m yet to hear back from the TRC.
I am seeking member permission to change our online ticketing program from Trybooking to Humanitix. We have been offered a special deal as we are a NFP charity, so costs will not increase and we have been advised we will have better cohesion between our online presence. Combining our IT across membership, ticket sales, advertising, by linking emailing, websites, Facebook, Mailchimp and Instagram. By doing so, we’ll not only maintain, but elevate this cherished event, ensuring it remains vibrant, sustainable, and much-loved for generations to come. We’re committed to gathering feedback from both artists and audiences through detailed satisfaction surveys.
We want to ensure everyone involved has a voice and that their experiences help shape our future events, so a more complex built in survey ability will help our monitoring and evaluation. Our volunteers, who are the backbone of the festival, will also be a focus—monitoring their engagement and retention rates so we can continue to foster a supportive and enthusiastic team year after year.
I have yet to have an in-person meeting with the new owner of the Yungaburra Hotel to establish our, and their, involvement in the Festival for 2026 and going forward. I often remark that we are an organic organisation and often the goal posts we begin with move, and sometimes dramatically. Luckily we are a friendly, knowledgeable and pliant lot that has the ability to move forward, always looking to enhance the festival experience for everyone involved.
So I would like to thank you all for sharing a vision and being there when needed. Together, we can continue to make the Tablelands Folk Festival a highlight on the cultural calendar—a place where community, creativity, and connection flourish.
Cheers!
Michael Hodgkins – Festival Director / Association President