Sydney Showground Reveals Infrastructure Upgrades

Spice caught up with Sydney Showground general manager Peter Thorpe to find out what’s in store for the year ahead.

What are the planned infrastructure upgrades?The main upgrades include site-wide fibre and data cable upgrade, kitchen equipment upgrades, CCTV upgrade from analogue to digital and an upgrade to 50,000 hour LED of house lighting and lighting controls within The Dome and Halls 2, 3 and 4, providing significant flexibility of use and the ability to dim all lights collectively or individually making further energy savings.

When can we expect them to be completed?
By the end of September 2015.

What are the obstacles to getting these upgrades approved?
No obstacles, these projects have all been funded and approved but need to go through a rigorous procurement process and take time to undertake in an operating venue where works have to be scheduled around client requirements.

Why do you think it’s important to have light rail access to Sydney Olympic Park?
Sydney Olympic Park corridor represents a significant urban renewal opportunity. It is a pivotal and suitable location for increased density in terms of residential, commercial, retail, educational and cultural activity, however site residents and users need quick and simple access to key areas such as Parramatta and the City. The proposed Light Rail route will provide this access.

How much will it cost?
Unknown at this stage.

Who will pay for it?
It is anticipated that private enterprise would provide 100% of the required funding subject to the required density uplift.

Where is this process up to?It is anticipated that the NSW Government will make an announcement soon after the upcoming state election.

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NSW Waratahs vs Stormers Rubgy Union Match

Cheer on the NSW Waratahs as they take on the Western Province Stormers! Enjoy the thrill of attacking rugby as these two rivals battle it out at Allianz Stadium.

Bring the family and enjoy an action-packed night with plenty of activities for the kids including a free kids training clinic with Waratahs players and coaches. And to top it off three lucky adults from each clinic will win the opportunity to take part in the Volvo Half Time Challenge on field. Gates open at 6pm, with kick off for the main game at 7.30pm.

Have you got your tickets yet? Adult tickets from AUD22.00 and Family Passes from AUD44.00 (fees and charges apply - silver reserved seating conditions apply.) Enter password FAMILY when purchasing through Ticketek.


HOME GAME INFORMATION: WARATAHS V STORMERS, SATURDAY 11 APRIL 7.30PM, ALLIANZ STADIUM MOORE PARK
BUY TICKETS

Jump the queues and purchase your tickets online from Ticketek. 

Looking for the $44 Family Pass? Once on the Ticketek site, enter the password: FAMILY and select the silver seating category.

Volvo Pre Match Coaching Clinics
Volvo are hosting a free kids training clinic with Waratahs players and coaches before every home game, and giving out complimentary food and drink vouchers to parents (limited number)! And to top it off THREE lucky adults from each clinic will win the opportunity to take part in the Volvo Half Time Challenge on field. 

Transport information
For full information about getting to and from the game, please visit the transportnsw.info special event page for all information on getting to and from the game.

Event timing
5:30pm Forecourt box office opens (outside Gate A, near Driver Avenue)
6:00pm Gates open
6:10pm Junior games in stadium
6:30pm Womens NSW Blues v White Sevens
7:30pm kick off, Waratahs v. Stormers

Social media
Join the conversation using the dedicated gameday hashtags: #WARvSTO and #GoTahs
For more information: www.waratahs.com.au

Top Gear Festival Sydney Will Go Ahead

Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are coming – but the show won't be called Top Gear and it will be indoors in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Top Gear Live Festival will go ahead in Australia and Jeremy Clarkson is coming, even though he has been sacked by the BBC from the hit TV show.

BBC Worldwide has agreed that the show can go on but without BBC or Top Gear branding.

A statement from BBC Worldwide said the shows would go ahead "so as not to disappoint the thousands of people around the world who have already purchased tickets. These events will not however feature any BBC Top Gear branding or content. We believe this is a sensible approach in the circumstances".

However, the dates have been moved from April to July and the event is now being held indoors rather than at a race track.

Two Melbourne shows have been added to the calendar but the change in dates is likely to leave interstate show-goers out of pocket when they rebook flights and accommodation.

"A decision has been made to reschedule the festival planned for Sydney in April until July of this year and will instead become an indoor arena show staged in both Melbourne on 18-19 July and Sydney on 25 -26 July," the BBC statement said.

It will be the first time all three presenters — Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May — will make the trek Down Under for the performance; the previous Australian Top Gear Live shows only had two of the three presenters, but always with Clarkson as the main host.

The BBC statement said: "We'd like to thank our ticket holders for their continued patience. The fans are the most important people to Jeremy, Richard and James so we're delighted to be able to say 'we're still coming'."

News Corp Australia understands organisers stood to lose millions of dollars — and thousands of fans would have been entitled to refunds — if the show did not go ahead as planned.

Organisers called it "a great solution for the fans".

A statement from Brand Events said ticket-holders will be able to exchange their old tickets for new ones after April 10.

"The new event...will be an arena format starring Jeremy, Richard and James - simply titled ‘Clarkson, Hammond and May Live', and they'll be staged in both Sydney and Melbourne," said a bulletin from Brand Events.

Organisers say they are making “appropriate provisions” to ensure the BBC is not brought into "disrepute" by the presenters during the live shows.

News Corp Australia understands any content directly related to or inspired by Top Gear TV will not be part of the live events, which means The Stig, clips from the TV show and the theme music cannot be used.

Meanwhile, the BBC says the TV show’s future “is not in doubt”.

“We have committed to its renewal and return in good shape in 2016,” said a BBC statement.

Organisers said cancellation of the live show “was always an option” but they didn’t want to disappoint more than 100,000 fans who’d bought tickets.

The consortium insists forging ahead with the show was not a money-grabbing exercise, claiming the priority is to “simply cover costs”.

Exisiting ticket holders will have the choice of swapping for tickets to the new shows, or they will be refunded.

Prices and details for the new shows will be available after April 10.

Organisers said new tickets would only be released after existing ticket holders had an opportunity to swap their entry passes to the new shows.

View Source for more information about this event.

The EB Expo Returns to Sydney In 2015

The EB Expo Returns to Sydney In 2015

EB Games was hardly going to turn its back on one of its best concepts ever, but just in case there was ever any doubt, today it was announced that the EB Expo is returning to Sydney in 2015.

The official date is October 2 until October 4 and tickets go on sale 9am AEDT on April 16. You can purchase them on the EB Expo website, at EB Games stores or through oztix.com.au. The event will be held, once again, at Sydney Showgrounds. It is, admittedly, a pretty cool venue.

If you’ve been to previous EB Expos you’ll know what to expect: early looks at upcoming video games, some event-style panels, and my personal favourite: a Waluigi made out of balloons.

Most major publishers seems slated to attend. PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo, Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are currently confirmed.

“EB Expo continues to set the standards by celebrating the video game industry and embracing pop culture. We’re boasting the most unreleased games of any exhibition in Australia this year,” said EB Games Marketing and Events Director Debra McGrath.

A couple of cool things to note: John Robertson, of ‘The Dark Room’ fame, will be performing at the show. Turns out he’s bringing his critically acclaimed show The Dark Room to the event. I’ve been super keen to check that out, so this is a positive.

Also — bizarrely — The Umbilical Brothers are also going to be performing. That’s cool. I guess? What does it have to do with video games? No-one knows (or possibly cares).

“Every year the EB Expo team will continue to add fresh new elements to the mix and we’re really looking forward to wow-ing our existing and new crowds with original content,” said Debra. I guess that might explain it.

I’ve always enjoyed the EB Expo and it does manage to get its fair share of top notch exclusive content. I played Titanfall there for the first time. That was cool.