South Australian government defends celebrity-attended Sam Smith concert
South Australian government defends intimate Sam Smith concert attended by influencers and celebrities after taxpayers forced to foot the bill
The South Australian government has defended money spent to lure English singer Sam Smith to Adelaide for an exclusive concert at a winery.
Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said the event was the ‘new form of marketing’ and that the cost to the government was much less than the $1 million suggested by the state opposition.
But the opposition said it was outrageous that taxpayers were being forced to foot the bill for the event that was mainly attended by social media influencers and celebrities.
The South Australian government has defended money spent to lure English singer Sam Smith (pictured in Philadelphia last year) to Adelaide for an exclusive concert at a winery.
Smith appeared at the McLaren Vale concert on 11 January. About 300 people attended, including 115 who won tickets through interstate radio station promotions.
Others in the crowd were social media influencers and media identities, including former The Project host Carrie Bickmore.
Bettison said business arrangements prevented the government from disclosing the cost of the event and how much the singer was paid.
But he said the cost was “far less than the $1 million proposed.”
Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said the event was the “new form of marketing” and that the cost to the government was far less than the $1 million suggested by state opposition.
“This is the new way of marketing,” he said.
“We have to go out and do things differently. We want to get people’s attention and see South Australia as a place to visit.
“I certainly think this concert and Sam Smith’s presence in South Australia have done exactly what we wanted to do.”
But opposition tourism spokeswoman Jing Lee questioned the government’s lack of transparency.
Smith appeared at the McLaren Vale concert on 11 January. About 300 people attended, including 115 who won tickets through interstate radio station promotions. Others in the crowd were social media influencers and media identities, including Carrie Bickmore (left)
‘Why [Premier] Peter Malinauskas will not reveal the details of the secret Sam Smith deal, we have no way of knowing the positive benefit to South Australia, and that is if there is one,” Ms Lee said.
“We support events and big names visiting South Australia, but there must be a benefit to the state and the community.
“There are also worrying rumors that celebrities and influencers were forced to post a predetermined amount of content on social media platforms to make the concert appear like a huge success.”
Ms Bettison said that when tourism officials approached influencers for promotions, they looked for diverse people with large followings.
‘I think they have a protocol that they follow. It’s not just about the number of followers and posts, but also the interactions with those posts,” she said.
Ms Bettison said business arrangements prevented the government from disclosing the cost of the event. (Sam appears in Washington, DC, on December 13, 2022)