That’s all that remains for people to purchase a ticket and win a car for Christmas, in the Moama Bowling Club-backed Echuca Moama Tourism raffle.
The raffle was due to be drawn in July this year, but because of COVID conditions ticket sales were not at the required level and forced a six month extension to the draw date.
Moama Bowling Club marketing manager George Santos said the draw would go ahead on Monday, December 13.
First prize in the Kia Cerato EMT Promotion is (as you might have gathered by the title) a Kia Cerato from Echuca Kia, valued at more than $30,000.
Mr Santos was with Echuca Kia dealer principal Duane Johns and Echuca Moama Tourism Chief Executive Officer Kathryn Mackenzie last week to announce there are only 200 tickets remaining in the car raffle.
“People have a one in 1000 chance, that’s all the tickets that were drawn. Then they will have a $50 car, that’s the cost of a ticket,” Mr Santos said.
The support of the bowling club for the tourism authority came at a vital stage, the funds to be generated from the sale of tickets paid up front by the club to support the tourism organisation at a vital time.
“I almost cried when George explained that the club would give us the $50,000 up front. The money was vital at that stage,” Ms Mackenzie said.
She said only a portion of the money had been spent due to the organisation not wanting to “waste” money on promoting the area no visitors were allowed from the metropolitan area.
“We did have a bus painted with a beautiful riverside scene, which was moving around in the western suburbs of Melbourne,” she said.
“The remaining funds will be used to complete a full marketing campaign in Melbourne, radio, print, television and other promotional avenues.”
Mr Santos said the aim of the club was now to sell all the tickets in the draw, with the funds already having been allocated by the tourism authority to bring people to the region.
“Shutdowns and reduced floor traffic meant ticket sales were not as good as we had imagined to this point, but there is now a chance for people to buy a ticket, support the tourism authority, and win a car,” he said.
“We plan to have a red hot go to sell the balance of the tickets, which are now available from the Customer Service desk at the club and the EMT office at the visitor information centre.”
