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No big backer for Taste 07/11/2012 - 03/01/2013

HOBART'S premier food and wine event, the Taste Festival, has failed to attract a naming rights sponsor to help fund this year's event.

Organisers of the 2011-12 Taste were optimistic of securing a major sponsor in time for this year's festival, which is expected to once again attract tens of thousands of people a day over a week-long New Year period.

Deputy Lord Mayor Ron Christie said he had been in discussions with minor sponsors including Coles and Kraft, which owns Cadbury, about "increasing their interest" in the key waterfront event.

Lord Mayor Damon Thomas had also held talks with Rolex, which is the naming rights sponsor of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

But co-chair of this year's Taste Festival Marti Zucco said those talks had not come to fruition.

"The Hobart City Council is always in discussions with potential major sponsors and at this point in time no major sponsor has come forward," Ald Zucco said.

"I think it's the economic situation in the current climate which is holding back a potential major sponsor."

The council loses more than $600,000 a year on the Taste, but has shied away from introducing an entry fee amid stallholder fears such a move would "kill" the popular event.

This year the council will save $90,000 by running the festival in-house rather than engaging a management company and Ald Zucco hopes to raise up to $40,000 through gold coin donations.

Ald Zucco said although the council was disappointed by the lack of a major sponsor, it would not affect the success of the event.

"We are going to have an amazing festival irrespective of sponsorship," Ald Zucco said.

"It's not the sponsors who make the festival, it's the people who make the festival and it's going to be amazing."

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Deal name >> Queenstown
Deal dealEnd >> 6/1/2013 12:00:00 PM
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