Miss Universe: Melbourne makes 2017 final bid

Anna Byrne, Herald Sun

August 30, 2016 7:00am

Subscriber only

FORGET the 2028 Olympics, Melbourne could be on the world stage much sooner after a bid to host the international Miss Universe final next year.

The newly appointed director of Miss Universe Australia Troy Barbagallo has confirmed to the Herald Sun that an official bid to host the international final in 2017 and 2018 has been placed with the international owner of the beauty pageant, IMG.
“I have already put in a bid on behalf of Australia to host the international final back-to-back in both 2017 and 2018 and they have shown a lot of interest in us,” the Perth businessman said.
“Australia is on their target, so now it will just come down to which state government we can get support from, and Victoria is high on our list,” he said.
Mr Barbagallo said that Miss Universe, the second most watched event in the world after the World Cup, with over 1 billion viewers, offers a great return on investment.
“The cost of putting on an event like the Grand Prix or the Olympics, in terms of infrastructure, is massive compared to Miss Universe and yet you get similar exposure to the world.”

Miss Universe finalists in swimwear. Picture: Tim Carrafa

“In terms of visibility through television and social media, Miss Universe would showcase Melbourne just as much as events like the Grand Prix.”
Mr Barbagallo said that Queensland and Western Australian governments had already shown interest, while potential private partners from Victoria had also been in touch. He said that it was a possibility that two different Australian cities could play host as part of the two year deal.
Previous host cities of Miss Universe include Las Vegas, Moscow, Bangkok, Mexico City and Miami with the Philippines tipped to host the 2016 international final.
Tonight six Victorian finalists will compete in evening wear, swimwear and public speaking categories at the national Miss Universe Australia final at the at the Sofitel on Collins, in the hopes of securing the coveted crown.
Formerly owned by US presidential hopeful Donald Trump, before selling it to IMG, the international beauty pageant has helped to catapult the careers of models Jennifer Hawkins, Jessinta Campbell and Scherri Lee Biggs.

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