Events Management Queensland believes a sustainable regional event should create lasting value for the destination and community that host it. The Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport Running Festival therefore considers economic, social, community and environmental responsibility throughout planning and delivery.

The festival’s approach is practical and evidence-led. Priorities are informed by participant feedback, stakeholder consultation, operational reviews and the needs of local residents and businesses. The aim is to deliver a high-quality visitor experience while retaining economic value within the region, reducing avoidable community impacts and progressively improving responsible event practices.

Our 2026 positive-impact priorities

Keeping event expenditure within the region

Local procurement is central to the festival’s economic sustainability. Wherever practical, Events Management Queensland engages businesses and service providers based in the Toowoomba Region so that event expenditure supports local employment, business capability and the regional economy.

For the 2026 festival, the event engaged a broad range of suppliers and service providers from within the Toowoomba Region. This approach retained event expenditure within the local economy and complemented the additional spending generated by participants and supporters across accommodation, hospitality, retail and tourism businesses.

Designing an event the community can continue to support

The long-term future of the festival depends on maintaining the trust of the community that hosts it. Following concerns about road-closure impacts in earlier years, the 2026 course was comprehensively reviewed with Council, emergency services and other stakeholders. Sections were moved to lower-impact roads and park areas, and traffic-management planning was refined to improve access and reduce disruption.

Strengthening the city-centre visitor economy

Race pack collection returned to central Toowoomba in 2026 following participant feedback. Together with the CBD-based event precinct, this created additional opportunities for visitors to spend time in local cafés, restaurants, shops and accommodation before and during race weekend. The approach helps spread event benefits beyond the race course and strengthens the connection between the festival and the destination.

Giving unwanted clothing a second life

Clothing left at the start line, on course or within the race precinct is collected after the event and donated to charity rather than being treated as general waste. Participants are advised not to leave valuables in discarded clothing. This practice extends the useful life of items while supporting community organisations.

Working through strong local and regional partnerships

The festival is delivered with the support of Toowoomba Regional Council, Wellcamp Airport, Queensland Country Tourism, emergency services, sponsors, volunteers, community organisations and local businesses. These relationships help align the event with regional priorities, promote local experiences and ensure operational decisions consider both visitor needs and community outcomes.

Responsible event delivery and continuous improvement

Events Management Queensland reviews the festival after each delivery and uses participant surveys, stakeholder debriefs, community feedback and operational data to inform future planning. The move from a two-day format to a single festival day in 2026 consolidated event operations and reduced the duration of event activity and associated disruption, while creating a stronger participant atmosphere.

Environmental measurement remains an area for continued development. EMQ is committed to progressively improving how resource use, waste and other environmental impacts are recorded so that practical reduction priorities can be identified and measured in future years.

Our ongoing commitments

• Prioritise local suppliers wherever practical and improve the tracking of regional procurement
• Continue consulting residents, businesses, council and operational stakeholders when reviewing the course and event footprint
• Use participant and community feedback to guide future improvements
• Strengthen waste, resource-use and environmental data collection to support measurable improvement
• Publish clear accessibility and inclusion information and respond to individual access enquiries
• Promote Toowoomba experiences and encourage visitors to spend time across the region.

Accountability

Progress is reviewed through post-event reporting, stakeholder engagement and future event planning. As the festival continues to evolve, Events Management Queensland will focus on responsible initiatives that are achievable, relevant to the event and capable of creating lasting benefits for the Toowoomba Region.