Ticket sales in the region have set a new benchmark with Bendigo Venues and Events selling more than 300,000 tickets to the region's performances and exhibitions in the past 12 months.
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With the 2022 season packed with an increased number of shows that had been postponed during the pandemic, about 328,000 tickets were processed through BVE's GoTix platform.
The number is well above 2019 - the last full season before the global pandemic hit - when 223,000 tickets were sold. In 2018, ticket sales reached 158,000.
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BVE general manager Julie Amos said the number took in tickets for all community events and exhibitions that used the platform.
"That is not only tickets for our own events but also other organisations like the gallery - basically anyone who uses GoTix to sell their tickets," she said.
"It's a big jump in comparison to other years. Elvis was part of that but it was also about the enthusiasm people had in getting out and about to things.
"Sales were pretty even across our shows but we did see an increase in the capacities with the number of empty seats lower per show, which was a good area of growth."
Ms Amos said BVE was looking forward to another busy year.
"It is shaping up to be pretty amazing," she said. "Once you have a year like 2022, you want to keep moving forward not looking backward.
"We have a new level for what is 'busy' and are back on schedule after Covid.
"BVE has been on a trajectory of growth since Ulumbarra opened in 2015. It's always getting busier as the venues, city and region grow as a tourist destination."
Leading BVE's 2023 events is Wagner's The Ring Cycle which will take up a month of the Ulumbarra Theatre's calendar.
Spread across four performances, The Ring Cycle is a major production that will challenge BVE staff with Ulumbarra theatre selected as the best place to hold the major sets used in the show.
More than $1.5 million have been spent on tickets for the March and April event. It equates to about 5000 tickets in total.
"People are buying the full opera packages - all four shows - we haven't sold any single show tickets yet,' Ms Amos said.
"It's pretty close to 5000 tickets, so the numbers aren't staggering but the cost of tickets is significant.
"People will also be in the region for 10 days between the shows meaning they will get a great sense of what Bendigo and central Victoria has to offer.
Ticket sales include 46 per cent from metropolitan Melbourne, 18 per cent from NSW, five per cent from South Australia and 4.5 per cent - or about 220 people - from overseas.
"That overseas number is unheard of for a Bendigo show," Ms Amos said.
As well as The Ring Cycle, major events on BVE's 2023 calendar include the Chamber Music Festival in February and the Bendigo Writers Festival in May.
"The writers' festival program should be announced within the month," Ms Amos said. "Bangarra Dance Theatre are also coming back again as are the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and some other amazing contemporary dance performances.
"The Bendigo Symphony Orchestra is also doing a four-concert season after selling out performance last year in what was a success story of 2022."
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