by Andrew Hiebl, executive director Association of Australian Convention Bureaux
THE 14th of April marked the inaugural Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), spearheaded by the Meetings Mean Business Coalition based in the US.
In 2016, leaders of the business events industry from across the world came together to highlight the real benefits that face-to-face meetings have on people, businesses and communities.
The AACB kicked off GMID by delivering a copy of its new Forward Calendar report to parliament in Canberra.
The Forward Calendar is the most comprehensive audit of future business events attracted to Australia ever produced and comes after an unprecedented data sharing exercise between our country’s convention bureaux.
Business events are unique in that they are the only tourism sector that provides a vision of confirmed future business. The report provides an unparalleled forward vision of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions won by our members.
The report lists 296 international business events that have been confirmed for our convention centres, hotels and universities through to 2024. These events are forecast to attract almost one quarter of a million delegates (66% international) – translating to more than one million delegate days – and generating over A$663 million (US$507 million) in direct delegate expenditure.
Key findings of the report also highlight that of the international business events secured for Australia, 30% are in the medical sector with an estimated 90,000 delegates. Following medical, other industry sectors by percentage of events included:
- Professional, scientific and technical services (17.9%)
- Information media and telecommunications (9.8%)
- Administrative & support services (8.4%)
- Manufacturing (7.1%)
- Arts and recreation services (3.7%)
- Financial and insurance services (3.7%)
- Retail trade (3.0%)
Further, 54% of association meetings and conventions include a trade/ exhibition component.
This intelligence has been designed for governments and their departments to maximise the beyond tourism benefits that these events offer. Sharing this information with Tourism Australia and Austrade will also help better direct delegate boosting and reverse trade mission initiatives.
Australia is facing a federal election this year and we are calling on both sides of politics to commit to a bid fund to help our convention bureaux secure more international business events for Australia.
With professional development of Australia’s workforce directly benefiting from business events through exposure to international expertise, networks and best practice, such an investment by government would directly target industry growth and jobs of the future.
