| | | | | | | | |  | | Business Events Australia Industry Update | | Welcome to the Business Events Australia industry newsletter with the latest updates on Tourism Australia’s marketing and distribution activities to drive demand and support Australia’s business events industry. We’re always keen to hear what’s happening across Australia so please continue to share your news and updates and contact us with any questions. | |
| | | | | | | Latest News |  | |
| New Team Member | | We are pleased to announce the recruitment of Edward Kwek who has joined Tourism Australia as the Senior Business Events Manager, South and South East Asia. The role is based in Singapore and reports into Edea Lu our newly appointed Business Events Director for Asia. Edward will deliver the Business Events Australia remit and activities in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India. Edward has worked for Tourism New Zealand for nine years in business events and prior to that was Regional Director of Southeast Asia & India at Melbourne Convention Bureau. With strong relationships with business events agents, corporate clients, airline partners, and trade media across the region, Edward started in the role on 1 August 2024 and will be attending Australia Next in Cairns / Gimuy in September. | | | | | | |  | |
| ASIA MARKET ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS | | In June, Tourism Australia’s specialist unit, Business Events Australia hosted a group of corporate incentive buyers from India in partnership with Melbourne Convention Bureau, Business Events Sydney and Singapore Airlines. The group had the opportunity to experience first-hand why there’s nothing like Australia for business events with program highlights including a MasterChef experience at Melbourne Showground, visiting the Koala Conservation Reserve and the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island, a scenic helicopter flight that landed on the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and a meet and greet with Australian cricketer Brett Lee. There are five potential business leads for Australia with buyers indicating in the post famil survey they are 100 per cent more likely to consider Australia for their groups. Key insights included the desire for traditional Indian food and bespoke money can’t buy experiences to be incorporated into programs. While in China, the team were joined by eight convention bureaux and Singapore Airlines for their nineth Business Events Australia Seminar in Shanghai. The seminar provided the convention bureaux with the opportunity to provide an update on their destinations to more than 90 buyers. Insights indicate opportunities for larger groups to Australia for 2025 and 2026. The seminar generated 10 business leads for Australia with group sizes ranging from 100 to 1,000 people. | | | | | | |  | |
| Western MARKET activity highlights | | In London, Business Events Australia was represented at the Destination Alliance M&I event on 27 June, which was held on the Orient Express train. During the day, 30 conference and incentive planners had the opportunity to network and enjoy the unique hospitality. Insights gathered show Australia is in the consideration set for future incentives and corporate meetings with positive interest on the increased aviation capacity. Whilst in Canada, Business Events Australia attended the SITE Incentive Summit Americas (ISA) in St. John’s Newfoundland. SITE ISA brought together top incentive corporate and third-party incentive planners from North America, along with global suppliers for four days of education, networking, and destination immersion. During the event, a focus group was conducted with seven senior incentive planners, where perception, insights and trends were shared. Insights confirmed that Australia continues to be a bucket list destination due to its wildlife, culturally enriching experiences, and diverse landscapes. It was also noted that other aspects of Australia’s appeal include its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, having English as the official language, and being seen as a safe destination. Time and distance continue to be a concern. Clients indicated they would also like to see ground itineraries with per person costs to help sell the destination, and were willing to place programs in long-haul destinations in 2024 and beyond. Popular destinations for the market include Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Singapore, and Japan. In other findings, travel professionals said they were increasingly turning to social media, travel shows, and publications like Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast for inspiration. | | | | | | |  | |
| OUT AND ABOUT IN JULY | | Tourism Australia’s General Manager of Business Events, Commercial & Industry, Kelly Maynard, joined the Innovation Event Design panel at Cvent Accelerate Sydney conference in July. Panelists discussed a range of topics including: creative solutions for accessibility and inclusivity, sustainability in the business events sector, greenwashing and how to avoid it, innovative approaches to enhancing attendee well-being, emerging technologies, and future trends and the evolving expectations. Tourism Australia also attended a round table in July with Langham Hotels, their global sales team and industry leaders to hear about trends across leisure and business events, and to share insights from key markets. Key topics included the value of face-to-face events, partnerships, the latest aviation, and trends for hotels include the importance of sustainable practices. Business Events Cairns and Great Barrier Reef held their networking breakfast in Sydney, where attendees, including Tourism Australia, had the opportunity to meet with 19 industry products from the region. During the event, the convention bureau launched their latest incentive and association focused videos, and highlighted some of the amazing produce that is available in the region for corporate gifts. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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