Business Events Australia Industry Update - 18th June 2021

Having trouble reading? View online version 18 June 2021 Business Events Australia Industry Update Welcome to the latest instalment of industry news from Business Events Australia (BEA), where we share updates on Tourism Australia’s current marketing and distribution activities to grow and support Australia’s business events industry. We’re always keen to hear about what’s happening in our industry so please continue to share your news and updates and contact us with any questions. Application close soon for the Business Events Boost Program Applications for the Business Events Boost Program 2021/22 close on Wednesday 30 June 2021 at 5pm AEST. The program aims to support the Australian business events industry by providing the opportunity to leverage funding and Tourism Australia’s expertise to deliver marketing and distribution projects to drive demand. For full details on the program and to download the Business Events Boost Program 2021/22 Prospectus visit the Business Events Australia website.  Boost Program activity Interested in applying for the 2021/22 Business Events Boost Program? From new marketing assets and strategic media buys to online site inspections and unique delegate boosting initiatives, the Boost Program supports a range of marketing and distribution activity. In 2020/21 Business Events Australia supported 86 projects including, Cairns Convention Centre’s interactive produce map, Business Events Perth’s 3D venue tours, and IHG Hotels & Resorts’ development of new video assets and the delivery of two educational trips. Leanne Zeid, Director of Groups & Meetings Australasia at IHG Hotels & Resorts said, “Utilisation of our new marketing assets combined with our customers experiencing our new hotels firsthand has had a significant impact on the business event enquiries for our portfolio of Crowne Plaza hotels and we are very grateful for the opportunity to be involved”.  Business Events Australia releases results of fifth wave of domestic sentiment research Tourism Australia’s latest wave of domestic research confirms an increase in confidence in planning events. Three quarters (74 per cent) of corporate decision makers are planning events in the next six to 12 months, up from 66 per cent in March. While 75 per cent are planning events in 12-18 months, up from 71 per cent. Sixty-seven per cent said they were comfortable with both themselves and their staff flying for business purposes, up from 61 per cent. However, the desire for face-to-face events has dropped slightly, with 54 per cent of respondents saying that they are planning face-to-face only events in the next 12-18 months (down from 61 per cent). Concerns about the COVID-19 safety reputation of potential event locations, health concerns and snap border closures are amongst the top influencing factors to events resuming. See the latest research on the Business Events Australia website.  Meeting with industry In June, Tourism Australia and the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) jointly hosted a Business Events Industry Workshop at the ICC Sydney to talk about the future of business events in Australia. Attended by 75 industry leaders and senior executives, the workshop focused on building an understanding of the immediate objectives for the sector and to obtain business events industry insights to inform the Reimagining the Visitor Economy strategy for Tourism 2030.  Domestic educational As part of Business Events Australia’s broader recovery strategy, business events agents were hosted on an educational to Spicers Peaks Lodge in May. The agents had the opportunity to experience Australia’s business events offering firsthand including a scenic flight over Brisbane, thanks to Brisbane Economic Development Agency. In the post educational survey, 100 per cent of agents indicated they were very satisfied with the overall program, with one respondent commenting, “[It was a] standout experience, so close to a capital city". The educational has already delivered two business leads for the region.  Australian Tourism Exchange 2021 Tourism Australia’s largest annual travel trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2021 (ATE21) opened in Sydney at the ICC Sydney last week. For the first time, the event was delivered across two weeks as a hybrid event, allowing Australian sellers to meet and network with travel wholesalers and agents from around the world. The demand for ATE 21 has been extraordinary with more than 1,000 buyers and sellers from both Australia and New Zealand attending the in-person component of the event. Watch highlights from ATE21 on Business Events Australia’s Instagram account here. australia.com/businessevents Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Contact Us To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. Unsubscribe or manage subscriptions Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.