The Business Events Australia Asia Mega Famil Showcase, held in early April, has already generated more than 20 business leads for Australia. In the post event survey, 100 per cent of delegates indicated they are more likely to pitch an incentive or corporate meeting to Australia as a result of attending the event. The Showcase, held in partnership with host city destination Business Events Sydney, was attended by 50 international media and planners from across the Asia region.

In addition to spending three days in Sydney, delegates had the opportunity to visit various destinations across Australia in a pre or post-familiarisation including Brisbane, Cairns, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Regional New South Wales. The familiarisations, conducted in partnership with convention bureaux, received a 100 per cent satisfaction rate from attendees in the post event survey. Watch the highlights video of the Showcase in Sydney here.

The Federal Government has recently confirmed a A$2 million allocation to measure the impact and benefit of business events in Australia. Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell, noted that business events are vital drivers of the wider economy and contribute around A$36 billion annually in industry expenditure. The first phase of research will involve the introduction of new questions on the National and International Visitor Surveys, administered by Tourism Research Australia. The second phase will work in tandem with the Business Events Council of Australia, where data will be collected directly from business events stakeholders including venues, organisers, exhibitors and delegates across Australia.

“The new business events data project is a critical part of the government’s support for the ongoing recovery of Australia’s business events sector,” Minister Farrell said. “Better data means better decisions, better decisions mean better events and better events mean a bigger boost for Australia’s visitor economy.”