Major wins mark Australia’s association appeal

Business Events Sydney also used the BFP to secure the World Conference of Women’s Shelters in 2025, a joint initiative between the Women’s Services Network (Wesnet) and the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS) marking the largest meeting of women’s shelters and those working to end gender-based violence. Taking place at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre Sydney in September 2025, the event marks the first time the conference will be hosted in the Southern Hemisphere and is set to attract 1,000 attendees from more than 100 countries.

But it’s not just the lure of the Bid Fund Program that attracts major conferences to Australia; its knowledge sector prowess plays a significant role too.

For example, Queensland’s Cairns Convention Centre will welcome more than 500 scientists and experts in the field of strong interactions when it hosts the XVIth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum Conference from 19 to 24 August 2024. Cairns Convention Centre was chosen due to its strong partnerships with the scientific community as well as its world class facilitates, which include the recent opening of the AUD$176 million expansion, providing a total of 10,500 sqm of new floor space.

Similarly, the 27^th Meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival

Commission’s Crocodile Specialist Group was staged in Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory in April 2024. The NT is home to the world's largest crocodile population and one of the world’s leading authorities on crocodilian research and management, Professor Grahame Webb, is also based in Darwin, all of which enabled the NT to present a strong case to host more than 300 international delegates at this meeting. Another business event highlighting NT expertise is the 10^th World Melioidosis Congress happening at the Darwin Convention Centre in October 2024. Australia’s Menzies School of Health Research is headquartered in Darwin and is regarded as an international centre of excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of melioidosis.

And Melbourne is gearing up for a bumper year with its calendar of business events across 2024 set to attract more than 85,000 international and national delegates across the 130 events. “Excitingly, this includes 40 of the world’s premier meetings to be held across 2024 - a record high for international association events. That's nearly one event each week,” exclaims Melbourne Convention Bureau chief executive Julia Swanson. “From energy and renewables to business, socio-cultural, engineering and education sectors, Melbourne will be a hive of knowledge sharing and is set to shine as a preferred international association conference destination in the world.” Standout events MCB has secured for the city taking place over the coming months include the International Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB2024); International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) Southern Hemisphere Forum & National Sports Convention 2024; and the Lions International Convention, which is expected to attract 13,000 delegates to Melbourne this June.

MCB, together with Visit Victoria, delivered the inaugural Asia Pacific Financial and Innovation Symposium in April “It attracted some big names to its programme including, Steve Schwarzman and Kathleen McCarthy from Blackstone, Blackrock cofounder Robert Kapito, Apollo’s copresident James Zelter and Henry Cornell from Cornell Capital,” adds Swanson. “The pull of this event shows how powerful Melbourne is as a global financial centre. Our city has a significant concentration of large super funds based here.”

New assets for association planners

According to the 2023 Business Events Consumer Demand Project, association decision makers are increasingly inclined to incorporate Indigenous-guided experiences or traditional Welcome to Country Indigenous ceremonies, while a substantial 85 per cent acknowledge the appeal of including Indigenous experiences in their itineraries.

To meet this growing desire, Melbourne Convention Bureau recently released the First Peoples Engagement Guide to assist event planners in creating culturally enriching business events that celebrate Australia’s First Nations people. Created specifically for the MICE market, the resource offers practical information on organising a Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country, a curated Indigenous Business Events Supplier Guide, and useful tips on how to put the guide into practice to create captivating events. Business Events Sydney also have a First Nations BE Backgrounder that shares ways to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures into a business event. “It has also provided an opportunity for us to connect with more local talent and Indigenous-owned and led businesses poised to elevate business events with cultural richness and diversity,” adds Swanson. “We truly aspire for this guide to be a regular reference tool for business event planners. As new First Peoples-led suppliers emerge we are adding them into the guide, recognising the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the social outcomes of Victoria’s First Peoples and their future generations.”

The wider Victoria area is also getting ready to begin construction on the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre district which is expected to be completed in 2026. Located southwest of Melbourne, the district will be one of the biggest developments in regional Victoria, the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre district will include a purpose-built convention and exhibition space, incorporating a 1000 seat venue, two large exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, conference facilities and flexible event spaces. The district will also be home to retail spaces for food and beverage offerings, a large public plaza that promises to become a feature of the Geelong waterfront and a 200-room Crown Plaza hotel.

Equally as practical for planners, is the newly launched business events Adelaide interactive Planners Guide. Designed to demonstrate why Adelaide is the ideal business events destination, the online guide features a fly-through of the city’s innovation, cultural and business events precincts with embedded maps showing the city’s connectedness. As well as being a compact, connected city, it also has a firm hand on sustainable practices with the Adelaide Convention Centre achieving EarthCheck Master status – the first convention centre in the world to do so.