A Good Year for the Convention Bureau
29/06/2012
The past year has been a prosperous and productive one for Brisbane confirmed bid wins totalling $71.9 million.
Brisbane Marketing’s Convention Bureau Director Annabel Sullivan said this impressive achievement included some significant international bid wins led by Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) with support from Brisbane Marketing.
Some of the International bid wins led by BCEC with support from Brisbane Marketing included:
- Annual Meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) 2013
- SPE Unconventional Resources Congress 2013
- International Scientific Meeting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) 2015
- International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) 2016
“We are extremely happy with this result – and it shows what can be achieved by collaboration with industry, a great diversity of business events product in Brisbane and a clear message that we are a world-class meeting destination,” Ms Sullivan said.
Ms Sullivan said the city’s most significant bid win was the International Water Association (IWA) prestigious World Congress on Water 2016 – the world’s largest meeting for water practitioners and researchers. The Congress, to be held at BCEC, is expected to attract 3000 delegates delivering an estimated $9.5m in economic value to the city.
Brisbane Marketing have also confirmed Brisbane will host the 48th ISOCARP Congress (International Society of City and Regional Planners) in 2013 with an estimated economic value of over $1.1 million and an expected 450 attendees, including international planning practitioners, academics, public sector and planning administrators and representatives from planning associations.
Other highlights of 2011/12:
The Convention Bureau team also celebrated a number of personal development successes this year:
- Kylie McKenzie won the 2011 Association of Australian Convention Bureau (AACB) Vin Barron Staff Scholarship. This scholarship entitles her to travel to the USA in August 2012 to take part in the Associations Forum Annual Study Tour which includes two days of direct meetings with over eight major American associations. This will be followed by her attendance at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Dallas for four days attracts over 5,500 delegates. Kylie was announced the winner ahead of 7 other finalists from Bureaux around Australia and we are very proud of her achievement.
- A second outstanding achievement was earned by Deborah Lonne who won the 2011 ICCA and EIBTM (Global Meetings & Events Exhibition) Forum for Young Professionals Scholarship. Deborah competed with applicants from all over the world to be selected as one of 20 lucky winners who then travelled to Barcelona in November 2011 to participate in the Forum for Young Professionals as part of EIBTM (a leading global event for the meetings and events industry). As part of her application Deb had to complete a 500 word paper on the topic: The greatest challenge facing the international meetings industry today is ..... Deb chose to address the need for the international meetings industry to establish universally agreed measures to reflect the true value of meetings.
For more information on the convention bureau visit www.meetinbrisbane.com.au