AIME – February 2017 – Record Growth for Business Events Sunshine Coast
Business events are estimated to be worth $40.8 million to the Sunshine Coast region with 27,384 delegates and 100,731 delegate days spent on the Sunshine Coast while international business event visitors have increased by a massive 165 percent for the period ending 2015/16 from 2014/15.*
These figures follow a string of events secured via the convention bureau, Business Event Sunshine Coast (BESC) over the past 12 months. During 2016, events included the Australian Smart Communities Summit, Australian Macadamia Industry Conference and Australian Event Awards from 2016 to 2018. The Australian Cruise Association and Australian Society of Travel Writers Conferences are just two events on the calendar for 2017.
Tiffany Bower, Business Events Manager said event planners are looking for something different, the standard four-wall city conference venue is no longer enough to entice delegates.
“The Sunshine Coast figures tell a story with a marked increase in association conferences which often attract significant numbers of international visitors. Associations are increasingly being drawn to regional destinations for our destination appeal, friendly service, receptive local suppliers and overall we can offer better value for their conference dollar, meaning they tend to stay longer.
“We have noted strong interest from New Zealand with the presence of our Visit Sunshine Coast representative in market along with our regular attendance via shows such as PAICE and ConveneQ now paying off.
“And of course, our international figures can also be attributed to improved air access with Air New Zealand flights, Qantas connectivity via Sydney and the wider Qantas international network as well as the Virgin connections via their international network.
“Our focus over the coming 18 months is to capitalise on the success of the past year to attract more events to the region, grow the share of business from Asia and New Zealand, build capacity and interest in the new Sunshine Coast Airport due for completion by 2020 and we will continue to build a strong case for an iconic convention/exhibition/events space,” added Ms Bower.
Following the development of a new website in 2016 with services tailored to event planners (www.businesseventssunshinecoast.com), BESC will launch their new 2017/18 planners guide at AIME showcasing latest accommodation, venues, offsite spaces, activities and signature incentive experiences.
BESC will be joined on their stand at AIME by Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort, Kingfisher Bay Resort, Novotel Twin Waters Resort and The Events Centre, Caloundra.
Business Events Sunshine Coast (BESC) is the convention bureau for the Sunshine Coast. It sits as a dedicated unit within Visit Sunshine Coast, the regional tourism organisation for the Sunshine Coast. BESC is a not-for-profit, membership based organisation.
BESC will be on AIME display stand number 1822
Queensland Business Events Survey – Sunshine Coast results
- Increase in the number of events – 7%
- Increase in delegate days – 62%
- Increase in delegates – 10%
- Increase in international delegates – 165%
- Increase in association events – 108%
- Average length of stay is 4 days. Up from 2 days in 2014/15.
Queensland Treasury and Trade Queensland Business Events Survey [QBES 2015-16 compared to QBES 2014-15].
