Business Events Adelaide

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (22:45): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises that 2024 will mark the 50^th anniversary since the founding of Business Events Adelaide (formerly known as the Adelaide Convention Bureau);

2. Acknowledges Business Events Adelaide is the peak independent body for South Australia’s business events;

3. Notes the significant role that Business Events Adelaide performs in attracting national and international conventions, meetings, exhibitions, corporate incentives, and special events to Adelaide and South Australia;

4. Commends Business Events Adelaide for promoting Adelaide and South Australia as an attractive and preferred destination for business events; and

5. Recognises the impact and contributions of Business Events Adelaide as a successful economic driver and catalyst for growth and prosperity for South Australia.

It is a great honour to rise today to congratulate Business Events Adelaide (BEA) and recognise that 2024 marks the 50^th anniversary since the founding of Business Events Adelaide, formerly known as the Adelaide Convention Bureau.

The Adelaide Convention Bureau was founded in 1974 and was rebranded and repositioned to Business Events Adelaide in 2022 to better reflect what they do and how the national business events sector is being positioned. Business Events Adelaide's brief is simply to attract and win business events for South Australia, which are a valued and proven short and long-term economic driver for the state.

Business Events Adelaide currently has 138 members, including Adelaide Airport, AHA, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide Oval, SkyCity, Adelaide Festival Centre, National Wine Centre and all the major hotels, event organisers and providers. The business events sector is worth more than $2.5 billion to South Australia and Business Events Adelaide contributes some $250 million of that, working on a budget of just $2.9 million.

I want to begin by commending and congratulating the board and executive team at BEA for all of their hard work and dedication in leading the charge to promote South Australia as a destination for business events. BEA is led by an eight-member board of committee volunteers including Chair Ian Horne, Deputy Chair Catherine Cooper, Jim Kouts, Martin Radcliffe, Carmel Noon, Cindy Hynes, Anne-Marie Quinn and Llewellyn Wyeth.

Ian Horne, in particular, brings with him an impressive wealth of knowledge and experience of working in business events and tourism and hospitality industries, having served as CEO of AHA SA for 34 years. During his time helming AHA, Ian's impact has been felt in tourism, training, licensing, gaming and industrial relations, and his list of achievements is long and illustrious.

Ian developed the nation's best practice industry-led harm minimisation measures through COVID. Ian's experience and capacity to work through all the complexities where there was no playbook to call upon saved many hoteliers and AHA SA members, but Ian's greatest asset was his ability to recognise talent and assemble an outstanding team around him which laid the most solid of foundations for AHA SA and the industry to continue to flourish well into the future. Ian left a strong legacy at AHA. Fortunately, his corporate knowledge, extensive networks and expertise can be channelled into his current position with Business Events Adelaide, and his ongoing work continues to play an important role in shaping our tourism and hospitality industries.

Business Events Adelaide also has a full-time team of hardworking individuals who are committed to ensuring some of the best events come here to our state. I want to give a special shout-out to CEO Damien Kitto. Damien joined the Business Events Adelaide team as chief executive officer in 2008 following extensive experience at Events South Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Damien has a successful track record of facilitating collaboration across the private and public sectors, having also served as president of the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux and deputy chair of the Business Events Council of Australia. He provides strong leadership with a clear strategic focus for the Australian and South Australian business events sector. It is always wonderful to meet with Damien and also the chair, Ian Horne, on a number of issues that are impacting the South Australian tourism and hospitality sector.

I also want to take this moment to commend the rest of the highly effective team at Business Events Adelaide. From the most recent report in the financial year of 2022-23, the Business Events Adelaide team secured 123 business events for the state, worth some $218 million for four years. They have bid for and won a number of heavily contested business events, such as the 11^th International Masters of Wine Symposium and the 26^th annual IPOS World Congress of Psycho-Oncology and Psychosocial Academy.

The list also includes Dreamtime, Tourism Australia's signature biennial incentive showcase, designed to increase the awareness of Australia as an outstanding incentive destination. The event provides the Australian business events industry the opportunity to connect with qualified incentive buyers from around the world, while showcasing Australia's best incentive experiences and products.

It is classed by the sector as the number one gathering of business event specialists and event clients for corporate incentives. It provides Adelaide with a stunning audience to illustrate all that we do and was a massive win for Adelaide to procure this event. The state business events sector has recovered post COVID to again be a highly competitive $2.5 billion sector. Nationally, South Australia continues to lead other states in two critical factors as a strong business events destination.

Firstly, Business Events Adelaide can show easily and clearly that Adelaide operates successfully with a collegial team approach to business event organisers and their delegates. No other Australian capital city has yet been able to coordinate all sectors working together end to end as a business events team for the common good, from airport to airport and all points in between, including hotels, venues, hospitality outlets and local transport. This is a hugely positive attribute in attracting business events and making us very competitive internationally.

Secondly, was the realisation that it is the economic tail that is a vital component in attracting and benefiting from a business event. This economic tail concept is probably best explained by CEO Damien Kitto, and I quote:

Business Events Adelaide is first and foremost an economic driver for Adelaide and South Australia…Business events fill hotel rooms, venues, restaurants etc but our valued business delegates spend three times more each day (A$632…) than a tourist or a major events visitor and that is an important differentiation. They also leave a strong economic tail from their visit.

These delegates are focused on returning home with tangible business results from their time with us, be it from knowledge transfer, research collaborations or business partnerships. And such economic results from business events deliver strong advantages for South Australia.

By leading the country in these two critical factors, Business Events Adelaide has managed to accomplish rapid growth for our business events sector and has greatly contributed to our visitor economy. In the financial year of 2023, Business Events Adelaide secured more than 125 events, generating $250 million for our state economy. Of these events, 12 were from international business event organisers.

In particular, the May and June period proved extremely productive, with 26 events being held, generating an immediate $67 million into our state economy. Among the largest events held were Royal College of Surgeons, with 2,000 people attending; Austmine, with 1,300 people; Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, with 2,450 people; and Hort Connections, with 3,450 people. In total, there were visits made by 53,000 delegates who spent 256,200 bed nights over the 2022-23 financial year period.

Looking forward, Business Events Adelaide were able to secure 123 future business events from 164 bid proposals submitted. These future events are forecasted at a value of $218 million for the state economy. How is BEA able to bring so many important business events to South Australia and what services does their team provide?

As I mentioned before, BEA supports business events relevant to Adelaide's primary areas of industry and specialty by providing a range of free professional services designed to allow bid leaders to focus valuable time and resources on the top line business event goals. Its role is to provide assistance and guidance to business events organisers through every stage of planning and to utilise their depth of local knowledge and breadth of experience.

With these wonderful achievements by Business Events Adelaide, once again it is a great honour tonight to move this motion to recognise the impact and contribution of Business Events Adelaide as a successful economic driver and catalyst for growth and prosperity for South Australia. I wish them a very happy 50^th anniversary and I commend the motion.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.