Over 42,000 delegates who will spend close to 190,000 delegate days in Sydney and greater New South Wales (NSW) will take part in the international business events already confirmed for the city for 2017. And, this number will continue to grow.
Scientists, technologists, researchers, engineers, CEOs, and clinicians are among those heading to Sydney for the opportunity to collaborate with their international communities as well as Australia’s local industry, business and government networks.
“Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) success, securing over 106 events from now up until 2023, reinforces global confidence in the city and its ability to shape outcomes for tomorrow,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Events Sydney (BESydney). “I see our role as a curator of the future – attaining international business events that inspire collaboration, innovation and best practice.”
It’s also an exciting time in Sydney with the new International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) opening in December this year. The venue will be in full swing by the time it hosts the International Association of Restructuring Insolvency Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL) World Quadrennial Congress, secured by BESydney for March 2017.
The events scheduled for 2017 will be held in ICC Sydney and other leading venues such as Four Points by Sheraton Darling Harbour, Sydney (becoming Hyatt Regency Sydney from December), Intercontinental Sydney, Sheraton on the Park, and SMC Conference Centre.
In line with BESydney’s strategy to secure events with the most impact for the State, a large percentage of the confirmed business falls within the priority sectors of professional services, technology, science, health and education, including OpenStack Summit 2017 with 4,500 delegates, International Society for Digital Earth Symposium with 800 delegates, and the International Bar Association Annual Conference with 4,000 delegates.
Three of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conferences confirmed for Sydney will also be held in 2017, with two set for ICC Sydney. “The Congress is a priceless opportunity for the global leadership team of volunteers to come together and work to shape our future. I’m excited that Australia will soon host it,” said Vaughan Clarkson, Chair of the IEEE Sections Congress 2017.
“We invest in the success of every association that chooses Sydney,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Events Sydney. “Here you can strengthen ties with global industry, and your delegates can learn, collaborate with peers and tick an experience off their bucket list.”
In 2017, corporate incentive business secured will attract 14,700 delegates who will stay 70,900 delegate days in NSW, generating an estimated $71 million in direct expenditure. These figures will continue to grow as BESydney secures more short-lead Asian events. Companies such as Prudential Hong Kong, NU SKIN Korea, Babycare China and AXA Hong Kong have confirmed the city for their upcoming incentives after being attracted to Sydney’s blend of natural beauty, unique Aussie experiences and ever-changing team building activities. Also, key to their decisions was the city’s ability to deliver beyond expectations.
The largest incentive for the year will be Amway China, which is returning to Sydney for its third time with half repeat delegates and half that have never experienced Sydney on an Amway incentive before.
“Asian incentives offer significant economic value as well as cultural and business exchange for a host destination,” said Ms Lewis-Smith. BESydney research shows the average business traveller spends up to 6.5 times more than a leisure traveler and this money extends beyond Sydney with most incentive programs involving a regional component.
Client testimonials on their upcoming Sydney conferences:
“Sydney was a compelling choice to host our 2017 Annual Conference, as a world class city and a leading Asia Pacific hub for the international legal profession. The city’s combination of professional excellence, innovation and friendliness is well reflected in its grand and forward-looking convention centre on the harbourside.” – Tim Hughes, Deputy Executive Director of the International Bar Association.
“When the OpenStack Community meets next year in Sydney – it will be the single largest gathering of cloud computing techs in t-shirts yet seen in Sydney.” – Tristan Goode, Founder of the OpenStack community in Australia, India, Taiwan and Hungary, and Aptira CEO and Board Director.
“Australia is the home of one of the largest and most robust groups of magnetic resonance technologists in the world. This is one area where Australia is a leader and sets an example for communication, quality, and improving the patient experience.” – Roberta Kravitz, Executive Director, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
“There’s a growing IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)membership in the Asia-Pacific region, from China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, so Sydney’s accessibility makes it attractive from this perspective.” – Michael Khoo, EMBS VP of Conferences 2016-2017, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics at the University of Southern California.
