The industry weighs in on CSR
Leading DMCs write business for Australia at AIME
Focus on Asia with TABEE in March
Dreamtime...and the winner is Sydney!
Convention / conference statistics - December 2008

The industry weighs in on CSR

The launch of the results of the National Corporate Social Responsibility Audit at AIME was a key milestone for the industry. The results indicate that Australian operators are strongly committed to delivering sustainable business events. Many are also leading the way with best-practice standards. 

Australia has a true competitive edge in that it can deliver green events, in green venues all around the country. Of the 278 participants, the Audit found that 35 per cent of businesses hold at least one green accreditation, 31 per cent are currently seeking a form of accreditation and 27 per cent intend to seek accreditation in the next 12 months.

The key drivers for CSR activties are an increasing demand from clients, changes to company policy and regulatory requirements.

Two thirds of respondents say the European market is most interested in green products and services. Half also point to the United States of America and United Kingdom and one quarter point to Asia.

Business Events Australia will be using the data collected in the Audit to develop an inventory of accredited operators, collect case studies and itineraries with strong CSR credentials, and work with industry to encourage the ongoing adoption and review of accreditation.

A continued focus on CSR is vital to help protect our natural tourism assets and a business events industry that values both the environment and community will help to ensure the appeal of Australia in years to come.

To view the CSR Audit report, click here.

To view the CSR Audit media release, click here.

L-R Karen Mathieson, Caroline
Borland, Deb Saunders, Sonja
Soderbom, Rachel Walker.

Leading DMC's write business for Australia at AIME

Business Events Australia returned to AIME in 2009 with an expanded floor presence at the event and the inclusion of three of Australia’s leading national destination marketing companies (DMCs) on the Australia stand.

This partnership provided DMCs with an opportunity to write business for Australia as part of Business Events Australia’s activities.

Ms Karen Mathieson of ID Australia says “ID Australia was delighted to partner with Tourism Australia at AIME, and especially under the re-energised Business Events Australia brand. Having been in business since 1973, and acknowledging the challenging times, we support Tourism Australia’s strategic positioning and look forward to continuing success for our region”.

In an increasingly cluttered global environment, AIME provided another platform to take our message to the world about what Australia has to offer as a destination for corporate meetings and incentives. It is vital that we continue to build relationships with our clients.

To view the AIME 2009 media release, click here.

Focus on Asia with TABEE in March

With just over a week to go, the team behind TABEE is ramping up to deliver this exciting event in Kuala Lumpur. In its 11th year, TABEE brings qualified buyers from the Asian region to one destination within Asia.

The theme of TABEE 2009 is ‘Meet where environment and community matter’ and this year the event will showcase Australia’s capability to deliver sustainable business events with a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) focus.

Business Events Australia is delighted to announce that TABEE 2009 will be used to pilot a system that measures the CSR footprint of events. Working with Sustainable Events Solutions, the intention is to measure not only the environmental impact but also the social impact of TABEE. This has involved gathering of information on energy consumption, waste management, recycling initiatives and impacts on the local community. The results will be independently audited and will serve as a benchmark for all future events.

Despite the challenging times buyer numbers for TABEE are still on target.

To view the TABEE 2009 media release, click here.

To view the TABEE 2009 fact sheet, click here

Dreamtime...and the winner is Sydney!

Sydney has been selected as the host city for Australia’s premier incentive trade event, Dreamtime, to be held between 10-18 October this year – helping to generate future business for Australia’s high yielding business events sector.

The six-day event is expected to attract around 100 business events decision makers (buyers) and 20 international media from Australia’s key markets of Asia, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Given the current economic climate, events like Dreamtime, which allow buyers to experience the destination first-hand, are vital as evidence suggests once decision makers have experienced the destination for themselves perceived barriers such as time and distance are less significant.

Dreamtime will also be an opportune time to highlight Australia’s credentials for staging sustainable events. Sydney’s winning bid to host Dreamtime showed a strong focus on delivering a low carbon impact event with amazing first-hand experiences. 

The invigorated format will enable buyers to see more of Australia than ever before, with buyers spending four days in the host city, Sydney, and two days at a second destination within Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, the Northern Territory, or Brisbane/Sunshine Coast).

Again, our thanks to Business Events Sydney, all participating bureaux and our airline partner Qantas for their support and investment in this event.

To view the Dreamtime 2009 media release, click here.

To view the Dreamtime 2009 fact sheet, click here.