BE to play integral part in Government's future Tourism strategy

We are pleased to announce that the AACB Annual Conference is set to be held in Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast from 12 - 14 August 2018. The Conference offers a unique opportunity for competing destinations to network, share ideas and work collaboratively to grow the overall business events market within Australia. More information coming soon.

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Incoming event organiser for AIME 2019, Talk2 Media & Events recently announced changes to the Hosted Buyers program that will focus on delivering quality, quantity and a geographic split of buyers from the Asia-Pacific region. Another major initiative will see additional networking opportunities on the show floor each day and a new event on the Tuesday evening. The three pillars of commerce, education and networking will be at the core of the event.

Contact: Jay Martens, Event Director, jay.martens@talk2.media, Phone: +61 416 417 117

Following AIME last week, we hosted our bi-annual Bureau Exchange, including senior representatives from each of our members.

• Reed Exhibitions thanked our members for their support for AIME over the years. 
• Talk 2 Media & Events provided an update on changes for AIME in the future, taking on board critical feedback from the convention bureaux network. 
• Tourism Australia provided an update on their trade calendar for the year ahead and results of recent activity including Dreamtime.
• Australian Tourism Data Warehouse presented an overview of ATDW and new opportunities for the business events industry.
• The meeting concluded with a round-table discussion on member collaboration and AACB projects. 

Applications for the Destinations International Prize (previously DMAI Prize) are now open!  This prize is designed to encourage and promote career development of junior level bureau staff from AACB members. The winner will receive the opportunity to attend the 2018 Destinations International Annual Convention in Anaheim, California, USA, including complimentary return flights and accommodation. To apply, applicants must submit a YouTube video (no longer than 3 mins) answering 3 questions.

To receive more information, including helpful hints and tips on your application REGISTER YOUR INTEREST>

The Women in Export Scholarship offered by Austrade in partnership with Chief Executive Women offers a senior business woman in an internationally-focused role, a scholarship to attend Harvard Business School’s Disruptive Innovation - Strategies for a Successful Enterprise course to be delivered in Boston, Massachusetts on 9 - 14 July 2018.

The scholarship will cover course fees, airfares and on-campus accommodation. Applications close 19 March 2018.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics: Year-on-year comparison of visitors arriving to attend a convention/conference for the 12 months to December 2017 shows an overall increase of 30%. There were a total of 14,700 arrivals in December 2017 whose main purpose of coming to Australia was a convention/conference. This translates to a 34% increase from December 2016 (11,000). 

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