SCVB and Events NSW forge new partnership

New South Wales is forecasting a significant hike in its share of the international business events market, following a new partnership between the State’s two major event bodies, Events New South Wal

New South Wales is forecasting a significant hike in its share of the international business events market, following a new partnership between the State’s two major event bodies, Events New South Wales and the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB).

SCVB managing director Jon Hutchison said the new arrangement would see NSW Government support for the Bureau more than double from its 2006-07 level, enabling it to substantially increase the number of business events it targeted.

“Thanks to our new partnership with Events NSW, we are able to boost our activities, both here and overseas, so we will have the ability to bid for many more meetings,” Mr Hutchison said. “More bids will mean more events, which ultimately translates to a greater economic impact not just for the business events industry but also for the wider community of NSW.”

Both organizations have jointly finalized their 2008-09 partnership agreement, creating an alliance that will bring unprecedented strength to the State’s campaign to win more major events and business events.

As the State’s leading business events body, the SCVB will bring its industry-based expertise to the new government-backed major events corporation Events NSW.

Events NSW CEO Geoff Parmenter said his organization would be working closely with the SCVB in a pioneering model for industry-government cooperation, enabling the two bodies to share resources and information and oversee a united approach to winning events.

“This new relationship gives us the means to unlock the true potential of the NSW business events industry as identified by the O’Neill report into the events sector, and drive more business to NSW,” Mr. Parmenter said.

Mr. Hutchison said the agreement was a strategic partnership that would draw on the support of the SCVB’s member base.

“Ongoing private investment is vital to maintaining higher levels of government support,” Mr. Hutchison said. “Under our new partnership with Events NSW, private sector investment will continue to make an essential contribution to the overall strategic plan.”

Mr. Hutchison said the SCVB had increased its staff in the UK and Hong Kong and would be lifting its sales, research and marketing efforts in Australia over the coming months.

The formalization of the SCVB and Events NSW relationship follows a string of major bid wins for Sydney in recent weeks including the 8000-delegate Asia Pacific Life Insurance Council (APLIC) Congress in 2011, the 8000-delegate World Conference on Lung Cancer in 2013 and the XXXII International Congress of Audiology for 1600 delegates in 2014. Together these events are worth an estimated $43.6 million to the local economy.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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