Adelaide Invests in Business Events to Drive Economic Growth

An influx of luxury hotels and the refurbishment of existing ones have contributed to Adelaide’s popularity for business events. 

For example, the 285-room Marriott Hotel opened in August in the landmark General Post Office building. Sofitel opened in November of 2021. It was the first new-build, international five-star hotel to open in Adelaide’s central business district in 30 years. The Adelaide Oval Hotel and Eos by SkyCity both opened in 2020. 

Last year, Business Events Adelaide, previously the Adelaide Convention Bureau, secured 174 business events for future years. More than 60,000 attendees are expected to attend, valued at over $336 million.

Rates in the city have increased and the amount of delegate economic impact had to be recalculated. The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies from the University of Adelaide upped the estimated per day spend of a business event delegate from $415 to $765.

Financial Incentives for Meeting in Adelaide 

In addition, the South Australian government has committed an additional $9.2 million over four years to support business events. A financial incentive is available for business events that meet specific criteria. In particular, those that align with the strategic priorities of the state including health and medical research, innovation, renewable and clean energy production, space, AI, and machine learning. There is also a focus on business events that occur during the winter months of June, July, and August.

The latest conference to book Adelaide is the Asia-Pacific International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX). It just signed a 10-year contract that begins next year.  

Business Events Adelaide CEO Damien Kitto said AIMEX is a significant win for Adelaide, one which will generate more than $250 million for the South Australian economy over the next 10 years.

The entire country of Australia is experiencing a business events surge. Tourism Research Australia data shows arrivals are back to 75 percent of 2019 levels, with 757,000 international business event visitors coming to Australia in the year ending March 2024. Meanwhile, international business event expenditures have surpassed COVID levels at nearly $4.57 billion.