Sydney's Mega-Events Migrating to Sydney Olympic Park

With the upcoming closure of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC), many of Sydney’s larger events have already announced their re-location to Sydney Olympic Park.

This week two major events, the 2014 and 2016 Sydney-based Australian International Motor Show and the 2014 Rotary International Convention have releases statements about the relocation.

Yesterday (18 June) Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, announced that Rotary International has confirmed its 2014 Rotary International Convention event will remain in Sydney, and will re-locate to Sydney Olympic Park.

After winning the initial bid in 2006, Sydney was required to resubmit an extensive proposal showcasing Sydney Olympic Park as the host venue, due to the closure of SCEC from the end of this year for an extensive three- year expansion and redevelopment of the Sydney International Convention and Exhibition Precinct (SICEEP).

The 2014 Rotary International Convention will be held in June and is expected to attract up to 18,000 delegates who will spend 72,000 delegate days in Sydney and deliver an economic impact of $60.5 million to the state.

“This is a great example of NSW’s flexibility and agility when it comes to hosting world-class events. Government and the private sector have rallied together to make sure that the promised Rotary 2014 event will be delivered seamlessly, despite the required venue change,” said Souris.

“This is a spectacular result for our visitor economy, with the event delivering an estimated economic impact of $60.5 million. It is also a strong demonstration that Sydney is well and truly open for business – even during the SICEEP development period.”

Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said, “We are thrilled to hear that the international Rotary delegation will still be coming to Sydney in 2014. Such a mega-event is an amazing opportunity to demonstrate the skill and adaptability of our industry.”

“BESydney worked hand in hand with the NSW Government and Sydney Olympic Park Authority on venue options. We showcased the flexibility, diversity and passion that ‘Team Sydney’ had to offer the Rotary event in 2014. This has delivered a fantastic outcome for Sydney, NSW and Australia’s global reputation,” she added.

The 2012 Australian International Motor Show in October will remain at SCEC.

“Whilst the SCEC has been our home for twenty three shows, we are very much looking forward to the opportunities presented to us and exhibitors alike at Sydney Showground,” said Australian International Motor Show, event director, Russ Tyrie.

“The Sydney Olympic Park venue will enable the Motor Show to grow and become a more diverse event, with the expansive outdoor areas giving exhibitors more room and the chance to host both on and off stand activities – the possibilities are practically endless.”

“SCEC has been a wonderful venue for Motor Shows in Sydney over the years, hosting hundreds of model reveals with almost five million visitors streaming through its doors to see the best that the Australian automotive industry has to offer,” said Tyrie.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how the plans shape up for its redevelopment; but rest assured, the 2012 Australian International Motor Show at SCEC promises to be a fantastic send-off to a great venue.”

Industry Leaders Check In for Serviced Apartments Summit

After 30 years of sustained growth, serviced apartments have emerged as a major component of the accommodation industry. Currently representing over a quarter of total room supply in Australia, the sector has accounted for almost 70% of all new room supply over the past decade.

Apart from successfully servicing the needs of travellers, the industry has been responsible for providing both a major source of employment for young and older Australians, as well as a source for investment in both individual serviced apartments and the management rights businesses that support them. In Queensland alone it is estimated that over 3,000 management rights schemes are in operation in what has become a multi billion dollar industry.

To discuss the future of the industry, serviced apartment owners, operators, developers, lenders, advisers and other stakeholders, as well as hoteliers and interested real estate professionals will meet in Sydney on 25 July 2012 at the 2nd annual Serviced Apartments Summit to hear from industry leaders and experts and to network with peers. The Summit is the only event of its type in the region.

A stellar cast of industry leaders will address the 2012 Summit including:

		Choe Peng Sum Chief Executive Officer Frasers Hospitality			Bob East Chief Executive Officer Mantra Group			Paul Constantinou Chairman Quest Serviced Apartments
		Rachel Argaman Chief Executive Officer Toga Hospitality			Murray Boyte Chief Executive Officer Ariadne Australia			Sid Knell Chief Executive Officer Prime Group Australia
		Ian Crooks Managing Director Resort Brokers Australia			Roland Jegge Vice President Asia Pacific Worldhotels			Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala General Manager Bus. Dev. & Marketing Hind Group
		Jose Ventura VP Asia Pac, Mid.East & Africa Bus. Dev. Preferred Hotel Group			Lindsay Leeser Director Development Asia Accor			Michael Moret-Lalli Director of Acquisitions Mantra Group

 The Summit is a pre-event to the Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Hotel Industry Conference (ANZPHIC 2012) that will be held on 26 and 27 July at the Hilton Sydney. For over a decade, ANZPHIC has been the main event on the regional accommodation industry calendar, attracting over 400 CEO's and other senior industry delegates, as well as 30 Sponsors, Exhibitors and Supporters. A majority of those delegates also attend the Summit. Subject to availability, two-day delegates at ANZPHIC 2012 can attend the Summit for free. Alternatively registration for the Summit alone can be made. The event was a sell-out in 2011 and a similar outcome in expected this year so early registration is advised.

In an industry first in 2012, at the conclusion of the Summit, delegates will join delegates from ANZPHIC and two other co-located industry events taking place at the same time to enjoy Megameet Greet, a major industry networking function to be held at the Hilton Sydney.

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Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre takes traffic management online

In a first for the Australian events industry, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has designed an online traffic management system for its exhibition hall loading docks.
The move is part of the Centre’s ongoing program to boost operational efficiency and recognises the high level of demand put on the Centre’s six exhibition halls, which are the busiest in the country.

The new system enables a central traffic controller to log all truck arrivals online, and advise waiting drivers by SMS when it is their turn to move to the loading dock to offload or collect exhibition material.

The system also allows exhibition organisers to easily review the flow of traffic during their event, while freight companies can access the system to assess waiting times for their vehicles.

Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said the Centre’s security team had studied venue traffic management methods worldwide before partnering with a company to tailor-make its own system, which breaks new ground.

“No other venue in Australia has an online management system and whilst some international venues use them, we discovered that none of them offered the detail we need so we decided to create our own,” Mr van Amerongen said.

“The new system is premised on the need for efficiency and safety on the loading docks. Not only does it reduce the waiting time for trucks, it keeps all the key players in the loop during the crucial days spent setting up and dismantling an exhibition.”

Mr van Amerongen said the program also provided post-event reports which could be used by organisers to assist planning for future events.

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Australia is the Ultimate Incentive: Business Events Australia

With some 90-plus per cent of surveyed Americans saying they have always wanted to go to Australia, Business Events Australia is confident that Australia is in good stead to incentivize employees.

e-Travel Blackboard was on location at last week’s IMEX America in Las Vegas, where regional general manager Daryl Hudson shared findings of a recent study revealing that Australia is the number one desired incentive destination for Corporate End Users, after cash incentives.

The survey also saw American event organizers list Australia as a once in a lifetime experience for many delegates.

“We are thus in a good position to play an important role in incentivizing employees to achieve and to win that Australian trip,” Mr Hudson said.

With Australia’s diverse array of destination offerings, its ability to make conducting business a breeze and its strong aviation linkages to North America, Mr Hudson told e-Travel Blackboard he wwas pleased with the enquiries at the inaugural IMEX America, symptomatic of the country’s overall performance.

According to Mr Hudson, Australia had a great year for business events in 2010, a success that has been maintained into 2011.

“We saw an overall 19 percent increase of business in 2010 over 2009 from the United States.

“Up until June this year (which is the latest data we have available), we saw a three per cent increase in the convention and conference arrivals and a nine per cent increase in total business arrivals.”

The US is Australia’s second largest source market for business events after Commonwealth neighbor, New Zealand.

Next month Business Events Australia will host fifteen US delegates at Dreamtime, Tourism Australia’s premier incentive showcase.

(Source: eTravelblackboard.com)