INDUSTRY NEWS
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Barcelona overtakes Paris and Vienna in
ICCA rankings
Business events bid
fund delivers first win
The Federal Government’s new $12
million Boosting Business Events Bid
Fund Program has helped secure a
major event to be held in Melbourne.
The Union International des Transports
(UITP) Publics Global Public Transport
Summit 2021 is the first event to be
supported by the Bid Fund Program
which was launched earlier this year.
The four-day event will see 2000 delegates
from all over the world meet at the newly
expanded Melbourne Convention and
Exhibition Centre in June 2021.
“This is a fantastic coup for Australia
and I’d like to acknowledge the
Melbourne Convention Bureau for
their efforts in securing this event,”
said Minister for Trade, Tourism and
Investment Steven Ciobo.
The biannual UITP Global Public Transport
Summit has operated for more than 130
years, with Melbourne’s bid win marking
the first time the event will be held in the
Southern Hemisphere in 28 years.
Melbourne beat Moscow and Hamburg to
secure the Summit, with Victorian Minister
for Tourism and Major Events John Eren
saying that Melbourne’s infrastructure
boom made it a perfect choice.
“With the biggest infrastructure pipeline
in the country this Summit belongs in
Victoria,” Eren said. “Melbourne has an
enviable reputation for hosting world
class business events and our MCEC
expansion will continue to bring more of
them to our state.”
EEAA report shows reason for
optimism in the exhibition sector
Despite increasing competition, the growth
of new event types and ongoing issues
with recruitment, the mood across the
exhibition and event industry in 2017 was
generally positive with organisers, venues
and suppliers all experiencing growth and
notably less concerned with the economic
climate than in previous years.
These are some of the key findings of
the Exhibition and Event Association
of Australasia’s (EEAA) 2018 Market
Monitor research, which measured the
state of the industry in 2017.
EEAA president Spiro Anemogiannis
cited year-on-year growth for organisers
over the past year versus 2016 and
higher reported exhibitor satisfaction
scores in the Asia Pacific region
compared to other regions as positive
outcomes from the research.
“While we acknowledge the challenges
we face as an industry, in areas like
being able to find skilled staff and labour,
we can also appreciate that there are
a lot of positives to take away from
the past year, like improved economic
conditions that have facilitated growth,”
Anemogiannis said.
“The data also reinforces the idea that
exhibitions and events are changing.
‘Festivalisation’ – or adding more
entertainment elements to events – is
a growing trend to increase delegate
numbers and enhance the visitor
experience. Interestingly, research
by UFI earlier this year, suggested
Australasian organisers were more open
to innovative event models than the rest
of the region, so we expect to see the
event model continue to evolve.”
Health, travel, education and business
are seen as sectors with the greatest
potential for event growth, while mining
was singled out as the sector in decline,
according to the report.
Barcelona has
claimed first place
in the International
Congress and
Convention
Association (ICCA)
city rankings by number of meetings in
2017 for the first time since 2004, while
the US has retained its number one spot
in the Country rankings.
Christchurch Convention Centre name unveiled
Te Pae has been
selected as the
official name for
the Christchurch
Convention Centre
opening in 2020.
Several events have been confirmed for
2021, including the five-day Federation
of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and
Molecular Biologists conference.
Seoul Tourism Organization relaunches
with new leader
Former executive
vice president of
the Korea Tourism
Organization
Jae-sung Rhee has
been appointed the
first president and CEO of Seoul Tourism
Organization, which officially relaunched
under a different legal status on May 1,
when it was restructured into a fully
government-funded foundation.
Singapore Tourism Board chief Lionel Yeo
to step down
Singapore Tourism
Board (STB) chief
executive Lionel Yeo
has stepped down
after six years at the
helm. Yeo took on
the role of chief executive in 2012, during
which time he helped STB and the
tourism sector to achieve record highs
in tourism receipts and visitor arrivals.
Barnett leaves Reed Exhibitions
Graeme Barnett
has left Reed
Exhibitions after
22 years with
the company. He
stepped down from
his role as senior exhibitions director of
the IBTM events portfolio following an
internal restructure. “I leave with a sense
of excitement for the future and a sense
of pride in the past,” said Barnett.
www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 3, 2018 7