What impact did Covid have on your business in 2022 ? Are events firmly back ? Business events are certainly back . Clients are demonstrating significant desire to meet again , and we ’ re confident that we will surpass 2019 business levels during the 2022 / 2023 financial year . ACC is poised to return record benefit to the South Australian economy and its specialty sectors .

What have the main challenges been in 2022 ? The business events industry has been hit by labour challenges . Ensuring we have all the best people in place has required a significant effort in terms of recruitment and staff development . Since Covid , it is evident that clients are more conscious about creatively incorporating technology , sustainability , wellness and connection to country into their conference programmes . We have worked hard to reflect these elements in our offerings .

Connection to country In our latest menu , we ’ ve built upon our Honest Goodness concept by integrating traditional native ingredients , as well as providing opportunity for delegates to experience one of the world ’ s oldest cultures . While these ingredients have been used by smaller restaurants for some time , the challenge for large-scale venues such as ours was related to volume and consistency of supply . So , local growers source these ingredients especially for us and even join us in the kitchen as we design new dishes .

Wellness ACC ’ s central location on the Adelaide Riverbank means that planners can easily incorporate daily rituals into their conference programmes , as well as riverside walks or fun runs to start each day before treating delegates to a wellness juice or coffee on the promenade .

Sustainability We were the world ’ s first convention centre to achieve Earthcheck ’ s Platinum status for best practice in business and environmental sustainability and are now well on our way to Master status . We ’ re obsessed with energy and water conservation , responsible sourcing , food redistribution , and

minimising waste to landfill , and work closely with clients on sustainable event management .

Sustainable exhibitions are a particular focus , and we ’ re proud to work with partners such as Adelaide Expo Hire . It was fantastic to see the recent Mortgage Choice National Conference opt for more sustainable display stands within their recent exhibition . This included crafting walling from 100 % repulpable and recyclable Eco Boards , as well as using exhibition counters made from recycled pallets .

What major national / international events are on the books for 2023 and beyond ? Recently , we hosted the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education ( WIPCE ), which was a significant coup for both South Australia . On the horizon , we are set to welcome :

• evokeAG ( February 2023 ) a global agrifood innovation and tech event ;

• International Baccalaureate Global Conference ( March 2023 );

• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting ( May 2023 );

• 12th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction ( ASPIRE 2023 ) ( September 2023 ).

Adelaide is also home to many global thought leaders and we have built meaningful connections with these experts to leverage opportunities for organisers and delegates . It ’ s about creating a unique value proposition for an Association and its members .

Adelaide ’ s innovation districts are continuing to grow and , as mentioned in the previous article , some of them are located within walking distance to Adelaide Convention Centre .

From a hotel perspective , we ’ ve seen an additional 1,200 rooms open since the beginning of 2020 , including the five-star Sofitel Adelaide and Eos by SkyCity . In the coming year , Adelaide will welcome both Marriott and Hyatt properties to the city centre – both of which will be just a short walk or tram ride from the ACC .

Martin Radcliffe