Australia
Innovating Adelaide
outh Australia’s capital,
Adelaide, is evolving fast as
a medical conference
capital.
A new Innovation Corridor stretching
through the heart of the CBD has
attracted the attention of associations
and conference organisers.
The Adelaide Convention Centre
(ACC) sits at the heart of the Innovation
Corridor and provides direct
connectivity to both the A$3.6bn
BioMed City (the largest health and life
sciences precinct in the Southern
Hemisphere) and the developing Lot
Fourteen (Australia’s first innovation
neighbourhood).
The ACC actively targets conferences
that align with South Australia’s key
industry strengths, including health and
medical sciences; defence and space;
digital; creative industries; AgTech;
BioTech and energy. Knowledge transfer
also features strongly in the meetings
marketing message.
BioMed City embraces 18,000 people,
including 2,000 medical researchers and
the community is expected to grow
further with the addition of a new
Women’s and Children’s Hospital along
with SAHMRI 2, which will house the
Southern Hemisphere’s first proton
therapy unit.
Select examples of how the
connectivity between BioMed City and
the ACC has benefitted clients include:
• For the Cardiac Society of Australia
and New Zealand, it meant anchoring
their national conference in Adelaide for
a three-year term to have access to the
cardiac researchers next door at
SAHMRI.
• For the Australian & New Zealand
Endovascular Therapies meeting, it
meant being able to work with the Royal
Adelaide Hospital for a live cross from
surgery to the conference at the ACC.
• For the Australian Dental Congress it
meant attracting 1,000 day delegates to
their exhibition due to the University of
Adelaide Dental School being located
directly next to the convention centre.
Future big medical and health-related
events coming to the ACC include:
• November 2020: World Congress on
Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion
2020 (1,000 pax)
• August 2021: CSANZ Annual Scientific
Meeting & Australian and New Zealand
Endovascular Therapies Meeting
(anchored in Adelaide for a three-event
term 2019, 2021, 2023) (1,500 pax)
• October 2024: World Congress on
Medical Physics and Biomedical
Engineering (2,500 pax).
Simon Burgess, General Manager,
Adelaide Convention Centre tells CMW:
“If we could choose our neighbours,
BioMed City would have been at the top
of our list, particularly for a venue like
ours where medical and health related
events account for more than one-third
of our conference business.”
BioMed City can also provide a ready
supply of speakers and delegates for
conferences in the city.
Burgess notes the ACC teamed up
with SAHMRI’s nutrition and
metabolism theme to develop its Honest
Goodness menu, with its emphasis on
minimal intervention foods and
“People
around the
globe aren’t
always
aware of the
incredible
beauty - and
innovation
- that can
be found in
Adelaide.”
conscious reduction of processed
elements.
Professor Steve Wesselingh,
SAHMRI Executive Director, adds:
“With BioMed City precinct being next
door to the Convention Centre means
that when there is a cardiovascular
conference, for example, the cardiologists
from overseas and interstate can wander
up, talk to us, visit our labs, visit the
hospital.
“People organising conferences talk to
us about visiting SAHMRI, the potential
for students to be involved in their
conference, or for students involved in
their conference to come up to SAHMRI
and meet our students.”
Yvette van Eenennaam, General
Manager, Adelaide BioMed City, adds:
“Whenever I am travelling for business,
I try to combine the conference I’m
attending with some visits to institutions
to meet with experts in my area.
Adelaide offers an abundance of these
opportunities – from our Adelaide
BioMed City to Tonsley Innovation
District with its focus on hi-tech
manufacturing and R&D; and more
recently, Lot Fourteen. People around
the globe aren’t always aware of the
incredible beauty - and innovation - that
can be found here.”
Adelaide Convention Bureau’s annual
showcase events, targeted at specific
sectors are one way of introducing
potential buyers to the city’s key assets.
Another is familiarisation tours –
including to the National Wine Centre
and some of the many local wineries.
The World Potato Congress was one
major conference secured after its
international decision-makers were
hosted and experienced all the
destination has to offer.
Damien Kitto, Adelaide Convention
Bureau CEO says future showcases will
expand upon the strongsuit themes in
co-operation with the State Government
and introduce new focuses including
space research, “thanks to the newly
formed Australian Space Agency, located
in the heart of the CBD”.
Below: Adelaide
SAHMRI building;
photo by
Peter Clarke
Photography
ISSUE 104
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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33