Conference & Meetings World Supplements Australia Supplement | Page 16

G20

On show for historic G20
Hosting the G20 summit sent Brisbane's profile soaring on a global scale

A

ustralia’s
year-long G20
presidency
ended on a high in
Brisbane in November
2014, with US President
Barack Obama
describing the
Queensland capital
as ‘a global city in a
globalised world’. Such
praise confirmed that
Brisbane deserves its
reputation as a city of
true international standing
and significance.
Hosting the G20 not
only gave Australia a
valuable opportunity
to influence the global
economic agenda and
strengthen engagement
with the world’s major
economies, but it also
provided an opportunity
to showcase the very
best Australia has to offer
to a global audience.
During the presidency,
Australia lead a series of
preparatory meetings
and events in locations
across the country,
including Hobart, Uluru,
Melbourne, Sydney and
Cairns, culminating in the
G20 Leaders’ Summit

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in Brisbane - the most
significant meeting of
world leaders Australia
has ever hosted.
Brisbane’s success in
delivering a memorable
G20 Leaders’ Summit
was due in no small part
to the capacity and
capability of its dynamic
business events industry.
A series of high-profile
initiatives created
exceptional local
experiences for visitors
and delegates, and
guaranteed that the G20
Leaders’ Summit leaves
a valuable long-term
legacy for the city as an
event destination.
To ensure Brisbane
is remembered as
the `friendly G20 host
city’, more than 2,000
Brisbane tourism and
hospitality workers, taxi
drivers and official G20
volunteers completed
Brisbane Marketing’s
'Brisbane Welcomes the
World' training program,
which encouraged
participants to think
about what makes
Brisbane special and how
they could best share it

CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD

with visitors to the city.
Tourism Australia
Managing Director,
John O’Sullivan said:
“Australia’s hosting of
the G20 has been a
wonderful opportunity to
show the world why we
are regarded as a leader
in delivering business
events. Brisbane has
now hosted a meeting
of some of the world’s
most important leaders
and created a total
G20 city experience
that has simultaneously
showcased the
exceptional food,
facilities and cultural
experiences we have on
offer here in Australia.”
While the G20
provided wonderful
opportunities for many
of Australia