Brisbane is increasingly pulling out all stops to win economically valuable conventions and conferences in bidding wars that sometimes rival the competition to attract an Olympics.
With bidding by rival cities for major scientific and medical conferences starting five or six years before an event, the stakes are increasingly high in the multi-billion dollar business events sector.
The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC), which has played host to millions including Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, the Dalai Lama and Prince William, is in the middle of its biggest capital works program since it opened 30 years ago to ensure it keeps attracting the big events.
The BCEC’s development come as the 4,000 square metre Royal International Convention Centre within the Brisbane Showgrounds precinct, undergoes a transformative $2.9 billion regeneration in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic Games.Â
The Great Hall at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. (Supplied: BCEC)
Bringing an edge to bidding
BCEC general manager Kym Guesdon said an important strategy for the centre was developing its team of “advocates” that help give it an edge in bidding for major events.
Advocates are unpaid ambassadors that work with the centre to build support for future conventions and have included high-profile scientists such as immunologist Ian Frazer and scientist Max Lu.
That extra push often helps Brisbane punch above its weight against bigger and wealthier cities.
The effort to attract conventions underlines the events’ economic attractiveness — Ms Guesdon said conventions and business events were vital for the survival of the broader hospitality sector.Â
“Business events are less sexy than sports and entertainment events,” she said. “But these are usually on weekends while business events provide hotels and restaurants with the revenue Monday to Friday.”
Ms Guesdon said over the past 15 years, advocates had helped attract more than 163 conventions to the centre, valued at $358 million to the local economy.
“The advocates offer insights, open doors, and guide our team in securing conferences aligned to Queensland’s strengths,” she said.
“So far, their impact has been remarkable securing 163 national and international conferences, each helping to position Brisbane as a hub of innovation and expertise.”
Among the centre’s 84 current advocates are biomedical campaigner and co-inventor of the cervical cancer vaccine Professor Ian Frazer AC, global conservation leader Professor Hugh Possingham and Dr Sarah Kelly, an expert in sport and innovation.
Immunologist Ian Frazer is among the top scientists who have helped attract big conferences to the city. (Supplied)
Strong recovery in business tourism
Ms Guesdon said the centre also worked with the Brisbane Economic Development Agency to attract big conventions to the city.
“BCEC is focused on major conventions that require a dedicated venue, while the Brisbane Economic Development Agency targets hotel and alternative spaces,” she said. “This ‘divide and conquer’ strategy is rare in Australia — and it works.”
In 2028, BCEC will host the World Congress of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition that will attract an estimate 2,000 delegates.Â
In 2023, the centre played host to more than 5,000 members of the international research community attending the International Aids Society Conference on HIV Science, also known as IAS 2023.
IBISWorld senior industry analyst Matilda Reilly said there had been a strong recovery in business tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing demand on exhibition and conference centres. Â
Ms Reilly said industry revenue was expected to expand at a 3.6 per cent annualised rate over the five years through 2025-26 to $16.5 billion.
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She said Queensland’s business events sector had carved out a distinctive market by positioning its destinations including Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Cairns as leading choices for corporate events, team-building retreats and conferences.
“The state’s climate, iconic scenery and range of leisure activities strongly influence corporate and association decision-makers, who seek venues that can deliver both business outcomes and memorable delegate experiences,” she said.
Work on critical infrastructure
BCEC has been able to accommodate both the capital works and its busy schedule of events, although the popular Lifeline Bookfest was pushed back from January to December. She said the works, which began in mid-December, were about 50 per cent complete.
Ms Guesdon said the multi-million dollar upgrade included new or refurbished flooring, seating, carpeting and lighting across large areas of the centre as well as a new electrical switchboard, escalators, wall dividers in the Great Hall and a giant 11 million pixel LED screen in the Plaza Ballroom.
“Most of the work has been on critical infrastructure — escalators, the switchboards, things that you can’t see but are necessary to keep the building going,” Ms Guesdon said.
“It is the largest programme of capital works we’ve done with the exception of the construction of the Grey St extension completed in 2012. It’s been two or three years in the planning and some of it got postponed through COVID.
The centre will hold almost 100 conferences this year. (ABC News: Peter Mullins)
The centre over the 30 years has generated $6.26 billion in economic benefit for the state and at the same time supported the development of the South Bank precinct.
This year alone there will be 98 conferences at the centre with forecast attendees from the events of more than 50,000 people. The forecast economic impact of the conferences is $148 million.