Dig deep to look after the biggest
lanyard-wearing conference delegates swarming around Hobart’s waterfront or wandering through Launceston are widely regarded as the most desirable visitors in the world.
Research by Business Events Tasmania (BET) shows conference delegates are the highest spending contributors to Tasmania’s visitor economy, spending more than double that of a leisure traveller each day. They stay for an average of just over 5½ days which includes pre and post-conference touring into the regions. Nearly two-thirds, 63 per cent, are likely to return
Stuart Nettlefold
for a holiday in three years and nearly all conference delegates, an impressive 96 per cent, would recommend Tasmania as a place to visit.
Such powerful advocacy is feeding the sector’s growing success. Based on the latest Tasmanian Visitor Survey the business events sector generated $119 million in direct spend to the Tasmanian economy last year. Most activity is in the shoulder and winter periods, contributing to the accommodation and broader sector and underpinning the viability of air access outside peak season.
Identifying business events and winning them to Tasmania are the primary functions of BET, the peak sales and marketing body for business events; an incorporated not-for-profit organisation governed by a nine-member board of directors, funded in part by state and local governments and a membership base.
BET has broadened the conversation to include the wider benefits to the knowledge economy of industry, educational and research organisations. Conference connections underpin knowledge creation and exchange, attract global talent, encourage trade and investment, nurture collaboration, foster innovation and provide social benefits. These less visible benefits must not be overlooked and often the most important legacies can be felt long after these high-yield visitors have departed.
BET’s Tasmanian Ambassador Program, with Premier Will Hodgman as patron, has helped secure national and international conferences in partnership with our ambassadors and hosts. Ambassadors include Jan Davis (a thought leader in agriculture), Alistair Townsend (dedicated health professional), Associate Professor Irene Penesis (innovative scientist at the Australian Maritime College) and Professor Gretta Pecl (a passionate marine scientist). Their generosity and support have helped reap substantial rewards for the state.
Strategic wins include the 2017 Australian International Education Conference, 2018 Berry Quest International, 2019 International Farm Management Association Conference, XXXVI Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Delegates Meeting and Open Science Conference 2020, Interferry International Annual Conference 2020 and Asian Wave and Tidal Energy Conference 2020.
Along with a substantial direct economic contribution to the economy, these conferences allow Tasmania