Australia s business events industry out in force at CIBTM China 2013

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1 Monday, 2 September 2013 Visit the Australia stand F01 at CIBTM Australia s business events industry out in force at CIBTM China 2013 Tourism Australia and a delegation of 13 partners from the Australian business events industry will be in attendance at the 2013 China Incentive, Business Travel and Meeting (CIBTM) Exhibition in Beijing, from 2 to 6 September, to showcase the country s latest developments in meetings, incentives, conferences and corporate events. Highlighting Australia s ongoing investment in business events infrastructure and services is a key focus for the delegation, including the redevelopment of Sydney s Darling Harbour precinct which will be home to Australia s largest convention and exhibition facility when it opens in Incentive trips and corporate meetings have distinct needs that influence the choice of a destination. Australia is well placed to deliver in both respects, said Penny Lion, Head of Business Events Australia the specialist business events marketing arm of Tourism Australia. In addition to infrastructure and service features, Australia s core strengths as an international business destination include capability for innovative team building and for delivering creative events. We are providing exclusive experiences for groups and in some instances are offering reward activities that have never been attempted before, as was the case with the record-breaking BridgeClimb that took place as part of the recent Perfect China incentive trip in Sydney. With these once in a lifetime experiences, it is easy to revitalise your business team in Australia, enhance team cohesion and increase employee or member loyalty. This is a significant point of difference for our destination and places Australia in a good strong position for working with China, said Ms Lion. With new developments taking place throughout the country, a roundup of some of the highlights that the Australian delegation will be sharing with CIBTM attendees are detailed below. Tourism Australia launch new Australia.cn website Tourism Australia has launched a new Chinese consumer website Australia.cn, which is the first website of its kind to be developed by Tourism Australia exclusively for an overseas market. It aims to attract Chinese visitors to Australia by featuring content they find most appealing for a holiday including Australian food and wine, shopping, the relaxed culture, unique wildlife and the diverse landscape. Chinese social media platforms Sina Weibo, QQWeibo, and Kaixin have been linked to the site to allow users to share experiences with family and friends in China. Resources for event

2 planners have been developed in language to make booking your next business event easy; they include costed itineraries, inspiring case studies, easy access to local contacts and inquiry form for further information. ( Australia China ready for business and incentive events Business Events Australia and their event partners recently hosted 3,000 delegates from China for the Perfect China Incentive Program in Sydney. While the Gold Coast in Queensland also recently hosted Herbalife China incentive delegates. In the last financial year, Asia represented 50 per cent of the tourist market in Sydney and regional New South Wales, with half of that from China. Coming to Sydney in the next 12 months are 11 business events with 30,000 Chinese visitors from industries including direct selling, automotive, pharmaceutical and insurance. The Gold Coast also regularly hosts large groups from China including incentive events for Toyota, Amway and Cathay Life. As host of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Gold Coast will continue to enhance its capacity to cater for large-scale groups and events. The Australian business events industry is responding to this growing market in a number of ways. Business events stakeholders in Sydney have developed a strategy to help them be "China Ready" to welcome new visitors from China. Educational programs have been developed to better support the retail and hospitality sectors how to communicate with visitors from China, better understand their cultural differences, and their interests including food, experiences and shopping. Selected Sydney hotels now provide products and services in Mandarin including beverages and snacks, in-room directories, a dedicated hotel TV channel, emergency signage and Mandarin speaking concierge. Sydney Airport is developing signage in Mandarin to help direct passengers arriving in Sydney, while the new Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre will include a major redevelopment of Chinatown. Other initiatives are being developed including an app in Mandarin to assist Chinese when they arrive in Australia. Perfect China Australia s ability to provide money can t buy experiences is paying huge dividends with Sydney the latest city to go above and beyond for a major Asian incentive program the 3000-strong Perfect China 2013 Leadership Seminar in July. High-performing representatives from Perfect China, a leading health and personal care direct selling company, arrived in Sydney in three waves of approximately 1,000 delegates, seeing, tasting, and touching everything that the city and surrounding region has to offer in a jam-packed program. An absolute highlight was climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb, which utilised Mandarin-speaking guides to assist delegates. More than 2,100 of Perfect China s high achievers enjoyed the stunning vista from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge over four days, making it the largest single corporate group to climb the icon. Another clear once-in-a-lifetime experience was created at Darling Harbour with a large area of the public space cordoned off for Perfect China to allow its 3,000 delegates to welcome their Chairman,

3 Mr Koo, Yuen Kim, Vice Chairman, Mr Hooy, Kok Wai, and President, Mr Woo Swee Lian, to Sydney via boat followed by a high-speed water display complete with jet boats, speed boats, fireworks and acrobatics. Please find a video in this link: Herbalife China For many of the 1,050 Chinese participants of the Herbalife Leadership Vacation held on Queensland s Gold Coast, the incentive reward experience was a life-changing one. For a successful incentive travel program to work effectively it must not only reward participants but also encourage them to reach even greater heights. Arguably, this visit to the Gold Coast by Herbalife China did both. The high achieving Herbalife China representatives arrived with big smiles when they touched down under clear-blue Gold Coast skies but had even more reasons to smile with the incredible experiences offered during their five-day incentive including interacting with marine and native wildlife. The Gold Coast is arguably the country s most bio diverse cities, with an abundance of stunning landscapes, out of this world attractions and unique experiences. Bordered by the water on one side, to the west is the Gold Coast hinterland home to national parks, bushwalking trails, wineries, outback Australian experiences, and boutique resorts and spas. In between are championship golf courses, pristine waterways, theme parks, shopping precincts, and world-class convention and incentive-style venues and facilities. Please find a video in this link: Get into the swing of things with Great Golf Courses of Australia Australia s premier golf courses have partnered with Tourism Australia and State Tourism Offices to form Great Golf Courses of Australia (GGCA). GGCA offers business events with access to some of the country s greatest courses, including the six Australian courses in the World Top 100: Barnbougle Dunes, Barnbougle Lost Farm, Kingston Heath, New South Wales, Royal Melbourne and Royal Adelaide. As well as providing unprecedented access to world-class courses GGCA can provide tailored activities for incentive groups, such as the opportunity to play with famous golf pros including Stuart Appleby, Geoff Ogilvy, and Adam Scott, and exclusive course access for a completely uninterrupted experience. GGCA can also provide complete golfing packages, including incredible dining and accommodation offerings that help groups to experience the very best of Australia s golfing regions. For more information visit: Sydney the future Sydney is reinforcing its position as a premier destination for major international events with the development of the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney and the ICC Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour. The new precinct will have the largest meeting space in Australia with 40,000 square metres of exhibition space spread across more than 40 rooms. Scheduled to open in 2016, the total capacity in the integrated precinct will be 12,000 delegates across four areas, including an 8,000 capacity red carpet entertainment venue. The precinct will also feature a new hotel with up to 900 rooms, alongside retail and food and beverage outlets. To accommodate events during the development of the new precinct, an interim facility will be built at Glebe Island. From December 2013, Glebe Island will be available for exhibitions and trade shows

4 during the three-year redevelopment of the Darling Harbour precinct. The facility will offer nearly 30,000 square metres of fully serviced exhibition space on the shores of Sydney Harbour. Dedicated ferry and bus services will shuttle visitors between the facility, Darling Harbour and Sydney s central business district. Other major developments in Sydney include The Star s new multi-purpose events centre, which boasts breathtaking views of Sydney harbour. With the capacity to hold up to 3,000 delegates, the new event space accommodates all types of events from meetings, seminars, trade shows and exhibitions to gala dinners, cocktail function and ceremonies. The venue is located on the rooftop of The Star above 20 signature restaurants, bars, cafes and the award-winning five-star boutique hotel and spa, The Darling. Investment in Brisbane attracts global leaders With 7,000 delegates and media expected to gather at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in November 2014 for the G20 Leaders Summit, the city is rapidly growing in status as a leading destination for international conferences and business events. Over A$88 million has been invested in refurbishments and upgrades to Brisbane hotels in the past financial year and a further A$36 million is marked for further development in 2013, demonstrating the city s commitment to providing the international business events industry with excellent accommodation options. Convention organisers will also benefit from new events infrastructure, including the A$59 million Royal International Convention Centre, an A$140 million expansion of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and the elegantly refurbished Brisbane City Hall, which caters for 1,600 guests. Melbourne makes a big impression on international buyers Melbourne continues to be an aspirational destination for international business events buyers with 83 per cent of participants in the recent Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) 2013 pretouring program indicating that they intend to bring a business event to the city or regional Victoria in the future. Close to 180 hosted buyers and media from 25 countries participated in 13 tours, which showcased the area s business events infrastructure and natural attractions including the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island and the Yarra Valley. Dreamtime 2013 Melbourne will also showcase its capabilities for doing business when it hosts Dreamtime 2013, Tourism Australia s signature business events platform, in December. International buyers and media will enjoy three days of Melbourne city activities, business sessions and networking events before participating in educational visits at destinations across Australia. Visitors from Greater China and Hong Kong will participate in an exclusive educational program to a secret destination. Aviation Update Recent airline updates in Australia for visitors from China include the news that China Southern is launching a daily A380 service between Sydney and Guangzhou from 28 October, 2013.

5 For any media enquiries or high res imagery, please contact: LC Tan E : lctan@tourism.australia.com T : For information and ideas on holding business events in Australia visit: This year 13 stand partners will be joining Business Events Australia on the Australia stand at CIBTM This increase from five partners in 2012 demonstrates how important the China market is and how the Australian event industry is developing products and infrastructure with the Chinese market in mind. Adelaide Convention Bureau Business Events Sydney Brisbane Marketing Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef Crown Hotels Dockside Group Gold Coast Business Events Melbourne Convention Bureau Northern Territory Convention Bureau Perth Convention Bureau Philip Island Nature Parks PTC Express Travel Sunlover Reef Cruises