Business Event’s Australia’s incentive showcase, Australia Next (previously known as Dreamtime) kicked off in Cairns/Gimuy in Tropical North Queensland this week, and our founder and CEO Chetan Shah has joined the UK group of buyers and media to discover some of Australia’s best incentive experiences (check out micebook’s social channels to follow his adventures!)
The two-day event, bringing together 80 international business events buyers, 15 media and 96 Australian industry sellers, is being delivered in partnership with Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.
Tourism Australia MD, Phillipa Harrison said: “It is great to be welcoming international business events planners and media back to Australia for the second consecutive year. Our signature incentive showcase has traditionally been held every two years, but we have brought it back again in 2024 to turbocharge efforts to build a strong pipeline of international business events.
“We are already seeing international business events return to Australia, with the latest numbers from Tourism Research Australia showing they contributed $4.6 billion to our visitor economy in the 12 months to March 2024. While that Total Trip Spend is above the levels we experienced in 2019, the number of visitors arriving in Australia for an international business event is at about 75 per cent of what we have seen in the past and we hope hosting Australia Next in Cairns in 2024 will help to drive the industry’s recovery and future growth.”
The Australia Next Cairns program includes a Business Session of pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and Australian industry sellers at the newly redeveloped Cairns Convention Centre.
Buyers and media will also experience Tropical North Queensland’s diverse incentive offering and expert event delivery capabilities, from sampling the region’s unforgettable tourism experiences on the Great Barrier Reef and in tropical rainforests, exceptional local cuisine and numerous networking events at unique venues across Cairns.
Attendees at Australia Next Cairns 2024, from 8 to 11 September 2024, have also been given the opportunity to take part in a pre- or post- FAM trip to key incentive destinations across Australia for international buyers and media.
The program is being delivered in partnership with Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef and airline partners Singapore Airlines and Qantas.