• December 9, 2025

Australia Next 2025 – highlights and pics

Australia Next 2025 – highlights and pics

Australia Next 2025 – highlights and pics 1024 578 micebook.

Australia Next, the country’s incentive showcase event, took place in Melbourne/Narrm last week, bringing together 14 media, 97 Australian industry sellers and 95 business events planners from key markets across the world, including Asia, North America and the UK.

micebook joined a group of UK buyers, featuring representatives from Top Banana, Black Book, Reed & Mackay, Seven Events, Nteractive, Strata, First Event, emc3 and asembl, for the three-day Australia Next programme followed by a post-fam tour in Tropical North Queensland.

It was the first time the incentive showcase has been hosted in Melbourne/Narrm since 2013, and the third consecutive year that Tourism Australia has held the event, which is usually held every other year.

“As we emerged from the pandemic, we made a strategic decision to increase the frequency of our incentive showcase and hold it three years in a row to help turbocharge the industry’s recovery,” said Tourism Australia’s acting managing director, Robin Mack, adding that the event has a proven track record of driving enquiries.

“Our last incentive showcase in Cairns/Gimuy last year drove solid results for Australia’s business events industry, generating 161 business leads to date worth around $170 million and we are confident this year’s event will deliver more great results. At Tourism Australia we know the best way to showcase our country is to show, not tell, international decision makers about what we have to offer.”

On day one, the UK group were given a taste of Melbourne on a walking foodie tour, taking in some of the city’s huge range of eateries, from Peruvian and Asian cuisines to chocolate shops, followed by a relaxed welcome evening event.

The showcase officially kicked off the next day with a traditional “Welcome to Country” by Wurundjeri Elder Ian Hunter and a business session of pre-scheduled appointments between planners and Australian sellers at purpose-built events venue, CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park.

After meeting with Tourism Australia, Melbourne Convention Bureau and other regional convention bureaus throughout the morning, the media group were whisked off to a surprise immersive lunch experience, beginning with a boat trip along the Yarra River with Melbourne River Cruises into the city centre.

Curated by Evie Creative Entertainment, we were treated to lunch on the actual stage at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, with the table descending from the sky, delicious food and private performances by artists including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – a truly memorable experience (we’ll be sharing more as its worth its own article).

The evening reception that evening was at The Commons Collective in Melbourne, a beautifully restored heritage estate with a series of distinctly styled indoor and outdoor event spaces set amidst lush gardens.

On day three, after a hosted breakfast at 1 Hotel Melbourne, the city’s newest hotel, we were taken out to experience some of the surrounding area. The UK group headed out to the Mornington Peninsula, with a stop at the Peninsula Hot Springs, a ‘Sip n Paint’ experience and lunch at Pt. Leo Estate, and a final tasting at Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill before a surprise helicopter ride back into the city.

The final gala dinner was in the Royal Exhibition Building, one of the world’s few remaining 19th-century exhibition buildings and the first in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status, where Robin Mack announced the next host destination for the event in two years’ time.

Australia Next 2027 will be held in Sydney in December 2027. The event will be delivered by Tourism Australia in partnership with BESydney.

“We can’t wait to welcome international business events planners to Sydney in 2027. This will be the first time international business events planners have been to Sydney for Tourism Australia’s incentive showcase in 16 years and Business Events Sydney has plenty of new product to show,” said Mack.

The event was a great showcase of what Melbourne has to offer incentives and events, which we’ll be covering more in depth in our forthcoming Melbourne spotlight. We’ll also be sharing highlights from the post-fam trip to Port Douglas and Cairns.

Check out some of the official photography and our own pics in the gallery below:

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