23 April 2008

Sydney Means Business as SCVB aims for Top Ten

The Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau has unveiled plans to put Sydney among the worldÃ¢â¬â¢s top 10 conference destinations, capitalising on a groundswell of support from industry and government.

Speaking in Frankfurt at the IMEX exhibition for the international meeting and incentive industry, SCVB Managing Director Jon Hutchison said SydneyÃ¢â¬â¢s Ã¢â¬Åâœstars have come into alignmentÃ¢â¬~ during the past six months as business and political leaders united behind a common vision for the cityÃ¢â¬â¢s events sector.

A succession of developments had created the right environment for a new push into key international markets, Mr Hutchison said, backed by a Ã¢â¬Åâœwhole-of-cityÃ¢â¬~ approach to winning new business and developing a long-term blueprint for the cityÃ¢â¬â¢s future.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœNever before has Sydney had such support for its events industry and never before has there been such opportunity, created by a new unity among our cityÃ¢â¬â¢s leaders and a passion to capitalise on the remarkable brand we have created for Sydney,Ã¢â¬~ Mr Hutchison said.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe intend to harness that new energy and take our International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) ranking into the worldÃ¢â¬â¢s top 10 conference destinations in five yearsÃ¢â¬â¢ time, cementing our position as one of the worldÃ¢â¬â¢s leading destinations for business events,Ã¢â¬~ he said.

Central to SydneyÃ¢â¬â¢s future development was the launch of Events New South Wales late last year, a pioneering new model for bringing major events to Sydney. Created by the State Premier Morris Iemma and funded by the New South Wales Government, the new entity has been charged with bringing events of all types to Sydney, from public events and major sporting events to conferences and other business events.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœEvents New South Wales is a government-funded corporation that capitalises on the industry-led skills and proven event-winning formula of the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau,Ã¢â¬~ Mr Hutchison said. Ã¢â¬ÅâœIt is a new model for creating government-industry cooperation and effective action, and one that we know has already caught the attention of other cities overseas.

Backed by Events New South Wales, the SCVB is preparing to mount a major push into its key markets in Europe and North America, while at the same time increasing its successful operations in the emerging markets of Asia.

The bureau will expand its business development teams in both Europe and Asia, mount new sales missions in key markets, expand its head-office team in Sydney and launch new branding and marketing initiatives worldwide.

At the same time, the SCVB has championed a new forum to ensure widespread support for the business events sector among SydneyÃ¢â¬â¢s business leaders. The LeadersÃ¢â¬â¢ Business Events Forum will create a united front for the cityÃ¢â¬â¢s events industry and draw on the combined expertise of key CEOÃ¢â¬â¢s and other leaders to address the over-arching issues facing Sydney.

Central to the cityÃ¢â¬â¢s blueprint for the future is the development of new infrastructure and a commitment to increase capacity in response to demand, Mr Hutchison said.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœSydneyÃ¢â¬â¢s harbourside conference facilities are world class and continue to be a powerful asset in bringing business to our city, but we need to expand our capacity so that we can fuel future growth,Ã¢â¬~ Mr Hutchison said.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIn February the State Government released the findings of a major investigation into our future infrastructure needs and IÃ¢â¬â¢m pleased to say there is strong political impetus behind the expansion plans,Ã¢â¬~ he said. Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe study has produced achievable options for meeting our future needs and we look forward to the GovernmentÃ¢â¬â¢s response in the very near future.Ã¢â¬~

Other issues being addressed include extending the cityÃ¢â¬â¢s leadership in environmental initiatives. Following the Sydney Convention and Exhibition CentreÃ¢â¬â¢s world-first recognition as a Green Globe Benchmarked Convention Centre, the SCVB is now supporting the green initiatives of many of its other members including carbon offset schemes, green meeting products, energy reduction programs and waste reduction and recycling programs.

Sydney made world headlines in 2007 as the instigator of the Earth Hour movement which this year extended to dozens of other cities worldwide, while the City of Sydney is now working to implement the initiatives of its Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision for future development and the reduction of greenhouse emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

Mr Hutchison said AustraliaÃ¢â¬â¢s booming economy, successful scientific and medical research sectors, strong business ties with Asia and heavy involvement in the powerhouse economy of China had all combined to create strong confidence in Sydney.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThis confidence is reflected in aviation trends, with airlines like Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Emirates announcing significant increases in Sydney services and capacity, most notably when Singapore Airlines chose Sydney as the first destination in the world to welcome the Airbus A380 super-jumbo last year,Ã¢â¬~ Mr Hutchison said.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœFurther growth will come later this year when the Virgin group launches its latest international airline, V Australia, providing new competition on the key Sydney-Los Angeles route and allowing major cost reductions in travel from North America.Ã¢â¬~

Recently named Ã¢â¬ÅâœWorldÃ¢â¬â¢s Best BrandÃ¢â¬~ for the second year running in the annual Anholt City Brands Index, Sydney will this year welcome more than 220,000 international visitors at 29 events secured with the help of the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This yearÃ¢â¬â¢s events have a combined economic value of A$278 million and include the Young PresidentsÃ¢â¬â¢ Organization Global Leadership Congress, the FÃƒ~©dÃƒ~©ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Congress, the World Congress of the Transplantation Society and the 9th World Congress of Metropolis. The largest event is World Youth Day in July, expected to bring 200,000 Catholic pilgrims to Sydney and including a visit by Pope Benedict XVI.

by: The Mole