BECA forges stronger bond with TTF

The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has teamed up with the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) to break down barriers holding back funding and lobby the government for more support.

Revealing the new partnership during an expansive interview on Monday, executive manager Inge Garofani explained that the tie up comes as BECA steps up its focus on research and funding ahead of the Federal Election this year.

“We’re developing a policy platform for the election to secure long term industry funding. By partnering with an active lobby group like the TTF, we can get more advice and support to make our voice heard,” she told The Nibbler.

“It’s a good partnership. The TTF has great peripheral knowledge of the industry and a lot of expertise in lobbying government,” Garofani added.

Noting that the meetings and events industry was still misunderstood by some policy makers, Garofani said the business events sector often slipped under the radar.

But she remained confident a renewed focus on research and education would help to increase its profile and secure more support.

“There is a misconception that business events are the Amways of the world. But not just among policy makers – even some tourism operators such as restaurants still don’t see themselves as a part of business events,” she said.

But with more research about the value and legacy of the industry, we can engage with government and get more traction from policy makers.”

Garofani also touched on the importance of collaborating across all sectors of business events to collate data and produce comprehensive industry research.

“We are not just about conferences, but events and exhibitions as a whole. We are all a culprit of segmenting ourselves, but we need to work collaboratively to have a fair playing field. We can achieve more if we work together," she said.