Business Events Australia (BEA) is amending its 2020 China strategy in line with new research showing that value for money tops the agenda of China’s key business event decision makers.
New research led by BEA and the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) shows that Chinese business events travellers consider value for money to be a key asset driving them to do business in Australia.
Building relationships with corporate end users is another critical element, as well as safety and availability of customised experiences. Long haul destinations are also becoming increasingly popular among Chinese business events professionals, the report found.
Delivering the findings earlier this week, Business Events Australia general manager Penny Lion confirmed that BEA would refine its 2020 China Strategy in light of the new report to capitalise on China’s “booming business events market”.
Details will be revealed “in the coming months”, but Lion confirmed that emphasizing Australia’s value for money prospect was among the changes.
“You don’t need to be the cheapest destination to win business events, but you do need to offer great value for money,” she said. “We need to promote the wider benefits of choosing Australia [to Chinese visitors] compared to other long haul destinations.”
The amended China Strategy will also focus on Australia’s natural landscapes and ability to deliver customised experiences, AACB marketing group Annabel Sullivan added.
“Whether it is involvement by Australian government officials or services provided in Mandarin, these customised experiences will encourage positive word of mouth and repeat visitation,” Sullivan said.
With convention and conference arrivals from China up 11% in the year ending December 2011, Business Events Australia remains confident the amended strategy will edge closer to its goal of doubling expenditure from business events visitors by 2020.
The business events sector currently contributes $10 billion to the Australian economy, with the potential to grow to $16 billion by 2020.
