The borders separating business events, tourism and major events are becoming increasingly blurred as the sectors adopt a more collaborative approach to doing business, Destination NSW has said.
While the business events sector has traditionally operated independently from major events and tourism, Destination NSW marketing manager Anthony Laver said the sectors are increasingly harnessing their similarities to work closer together.
For instance, marketing efforts are becoming increasingly combined and contracts for business events are now being built into contracts as a compulsory component of major events, Laver said.
Noting that Destination NSW was helping to push a more collaborative approach, Laver said the end result is beneficial for all parties.
“In the past we had business events as one silo, tourism as another silo and major events as another silo and the brand never met in between,” he said. “[But now] we’re asking that they use our branding and our marketing to promote their event, and we then amplify that event.”
Laver said a combined industry approach would help Sydney to compete with business events tourism offered by major cities such as New York, Paris and Singapore.
“You come to Singapore, do a conference and then the next day you can enjoy entertainment or you can hub and go to other events,” Laver said, adding that Destination NSW was using the same approach for next year’s Lions rugby tour.
“There’s a good reason for business conferences, meetings and seminars to happen while the Lions tour is here and they will then have the opportunity to go to the matches,” Laver said.
“They don’t have to pay extra to have their business event during the festival and they get more than a conference, they get a full city experience,” Laver added.
