General managers from Tourism Accommodation Australia and the Accommodation Association’s leading NSW hotels have met with Business Events Sydney to discuss the bumper pipeline of events for Sydney over the next 12 months.
CEO of BE Sydney Lyn Lewis-Smith addressed the gathering of 30 general managers and hotel leaders, and explained there were currently 72 events booked between now and the end of 2023.
“Events are a huge part of the recovery for hotels in our major cities and the next year looks to be a bumper one,” said TAA NSW CEO Michael Johnson.
“There are 31 large events booked in this year and then another 41 locked in for 2023 – 16 of those events will have more than 1,000 delegates and seven will have
over 2,000 delegates.
“It is just the type of news our city hotels need after two very tough years.”
According to a new EY Report for the Sydney Business Events Coalition, business events – conferences, exhibitions and corporate meetings – were worth $10.4 billion annually to the NSW economy, of which $5.7 billion was spent in the Sydney metropolitan area.
While domestic attendance at business events has almost returned to pre-COVID levels, the lucrative international market will take a number of years to recover.
Hoteliers heard the NSW Government, via BE Sydney, is offering to fund up to $60,000 per business event with 100 delegates or more to be held in 2023 in Greater Sydney, Newcastle or Wollongong as part of the third round of the Accelerate Fund.
“Ms Lewis-Smith explained there is $60,000 in matched funding available for business events held between 1 January and 30 November 2023,” said Johnson.
“The funding is to offset venue costs to the organiser and is a great initiative that will hopefully make what already looks like a bumper year even better.”
“The work Ms Lewis-Smith and the BE Sydney team are doing is great for our sector. Business events bring locals and visitors into cities, they support accommodation and hospitality, and play a significant role in re-building confidence.”
Featured image: Lyn Lewis-Smith and Micheal Johnson
