The Gold Coast has heralded a “bumper month” for its business events industry as five major international conferences descend on the city.
The conferences are expected to make a direct economic impact of over $3 million to the local economy and attract around 1800 international delegates as they bring together experts from around the world.
Director of Gold Coast Business Events Anna Case said the events represented an “inspiring influx of social capital” to the community as experts and leaders in their fields came to town.
“The most obvious impact of these events is the significant contribution they make to the local economy, with business events delegates typically spending double that of a leisure tourist,” she said.
From November 4 to 11, the 27th Asia Pacific Conference on International Accounting Issues will draw 250 delegates to the Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove.
That will be followed by the 3rd Australoa-China Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Research Forum with 80 delegates at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from November 5 to 7.
From November 9 to 13, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre will welcome 1,200 delegates for the 13th Congress of the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology.
The Interdisciplinary Cerebrovascular Symposium will take place from November 13 to 14 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel attended by 100 delegates.
The conferences bring together experts from around the world to meet and discuss topics as diverse as tissue engineering, accounting and neurology.
The last of the five is the 5th international Conference on Neurology & Epidemiology which takes place from November 18 to 20 at Mantra on View and Griffith University with 220 delegates.
“These conferences also enhance our reputation as an emerging cultural and intellectual knowledge hub, with local experts proud to showcase their achievements to their international colleagues,” Case said.
A number of local residents have played a vital role in attracting these conferences to the city, she revealed, with several of them part of the Gold Coast Business Events Ambassadors program which draws on influential leaders from key local industries to proactively promote the Gold Coast to the rest of the world through their industry networks.
“Ambassadors volunteer their time and expertise when they step forward to bid for a conference and it’s an incredibly positive outcome to see their hard work come to fruition as these conferences convene in our city,” she said.
Since the program’s inception, 16 ambassadors have played a role in winning conferences to the value of $20 million for the Gold Coast, with a further $15 million in potential conference value still awaiting decision.
