Destination NSW takes aim at the business events growth
Destination NSW this week launched a fresh approach to growing the business events sector in regional NSW at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne, with new messaging aligned to its ‘Feel New’ visitor brand.
Showcasing immersive visitor experiences in regional NSW, the new ‘Corporate events that feel anything but’ positioning presents an engaging alternative to the traditional business event experience.
Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox said the new position highlighted why regional NSW has the nation’s best offering for the business events and conferencing markets.
“We want to position regional NSW as the meetings and events destination for businesses who seek unique, tailor-made experiences that spark a genuine connection among their delegates,” Mr Cox said.
“We’re thinking more along the lines of quad biking at Stockton sand dunes, or oyster shucking in the Tuross River. These are experiences of richness and substance – where real connections between people are sparked.
“Aligning the business events positioning with the Feel New brand enables NSW to stand out from its competitors by showcasing how the distinctive character of our state’s regional destinations and communities can take business beyond the boardroom.
“NSW offers business event visitors unique and immersive experiences that leave them with long-lasting memories and positive working relationships, not just a stack of business cards.” Destination NSW is attending AIME 2024, in partnership with Business Events Sydney to showcase more than 40 destinations, venues and experience suppliers from across the state.
Destination NSW and its co-exhibitors will pitch the best of NSW through a total of 800 appointments over the two-day event, with 100 handpicked business event buyers and media expected to visit the NSW stand for networking opportunities.
As part of the refreshed messaging, Destination NSW has also updated its regional conferencing program name from ‘Meet in Regional NSW’ to ‘Business Events NSW’.
“Changing our program name to ‘Business Events NSW’ reflects the vital role this sector plays in achieving NSW visitor economy strategy targets.,” Mr Cox said.
“Business visitors are a high yield sector and distributing their economic benefits across the state is key to achieving our visitor economy target of $25 billion in visitor expenditure for regional NSW by 2030.”
Business event travellers spend on average $554 per person per night in NSW, which is 101 per cent higher than the average overnight spend for leisure travellers, who spend on average $182 per night.
AIME 2024 is the leading trade event for the meetings and business events industry. It provides a significant platform to showcase the diversity of business event opportunities across NSW to the world, offering venues and suppliers an invaluable forum to meet with business event planners seeking their next location.
NSW visitor economy businesses can take advantage of the opportunities presented by the business events sector by creating a free listing on bensw.com.au.
Regional NSW is a PCOA Business Partner