Industry advocate, BECA Chair steps down
The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has announced that Independent Chair of the peak industry body, Dr Vanessa Findlay, has stepped down from the role after leading the business events industry’s advocacy and federal government lobbying efforts throughout the turbulent period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On completing her tenure as Chair, Dr Findlay said, “the business events industry makes an incredibly valuable contribution to the Australian economy. It delivers more than 440,000 business events annually, making a direct contribution to the economy of $36b and supporting 230,000 jobs but its impact extends far beyond this to the facilitation of the knowledge economy. The industry is far too important to lose so when COVID hit it become imperative that we focus our attention on getting the best possible settings in place to ensure its future. 18 months on from the most serious of downturns and the industry is poised for recovery and rebound. It has been a challenging and very rewarding period to work with an industry of such importance”.
Speaking on behalf of the BECA Board, Deputy Chair, Mr Geoff Donaghy, said “we acknowledge and greatly appreciate the work and contribution made by Dr Findlay in the time she has been in the BECA role.
Her services were secured just before COVID-19 arrived in Australia and she has been instrumental in taking the business events message to Ministers, Departments and Agencies in Canberra and greatly advanced our industry’s standing and recognition within Federal Government channels.”
Donaghy said that BECA’s immediate priorities are providing input into the Reimagining the Visitor Economy 2030 strategy which was recently workshopped at the highly successful Business Events Industry Roundtable delivered by Tourism Australia and BECA at International Convention Centre Sydney involving 75 industry leaders and senior executives.
The Council will also start preparing election policy advocacy and strategies on behalf of the business events industry in the lead up to Federal Election.
To find out more about the Business Events Council of Australia, visit www.businesseventscouncil.org.au
For more information and interviews contact:
Samantha Glass, Director of Corporate Affairs and Communication, ICC Sydney
M: 0432 384 696
E: sglass@iccsydney.com
Business Events Council of Australia
info@businesseventscouncil.org.au
www.businesseventscouncil.org.au
ABOUT BECA: The Business Events Council of Australia was formed in 1994 as a peak industry body. It provides an umbrella structure for the key industry associations operating in the Australian business events sector:
Association of Australian Convention Bureaux · Australian Convention Centres Group · Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia · Meetings and Events Australia · Professional Conference Organisers Association
As the peak industry body for the business events sector we provide a single voice for the industry and liaise with the federal government and relevant agencies on matters common to all sectors of the industry. Our members represent the cross-section of the industry and we work together to build a strong voice for all sectors of the industry.
Business Events are major drivers of the Australian economy and generate trade, investment, employment, knowledge sharing and also stimulate the visitor economy.