This is not a Pick 5 bet in horse racing but a selection of five business events news which caught our team’s attention. This issue with a focus on AUSTRALASIA is compiled by Faye Langley and Mike Williams who are based in Sydney and Melbourne respectively.
The global pandemic has resulted in many landscape changes with 95% of corporate planners in Australia with offshore event mandates preferring to stay domestic, said Tourism Australia. The latest Meetings & Events Pulse Survey conducted by Global DMC Partners (GDP) confirm that staffing, sustainability and inflation are some of the key influencers on meeting decisions. On the subject of event and environment sustainability, there are small and manageable ways that help protect the environment, support local communities and save organisations money. Corporate Travel Management (CTM) shows us how. While ESG elements have gained some recognition, Diversity, equity, access and inclusion are often neglected when organising events. Arinex aims to set this right by sharing their tips. Finally, New Zealand is leveraging on their intellectual capital through Tourism New Zealand Business Events’ campaign “Calling for You”.
We hope you will enjoy our Pick 5!
Australia: Confidence for Domestic Events on the Rise
Domestic destinations are the big winners
Tourism Australia’s recent research confirms that confidence for business events planning is growing. Retaining business domestically is strong, with 95 per cent of corporates responsible for planning international events offshore saying they would likely relocate to keep domestic within the next 12 months.
According to Tourism Australia, confidence the domestic business events sector is the highest it’s been since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Almost 85% of decision-makers are planning events in the coming 6-12 months.
Source: Tourism Australia
Creating a More Inclusive Event
Careful consideration for DEI elements will make for better events
Diversity, equity, access and inclusion are often forgotten pillars when organising events. Arinex provides 10 tips on planning inclusive events. Diverse and inclusive events consider a variety of age, mental and physical ability, culture, religion, gender identity, language are all considerations for inclusive events.
Source: Arinex
Staffing, Sustainability and Inflation
Key influencers on meeting decisions
Staffing, sustainability and inflation are some of the key influencers on meeting decisions, according to the latest Meetings & Events Pulse Survey conducted by Global DMC Partners (GDP). High costs are impacting all aspects of events with airfares influencing the choice of destination, with planners opting for locations close to where attendees are based to offset price increases. 65% of all respondents said their organisations are hiring or recently hired and to attract the right talent, many report having to increase compensation packages. 60% of international respondents report that sustainability goals are a driving factor in choosing a destination for programs.
“The economic challenges worldwide — inflation, staffing, supply chain challenges, and more — have had a dramatic impact on meeting planners’ jobs and their programs,” said Catherine Chaulet, president and CEO of GDP.
Source: Skift Meetings
Creating Sustainable Events
Carbon footprint will remain a critical consideration for corporate travel programs
General Manager (Australia/New Zealand) and Global Strategic Lead at ETM Tracey Edwards provides some insights to assist event planners to host successful events whilst still achieving sustainability goals. Solid planning, partnerships, reducing waste, reusing and recycling and reducing carbon footprint are all small and manageable activities helping protecting the environment, support local communities and save organisations money. In the 2022 CTM Global Customer Survey, over 70% of respondents said their carbon footprint will remain a critical consideration for their travel program in the next year.
Source: TTGMice
New Zealand Thought Leaders
NZ calls out to its intellectual capital
Tourism New Zealand Business Events is looking for academics, association leaders and industry trailblazers to bid for international conferences. To attract these champions, tourism New Zealand is running the 2022 ‘Calling for You’ campaign featuring previous bid leaders in a variety of sectors.
Tourism New Zealand general manager domestic & business events Bjoern Spreitzer said “We want to inspire our top thinkers to come forward and bid for these prestigious events. Tourism New Zealand’s experienced Business Event team offers strategic funding and support to help them throughout the process”.
Source: CIM Business Events