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29th July 2008

SCVB and Events NSW Forge New Partnership

New South Wales is forecasting a significant hike in its share of the international business events market, following a new partnership between the State’s two major event bodies, Events New South Wales and the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB).

SCVB Managing Director Jon Hutchison said the new arrangement would see NSW Government support for the Bureau more than double from its 2006-07 level, enabling it to substantially increase the number of business events it targeted.

“Thanks to our new partnership with Events NSW, we are able to boost our activities, both here and overseas, so we will have the ability to bid for many more meetings,” Mr Hutchison said. “More bids will mean more events, which ultimately translates to a greater economic impact not just for the business events industry but also for the wider community of NSW.”

Both organisations have jointly finalised their 2008-09 partnership agreement, creating an alliance that will bring unprecedented strength to the State’s campaign to win more major events and business events.

As the State’s leading business events body, the SCVB will bring its industry-based expertise to the new government-backed major events corporation Events NSW.

Events NSW CEO Geoff Parmenter said his organisation would be working closely with the SCVB in a pioneering model for industry-government cooperation, enabling the two bodies to share resources and information and oversee a united approach to winning events.

“This new relationship gives us the means to unlock the true potential of the NSW business events industry as identified by the O’Neill report into the events sector, and drive more business to NSW,” Mr Parmenter said.

Mr Hutchison said the agreement was a strategic partnership that would draw on the support of the SCVB’s member base.

“Ongoing private investment is vital to maintaining higher levels of government support,” Mr Hutchison said.  “Under our new partnership with Events NSW, private sector investment will continue to make an essential contribution to the overall strategic plan.”

Mr Hutchison said the SCVB had increased its staff in the UK and Hong Kong and would be lifting its sales, research and marketing efforts in Australia over coming months.

The formalisation of the SCVB and Events NSW relationship follows a string of major bid wins for Sydney in recent weeks including the 8000-delegate Asia Pacific Life Insurance Council (APLIC) Congress in 2011, the 8000-delegate World Conference on Lung Cancer in 2013 and the XXXII International Congress of Audiology for 1600 delegates in 2014. Together these events are worth an estimated $43.6 million to the local economy.

28th July 2008

NSW Scores Hole in One with Australian Open

Premier Morris Iemma today announced another coup for NSW securing the Australian Open Golf Championships until 2015, further boosting the State’s  events calendar.

Mr Iemma said the Government, through Events NSW, had signed the multi-  million agreement to extend its existing partnership with Golf Australia.

“This exciting agreement is part of the Vision 2015 project to transform the  Australian Open into the premier golf tournament in the Asia Pacific,” Mr Iemma  said. 

“The Australian Open is synonymous with Sydney - combining tradition, heritage,  history and an honour roll of golf’s greatest champions.

“A key plank of Vision 2015 is to attract big name players, which fit with NSW’s  approach to build and transform major events. 

“With this new deal we will be able to target the world’s best golfers and with Golf  Australia we will position the Australian Open as an anchor event on the NSW  Master Calendar. 

“This is another example of Sydney hosting major international sporting events  that attract a global audience and are a fantastic advertisement for our  magnificent city.”

Mr Iemma said the deal would be a boon for the NSW tourism industry, attracting  interstate and international visitors to watch the event and drive economic activity.

“The NSW Department of State and Regional Development previously estimated  the net economic impact on the NSW economy from hosting the Open over three  years from 2006 to 2009 at $20 million,” Mr Iemma said.

The Australian Open will return to Royal Sydney from 11-14 December 2008  before making its debut in 2009 at the NSW Golf Club – the state’s highest ranked  course.

Due to Golf Australia’s contractual commitments, the Open will be staged in  Victoria in 2011, but will return to NSW from 2012 through to 2015.

“In order to achieve the Vision 2015 objectives we will continue to work with the  best commercial and creative minds in the business to transform the Australian  Open,” Mr Iemma said.

“Sydney will once again showcase its capacity to host big international sporting  events that captivate the world.”

Image: Australia’s Craig Parry celebrates his birdie on the 17th hole on his way to winning the rain-soaked final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Sydney, 16 December 2007. Parry, age 41, won his first Australian Open title with an 11-under 277.