Sydney to Welcome 30,000 Delegates in 2006

Sydney is poised to welcome almost 30,000 international conference delegates this year, with 30 major business events secured by the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau to be held in 2006.

The events are worth an estimated A$136 million to the economy of New South Wales and include eight conferences of 1000 delegates or more.

The largest event this year is the prestigious Sibos finance forum for 4000 delegates in October, generating an estimated A$41.9 million for the local economy. Sibos is one of the world’s premier financial services events, bringing top firms and leading figures to both its conference and exhibition.

Other large-scale events include the World Congress of Occupational Therapists in July, expected to attract 3500 delegates and generate A$17.2 million, and the International Congress on Obesity in September, drawing 3000 delegates and worth A$11.7 million.

SCVB Managing Director Jon Hutchison said that the Bureau was continuing to pursue its traditional targets, large congresses and conferences, but it was also placing an increasing emphasis on small and medium-sized events.

“Small and medium events will provide a lot of opportunities for Sydney in the future, particularly as we respond to shortening lead times and work on filling spaces between larger events,” Mr Hutchison said. “New assets like the Hilton Sydney – Australia’s first true conference hotel – will play an important part in securing more mid-sized events.” 

Mr Hutchison said the SCVB had delivered excellent results in the first half of the 2005/06 financial year, winning 27 bids for events scheduled up to 2011. They are worth a combined A$280 million and include the 2008 World Youth Day which will bring 200,000 young people to Sydney and inject an estimated A$196 million into the economy.

Other notable wins in the first half include the 2012 World Congress for Psychotherapy (4000 delegates, A$18.2 million), the 2009 Meeting of the International Bone and Mineral Society (2000 delegates, A$9.6 million) and the 2008 International Conference on Electronic Materials IUMRS-ICEM (1500 delegates, A$6.9 million).

Mr Hutchision said the current financial year was likely to continue strongly, with SCVB bids worth a further A$41.8 million still pending.

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