Tourism Australia Rolls Out 'Business Events Australia' at AIME

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. October 14, 2008

FEBRUARY 21, 2008. Tourism Australia has today announced the roll out of a new brand Business Events Australia, to underpin future marketing efforts to position Australia as a world-class business events destination, at the Asia-Pacific Incentive and Meetings Expo (AIME) 2008 in Melbourne.

Managing Director of Tourism Australia, Geoff Buckley, said the new Business Events Australia brand would help to strengthen Australia's position in the increasingly competitive global business events market.

"Competition between destinations for the business events dollar continues to grow so we need take a compelling and consistent message to the world about what Australia can deliver," Mr Buckley said.

"Developing a brand positioning specifically for the business events sector - one that sets Australia apart from other destinations - has been a key priority for us over the past six months.

"In creating the Business Events Australia brand we want to highlight how Australia offers a creative environment, where people can connect for business, and the expertise to provide tailored solutions for corporate meeting and incentive programs," Mr Buckley said.

Mr Buckley said Australia's business events brand message links the land and its people with an ancient tradition of connection through meetings, which spans 40,000 years.

"Our message is: Come to a country unlike any other, an ancient land with a welcoming culture that's fresh and dynamic. It's a place where ideas thrive. Bring your people and be inspired to create great things in Australia," Mr Buckley said.

Head of Tourism Events Australia, Joyce DiMascio said the Business Events Australia brand had been developed in consultation with the industry, helping to ensure that new brand positioning is consistently aligned with the needs of our partners. "In recent months Tourism Australia has worked in close consultation with the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB), Conventions Australia, the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), and other industry leaders to develop the new brand - so it has been a true partnership," Ms DiMascio said.

Managing Director of Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jon Hutchison AM said having a consistent brand was important in light of global competition.

"Each Australian city and region is active in the marketplace, presenting its individual case to capture international business events," Mr Hutchison said. "But there is a need to put all this under one banner 'Australia' to create enough critical mass for all of us to break through the intense competition that we face. From today we now have that Australian brand," he said.

Chair of the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB), Sandra Chipchase added, "We are delighted Tourism Australia is launching a strong brand foundation for the promotion of Australia as an outstanding business events destination".

Ms DiMascio said the next step for Tourism Australia would be to continue working with the industry to highlight that Australia is a great destination to connect businesses and people.

"Whether it's holding a meeting in our world-class facilities or rewarding employees with experiences that capture our unique lifestyle and environment we want to let our potential customers know that Australia is great place for connecting people and businesses," she said.

"The roll-out of the Business Events Australia brand today provides a brand position for Australia which has enormous weight to our global market strategy," Ms DiMascio said.

Over the coming year Tourism Australia will deliver a comprehensive trade marketing program for business events through participation in events such as AIME, exploratory trade missions, familiarisations for corporate buyers and agents, the 10th Team Australia Business Events Educational in Macau, and a comprehensive PR program - all supported by the Business Events Australia brand positioning.