Two years on from the initial shutdown there is definitely a feeling that events are back. Get Local heralded the return of events and expos to ICC Sydney and AIME is just one of the expos slated for next week in the MCEC.

March kicked off festivals and public events with the Foo Fighters playing Kardinia Park. The next day Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras finished off a two week festival with a march inside the Sydney Cricket Ground and Womadelaide celebrated 30 years with a very successful festival. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is about to open and there are plenty of festivals and concerts coming up. Let’s hope nothing stops them (and us) this time.

Following on from my call last week for one organisation to represent the whole event industry I went back to an article I wrote when I launched ASE in 2000 asking “What are Special Events?” So I’ve written an updated piece looking at the event landscape in 2022. I think this is also important because what emerged from the COVID experience is how little governments understand the sector – how big it is and how interconnected it is.

What constitutes the Australian event industry?

Multiple associations that represent only small sectors (eg exhibitions or PCOs) of the “events” industry even though they call themselves an event association are not helping. And that is just in the Business Events sector. There are also multiple associations representing festivals and other event sectors. Then there are venue associations and more.

This is particularly hard for suppliers and venues who work across all sectors of the event industry – Business, Sporting, Public and Private Events, and Festivals

For example, Norwest has provided technical production and services for most of the Olympic ceremonies since Sydney 2000, they have just completed a stint at Womadelaide, and they provide production for music festivals, business events and private events.   That’s every event sector covered.

Then there are event producers who not only manage conferences but major events as well. Experiential marketing companies are now producing everything from marketing events to incentives and festivals.

And now to this week’s news

The Queensland Government has announced support for conferences held in their three centres

Funding support for events at Queensland convention centres

As part of the Tourism Industry Reference Panel’s Interim Action Plan, the Queensland Government has launched a $7 million program dedicated to attracting business events to the three state-owned Convention Centres

According to a report by FCM the next issue facing business events is accommodation…

Booming and booked out – the dilemma facing the Business Events industry

While the start of 2022 brought some uncertainty as Omicron case levels rose across the country, the meetings and events industry was anticipating a very busy year, that is according to the latest FCM Meetings and Events whitepaper ‘Availability 2022 and beyond.’