June 29, 2021 | By Gerardine Donough-Tan
The business events industry from Australia and New Zealand is strongly represented at IBTM Wired. The new permanent virtual show, which kicked off yesterday and runs until Thursday, arose from the inaugural IBTM Asia Pacific event that was supposed to debut in 2020 but has been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, IBTM Wired is co-located with the hybrid Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) which took place yesterday at Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Business Events Australia and Tourism New Zealand are leading joint industry stands comprising mainly convention bureaux and venues.
While inbound and outbound business events have stagnated, interest remains strong. Penny Lion, Executive General Manager of Events at Tourism Australia, said: “Business Events Australia has been joining virtual events, such as IBTM Wired, as part of our ongoing international distribution strategy to connect with customers to continue to drive awareness of Australia’s exceptional business events offering.”
Australian exhibitors include BESydney, Melbourne Convention Bureau and Saxton Speakers.
“New Zealand has exciting new venues and activities to share with the world. We’ve developed a wonderful digital showcase and can’t wait to ‘meet’ again, even if it is virtually,” said Leonie Ashford, Tourism New Zealand Business Events Manager.
Featured on the New Zealand stand are the convention bureaux and convention centres of Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.
Look out for micenet’s post-show report and analysis next week.
Image: Destination NSW/Vivid Sydney website