Daily News & Opinion

Hitting its 70 percent vaccination target on Wednesday, Melbourne came out of lockdown at midnight, ending more than two and a half months of stay-at-home orders for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

From today, up to 20 fully vaccinated people will be allowed indoors at hospitality venues and up to 50 people outdoors, with density limits of one per four square metres both inside and outside. Entertainment venues can have 50 patrons outdoors only. Read more

Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit, Business Events Australia, has released its latest wave of research tracking the evolution of corporate sentiment towards holding business events throughout the pandemic.

The latest research shows the impact of lockdowns over the last four to five months, with 77 percent of the 452 respondents saying they had cancelled or rescheduled at least one event since June. Read more

This week, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) released its major strategy paper at its annual Leaders’ Summit which was attended by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

ACCI represents major Australia businesses as well as approximately 130 associations including business events, hotels and tourism peak bodies. Read more

The Yarra Valley, just outside Melbourne, has flagged its readiness to stage business events again with a briefing in anticipation of the state’s first day of freedom for 77 days. A range of partners participated in a virtual presentation to showcase the region’s capability in staging large scale events, trade shows, mid-sized meetings or smaller corporate retreats just one hour from either the CBD or Tullamarine Airport. Read more

The pandemic has caused much disruption but one of the positives is that it has allowed a new generation of leaders to step up and take responsibility for the challenges ahead. Arinex CEO and newly elected President of the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) Nicole Walker is one of those.

Joyce DiMascio sat down with Walker to explore her philosophies, views on the industry and who inspires her. Read more

Emerging from the Delta lockdown in Sydney, ICC Sydney’s team is ready to recommence in-person events in line with the NSW Government’s Roadmap to Reopening key milestones and health regulations. With the most challenging days of the pandemic seemingly behind us, the future is once again looking bright as we take a cautious, yet decidedly optimistic view on our recovery. Read more

The ambitious and highly focussed Chief Executive of Arinex is banking on an exciting future with the company, that in its various incarnations is just two years off celebrating its 50th anniversary. Read more

With Queensland’s border remaining shut to half of Australia’s population for at least another month or so, Queenslanders are being encouraged to book a “Great Queensland Getaway” to support the state’s tourism industry in the interim. Read more