Announcing the figure this week at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), Business Events Perth’s CEO Gareth Martin said it was easier for him to travel to Singapore than Sydney, highlighting the potential to do business with Asia on Australia’s west coast.
The $250 million in delegate spend secured was 30 per cent higher than the year prior.
Key to the growth were major conference wins including the International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Technologies and the World Environmental Education Congress, both set to be held in 2026.
In addition to these wins, Routes Asia, secured in 2023, will come to Perth next month, bringing aviation decision-makers to WA.
Coincidentally, a range of developments were announced last year for Perth Airport, which will make it the second largest international hub for Qantas in the future.
Business Events Perth is pursuing a four-part strategy to grow key markets such as Asia, develop new markets, increase WA’s business events market share and diversify the state’s economy through business events.
Martin explained that Tourism Western Australia had released WAVES, the Western Australian Visitor Economy Strategy, to grow the tourism industry in Western Australia to $25 billion by 2033.
“Our industry is just underneath $2 billion in terms of business events in …Western Australia and we see that to grow to about $2.5 billion dollars in 2033,” said Martin.
A proposal to redevelop the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is currently in the project definition phase, with an announcement on the progress of the redevelopment not expected before the middle of the year.
However Saltwater Busselton, a new multi-function space in in WA’s South West, is scheduled to open in October, offering space for 1,000 standing or 640 seated.
A gateway to the Margaret River wine region, Busselton has direct air services from Sydney and Melbourne and is a two and a half hour drive south from Perth.
