A business events summit will be part of the newly launched FACTS, taking place at ICC Sydney in late November.
FACTS – standing for Festival of Aviation and Corporate Travel Summits – is a major expansion of a 2024 corporate travel event which saw 500 participants gather in Sydney last November.
This year the event is made up of four summits across aviation, corporate travel, business events and travel payments, with more than 1,500 people expected to attend and over 100 speakers set to present.
The event will combine keynotes, panel sessions, case studies and more immersive content. An exhibition, networking drinks and a gala are also part of the overall program.
The event will take a big picture look at economic and trade conditions as well as covering aviation strategy, business events strategy, business events sourcing, future business models, technology and artificial intelligence – including its impact on the workforce and the customer journey – airport and destination technology, procurement and events and event tech.
A slew of big names across aviation and events are already onboard to speak at the event.
Speakers include Western Sydney International Airport CEO, Simon Hickey, Qantas International CEO, Cam Wallace, Leon Burman, managing director of Tribe Travel and Events, Katie Fraser, general manager of customer and operations at FCM Meetings and Events, Susette van der Linden, vice president of global accounts and team director for Asia Pacific at ConferenceDirect, Michelle Sargent, managing director at Events Beyond, Marissa Fernandez, managing director at DMS Destination Marketing Services and Suzanne Neufang, CEO of the Global Business Travel Association.
“FACTS Festival is about convergence,” said the festival’s director, Derek Sadubin.
“By uniting aviation, corporate travel, events and technology, we are creating conversations and collaborations that don’t happen anywhere else. This year’s program will inspire, challenge and set the agenda for the industries we serve.”
FACTS will be held November 25 and 26, 2025.
The new event joins a packed scheduled of business events gatherings from October to December.
The Australian Event Symposium will take place in October in Coffs Harbour, Business Events Industry Aotearoa’s national conference is late November in Auckland, the Australian Business Events Association’s annual conference will be in Melbourne at the start of December followed almost immediately by the Professional Conference Organisers Association’s annual conference in Christchurch.
Tourism Australia’s incentive showcase, Australia Next, will also take place in Melbourne, just before the Australian Business Events Association conference.
