The wins are collectively worth a forecast $743.5 million in delegate expenditure and encompass an expected 1,249,027 delegate days.
Of the 279,947 delegates expected to attend the 336 events, 185,401 are anticipated to be international delegates with the remaining 94,546 delegates attending these events from around Australia.
International attendees are expected to spend considerably more than double that of domestic delegates.
For international association meeting wins, it is noted that two thirds of these will include a trade exhibition, which deliver business outcomes for local and international businesses.
In addition to wins, the calendar also captures bid losses, which total 299 events, worth almost $1.4 billion in delegate spend.
The forward calendar addresses the reasons for bid wins and losses, with geographic preference cited as the most common reason for bid losses for both association and corporate events.
However, 13 per cent of association losses were attributed to an insufficient financial incentive being provided for the event to chose Australia.
It is in this area in which ABEA’s warning lies.
“Right now, the pipeline is strong. But future wins are getting harder,” said ABEA CEO, Melissa Brown.
“With our limited Business Events Bid Fund Program (BFP), delivered through Tourism Australia, other countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Singapore – real competitors to our market – are gaining ground.
“Their governments are backing this sector with stronger bid support and Australia is at risk of losing events we should be winning.”
The BFP is Australia’s national business events subvention fund, for which ABEA is currently lobbying the government to increase funding, to $9 million per year.
In its release of the data from the forward calendar, ABEA noted one major Australian city has recently lost international events bids worth $26 million due to the financial support package offered not being enough.
Brown points out that Australia’s subvention funding is not a cost to government.
“It is an investment that only activates when Australia wins,” she said.
“It brings net new international revenue into the country and delivers returns well beyond the event itself.
“Importantly, government investment now delivers benefits down the track, because these events are won years in advance and their economic value flows later. This is not inflationary spending – it is a strategic investment in future export income, jobs and growth for Australia.
“We are talking about a sector that helps power knowledge exchange, showcases Australian capability, supports priority industries and drives real spending into cities, regions and supply chains.”
Brown also flagged that decisions made now will have a major impact in the years ahead.
“These events are won years in advance. If we do not have the right support settings in place now, we will feel the loss later, and not just directly by the business events industry, but for the thousands of smaller businesses who benefit from the hundreds of thousands of delegates to come to Australia and spend real money beyond the event they attend,” she said.
“The message from this report is simple. Australia can compete, and Australia can win, but only if we match ambition with investment.”
The current application window for the BFP closes at the end of this financial year, supporting events out to the end of 2029, suggesting there may be a further announcement concerning the fund in the near future.
