Between July 2022 and June 2023, the centre delivered $215 million in economic benefit to South Australia through the events for which it provided a platform.
During the period, Adelaide Convention Centre hosted 646 events with more than 224,000 attendees, neither of which were records – during the 2018-2019 financial year, the venue achieved highs of 775 events delivered and over 350,000 visitors. However the 2022-2023 financial year did draw an additional 5,000 interstate and international delegates to Adelaide compared to the 2018-2019 financial year.
South Australia’s tourism minister Zoe Bettison said the importance and impact of business events to the state “cannot be overstated”.
“Business events not only provide a fantastic opportunity to showcase our city’s unrivalled business events capabilities and support the regions via delegate travel, but provide exciting opportunities for additional economic, professional and social legacies, which extend well beyond the life of the events to further advance and enrich our great state,” she said.
“Adelaide’s reputation as a leading business events destination continues to grow from strength to strength, as reflected in Adelaide Convention Centre’s outstanding results.
“When it comes to business events, Adelaide is certainly benefiting from not only the increased inventory of high-quality accommodation within the city centre, but also our city’s blossoming reputation as a clean, green destination, which has been identified as an increasingly important consideration amongst business events organisers.”
Adelaide Convention Centre was the first convention centre in the world to be awarded EarthCheck Platinum certification and will soon achieve “Master” certification, which represents a 15-year commitment to becoming an ever-more sustainable venue.
“Adelaide’s strong reputation for innovation, propelled by the ongoing development of Adelaide BioMed City and Lot Fourteen as key innovation and knowledge hubs, continues to be another major drawcard in attracting leading health, medical and innovation event organisers,” said Bettison.
Adelaide Convention Centre’s general manager, Martin Radcliffe, said the team was “thrilled” with their results.
“We are really encouraged by the future outlook, as our talented and committed team embraces a much more positive period for the business events industry,” he said.
“The more events we host, the more opportunities we have to support not only the visitor economy, but our state’s priority sectors.
“It’s also been really pleasing to see the impact and traction of both the Centre and our city’s sustainability commitment amongst event organisers. Our clients are highly motivated by our sustainability credentials, and it’s critical that we continue to go about our business sustainably, both in terms of supporting the environment and our local communities.”
The centre has been enjoying a steady stream of wins already this financial year, including medical and space events. It will also host the Professional Conference Organisers Association (PCOA) national conference in December.
