The 104 business events secured by BESydney comprise 61 international incentives, 41 international conferences and two national conferences.
Together these events are expected to draw 77,000 delegates and drive direct expenditure of $345 million.
In terms of the industries being served by these events, looking at it from a direct spend perspective, the technology, artificial intelligence and digital industries are projected to be responsible for 29 per cent of the spend, followed by health and life sciences at 28 per cent and then the science, engineering and infrastructure sectors at 23 per cent.
There is a sizeable gap to the next highest spending sector, financial and professional services, accounting for eight per cent of the spend, followed by aerospace and defence, which is forecast to spend a little over $24 million or seven per cent of collective anticipated event related spend.
“This year we helped secure a series of the world’s leading artificial intelligence and robotics conferences, reinforcing Sydney’s growing reputation as a destination for innovation and future industries,” said BESydney CEO, Amanda Lampe.
“Governments are now recognising that business events are strategic economic infrastructure rather than tourism activity, because the returns show up in investment, skills and industry capability.”
BESydney says it now has a confirmed pipeline of 108 events locked in out to 2030, which have a direct spend value of $611 million and an expected delegate pool of 144,000.
During the 2025-2026 financial year, 80 events secured by BESydney were held, attracting around 53,000 delegates and driving a direct spend of $257 million.
During the year, the organisation also made more of a push into the domestic meetings market with the Western Sydney Meetings Fund, designed to draw demand into the city’s west as the opening of Western Sydney International Airport brings the region into focus for business events and prompt related infrastructure commitments.
The fund offered financial incentives to 25 associations and corporates to hold their events in Western Sydney, with a collective potential 11,250 delegates and a $35 million spend, if all organisations who were offered funding decide to take it up by choosing Western Sydney as their event destination.
