The state’s tourism minister, Zoe Bettison, said the latest funding was particularly to help attract events to Adelaide during the off-peak winter months.
“Business events like conferences and conventions are the bread and butter of our visitor economy, filling our hotels throughout the week with business delegates spending significantly more per person than leisure visitors,” she said.
“With the investment in infrastructure, accommodation, unique quality offerings and experiences, Adelaide now represents an enviable blend of big city capability with a boutique, compact feel for business event organisers both domestically and overseas.”
For the upcoming winter, Business Events Adelaide has secured 39 events worth $117 million to Adelaide.
“Over 20,000 delegates will fill hotel rooms between June and August, and it would be great to see this result replicated next winter to provide more confirmed business for our members,” said Business Events Adelaide CEO Damien Kitto.
“We are grateful to the Malinauskas Government for their continued support, and business event organisers appreciate the alignment that we have – they really feel wanted.
“Adelaide is already affordable and flexible, with expertise in a whole host of key industry sectors. The city works perfectly as a business event destination, with hotels, venues and innovation precincts all within easy reach of one another.”
The South Australian Government puts the value of business events to the state at $2.5 billion annually, with Business Events Adelaide typically driving around $330 million of that.
“Business events such as conferences, trade shows, exhibitions and summits provide a great return on investment for South Australia as they attract high value international and interstate delegates who spend money on hotels, restaurants, transportation and attractions,” said South Australia’s treasurer, Stephen Mullighan.
“These events support job creation, stimulating employment in sectors like hospitality, retail, logistics and event management.
“Business events also give the opportunity to local businesses to gain access to global markets while local vendors also benefit directly from increased demand.”
For the current financial year, the value of Business Events Adelaide’s event attraction efforts are set to be much higher than the $330 million average, with Kitto telling micenet earlier this year that there was a solid chance of securing $750 million of business, after locking in $600 million by the end of February.
