The event was won for Sydney by BESydney and will be held at ICC Sydney in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The summit was previously held in Melbourne.
The meeting is expected to attract 3,000 participants in 2027 and grow from there while in Sydney. Delegate spend as a result of the event is anticipated to be $2.3 million each year.
“The Minns Labor Government is building a strong renewable fuels industry in NSW as part of our transition to net zero, with sustainable aviation fuels playing a critical role in that future,” said the NSW climate change and environment minister, Penny Sharpe.
“Through our landmark Renewable Fuel Strategy, we’re backing the investment and innovation needed to accelerate local production, drive down emissions, create local jobs and strengthen fuel security.
“We look forward to welcoming delegates across the region to Sydney, driving practical outcomes and partnerships that will help deliver a more sustainable aviation future.”
The SAF APAC Summit is run by Leader Associates, based in Singapore, who organise energy transition events around the world, alongside meetings for the energy, artificial intelligence and data centre sectors.
Leader Associates will also co-locate the first Future Grid & AI Data Centres (FGDC) APAC Summit with the SAF APAC Summit at ICC Sydney next year.
“Through our partnership with the NSW Government, we are creating Asia Pacific’s leading platform to advance the sustainable aviation fuel economy,” said Leader Associates managing director, Eddie Lee.
“Thousands of global industry leaders will come together annually at the SAF APAC Summit, connecting governments, airlines, investors and innovators, accelerating collaboration, creating new commercial opportunities and shaping the future of global SAF markets.”
While a direct win for business events in Sydney, the content of the SAF summit is also important for the business events sector, with SAF considered a critical element for bringing down the carbon footprint of conferences and incentives.
Estimates have suggested up to 80 per cent of an event’s emissions are from air travel, with sustainable aviation fuel able to bring down the carbon impact of air travel significantly. However, SAF is in its infancy with only the beginnings of a local SAF industry starting to take shape in Australia.
BESydney’s chief client officer, Kristian Nicholls, called the three-year business win for Sydney “a powerful endorsement of Sydney’s standing as a hub for sustainable innovation”.
“We are proud to champion the strong alignment between the summit and the NSW Government’s renewable fuel initiatives, including the Australia-Asia SAF Alliance, the Renewable Fuel Strategy, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Prospectus and the e-SAF Value Chain in NSW report by the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub,” said Nicholls.
