The Australian Business Events Expo and the Sydney Event Showcase will open for two days this week bringing together buyers and sellers for the business and special event industry.

The two co-located events will take place on August 10-11 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Australian Business Events Expo and Sydney’s Event Showcase will open for two days this week on August 10-11.

This year, a variety of new features at the shows will join up with popular favourites including the return of Meetings & Events Australia (MEA’s) Educational program brings expert advice organised educational seminars specifically for the Australian Business Events Expo. With a line-up of experienced speakers and topical subjects, this year’s seminars have something for everyone including director of event technology from Staging Connections Andrew MacColl on cutting edge lighting ideas and new audio technology.

Additionally David Addison, director Meetings & Events, MCI Group will be offering advice on putting together a marketing plan that attracts maximum quality delegates, increases your profile, and builds long term relationships with your target market.

Many more leading speakers are ready to present and you can still book a last minute ticket.

Click here to see the complete speaker list and Educational program, and go here to book your tickets.

New this year at Sydney’s Event Showcase, GALA promises a lineup of star-studded Entertainment options.

GALA, an entertainment show within Sydney’s Event Showcase will see SMA Entertainment By Design and Lovegrove Entertainment join forces to bring together the finest performances and introduce brand new acts at the show.

The Boys in the Band, just one of many entertainment shows that will be performed as part of GALA at Sydney’s Event Showcase.

Lovegrove will present The Leading Men, a popular show featuring stars of stage and screen Ian Stenlake from Sea Patrol and Scott Irwin from Hairspray. They’ll be performing their famous Australian Medley, a collection of Australia’s most popular songs, ‘Il Divo’ style.

SMA will bring to the stage the dazzling all-girl violin act String Diva and their newest act Boys in the Band inspired by the greatest boy bands, such as Jersey Boys, Bee Gees, The Beatles and The Jackson 5.

Inspired by the same trend, Lovegrove’s new show Jersey to Motown will perform top hits from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Temptations, The Drifters and Stevie Wonder. TJ Power who starred with Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love is part of this glittering act.

All girl violin act String Diva will also be performing.

GALA co-producer Darryl Lovegrove, Lovegrove Entertainment believes this unique showcase will bring a new perspective to entertainment for special events.

“Corporate Entertainment is often viewed as a luxury item and is invariably the first thing to go when event budgets are cut. However, entertainment sets the tone for an evening and can make or break the event; a memorable act will enhance a client’s theme, emphasise a message, get an event off to a flying start and send everyone home on a high,” said Lovegrove.

With a solid history of success in the world of corporate entertainment and a friendly relationship reaching back more than a decade, both companies share the belief that high-quality entertainment is fundamental to a winning event and what people remember most.

“Being able to establish our brand and networking directly at the coalface with prospective and existing clients, continues to be a crucial factor in SMA’s success and business strategy. There’s nothing better than face-to-face contact,” said Dale Burridge of SMA Entertainment By Design.

From Jersey to Motown, a huge range of corporate entertaiment will be showcased at the show.

“PCOs, event planners or representatives of speaker bureau frequently book our shows but never get to see them perform live in action. This is why we’ve created GALA; to provide an opportunity for everyone wanting to add impact to their events and see some incredible corporate entertainment acts in the same place at the same time,” said Lovegrove.

“We are truly proud of our partnership with Lovegrove Entertainment. Even though we are competitors in our field, we feel strongly that standing united, with a shared vision and commitment to supplying world class corporate entertainment created by experts will continue to give us the edge,” said Burridge.

Tickets are limited for GALA; Visitors can book complimentary tickets when registering for Sydney’s Event Showcase.  The two shows take place between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on 10 and 11 August.

For more information, click on the video below: