Business Events Sydney (BESydney) and airline partner Qantas once again facilitated the hosted buyer program at this week’s Australian Business Events Expo (ABEE) 2011, offering the Sydney and New South Wales industry a valuable opportunity to network and profile their business to over 30 event planners.

BESydney has been a co-facilitator of the popular hosted buyer program for many years, and is committed to profiling Sydney as Australia’s leading business events destination. This year, the hosted buyers were key-decision makers, managers, organisers and influencers from national associations, government, universities, corporate organisations and event industry intermediaries from across Australia and New Zealand.

All buyers were selected for the program against specific criteria to ensure the best benefit for ABEE exhibitors and attendees.

“The ABEE hosted buyer program is a natural extension of the support BESydney provides to our industry stakeholders on a daily basis.” said Lyn Lewis Smith, Business Events Sydney’s acting chief executive officer.

“As the sole organisation charged with promoting Sydney as a leading Asia-Pacific destination for professional and incentive events, and securing these events for our city, BESydney is always looking for opportunities to connect our industry stakeholders with buyers and planners, or in this case, bring them directly to their ABEE stand.”

At ABEE, held at Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, the buyers were introduced to the latest and most innovative products and services for the business events industry, which is sure to provide insight and inspiration for upcoming events. They also met one on one with selected suppliers and had the chance to participate in the popular MEA educational seminars.

To complement this experience, BESydney also developed a comprehensive itinerary to ensure Sydney’s unique event options, innovative hospitality services and ability to execute world-class events are experienced firsthand.

The buyers visited seven venues around the harbour city and enjoyed a cocktail cruise with Captain Cook Cruises, an interactive cooking course with VictorsFood at Sydney Masonic Centre and a progressive dinner through the diverse Sydney Olympic Park venues.

For the first time, buyers were offered the chance to venture outside of Sydney to experience the coastal city of Wollongong in a regional showcase. The trip will offer a select number of buyers an insight into the diverse beauty and impressive facilities on offer for business events hosted in regional NSW.