The inaugural Get Global outbound MICE industry trade show launched on Friday at the iconic International Convention Centre Sydney.

Over the course of the one day event 240 top decision makers and professional conference and meeting organisers had the opportunity to connect with 120 representatives of international hotels, airlines, meeting and convention bureaus, DMCs, cruise companies and other suppliers of international product from 20 countries.

New and upcoming openings at Get Global included the architecturally awe inspiring Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi; the Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay – their first top of the line new build hotel in the region; One & Only’s Nyungwe House nature resort in Rwanda; The Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth South Africa from the SunLux Collection and SYDELL’s Nomad and Saguaro hotels in Los Angeles.

There was also a noticeable trend of conferencing and incentives professionals seeking authentic, unique and engaging destinations and properties and out of this world experiences.

Gary Bender Director and founder of Get Global said “Travel is still the key number one reward and incentive. It is an experience that creates enduring memories and an awful lot of company loyalty. There is more value for money by going offshore. Flights are now the cheapest they have ever been, the choice of airlines and accessibility of destinations is unprecedented. When Australians do travel, they travel well and they spend well so it’s a good piece of business.”

Among the vast array of new and exciting experiences on offer at Get Global were personal encounters with gorillas, Out of Africa pop-up luxury safari camps, Big 7 game viewing and a private island day beach club in Fiji.

Strong support was shown by the airlines with Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Emirates, United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Qatar Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Air Tahiti Nui and Scoot all in attendance.

From the small DMCs to global companies including Shangri-La, Langham, Marriott, Wyndham, IHG, Kerzner, Movenpick, Sydell, RCL, Club Med, Waterways and Globus there was a wide cross section of suppliers taking the opportunity to come back into the Australian market.

Get Global ‘Where the World Meets’ is not your typical trade show with a number of innovations that set it apart from the usual trade show format.

Held in Sydney over only one day with a bright, fresh bespoke designed show floor, there were no rigid appointment schedules instead buyers were encouraged to engage with as many companies of interest as they desire and in turn can ‘Get Lucky’ as their scanned pass enters them into a plethora of prizes including flights drawn over the course of the day.

Donna Kessler Director and founder of Get Global said “The traditional trade show model had become tired, cost prohibitive and the international show floor was shrinking as a result. We consulted the industry and listened to them and the result is a collective of their experience and ours making Get Global the only outbound solely dedicated MICE trade show in Australia.”

In support of War on Waste no promotional paper materials were used by Get Global in the form of brochures or gift bags. Exhibitors were also encouraged to bring along only their favourite presentation device as they were provided with an online portal for their marketing materials and Get Global partnered with Touchpoint to manage their leads and contacts as well as buyer registration, delegate management and the prize entry system.