Consistently recognised as one of the world’s most liveable cities and bordered by 760 hectares of parkland, Adelaide is clean, green, walkable and accessible. The airport is just a ten-minute drive from the CBD, allowing for one of the quickest transfers in the world, while most business and leisure precincts are within easy walking distance of one another. Event organisers will find planning their events a breeze, while delegates will enjoy the ease and convenience of getting around and exploring the city on foot.
With the most well-connected business, events and entertainment precinct in the country, Adelaide lends itself extremely well to business events and the extraordinary amount of recent developments have further enhanced its capabilities for servicing the sector, making it a future-forward complete convention city.
Collaborative and connected
At the heart of the city’s transformation is the multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the Riverbank Precinct. Attracting millions of visitors every year, this dynamic precinct connects the city’s cultural, medical, sporting, education, entertainment and conference centres, with a range of hotels and restaurants right at its doorstep.
It includes the expanded Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide Oval, Festival Centre, SkyCity Casino with luxury hotel Eos by SkyCity, and the new BioMed City, with all of these interconnected by walkways and a river footbridge.
“Adelaide is a small city but with big city infrastructure and it’s got everything for presenting a business event – the world-class venues and facilities, entertainment, the social side, it’s clean and green, it’s walkable, and it’s a really safe city,” Business Events Adelaide chief executive officer Damien Kitto says.
The innovation precincts sparking new ideas and inspiration
With a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem and new, world-class knowledge precincts, Adelaide is making its mark as a global leader in innovation across a number of industries such as health and life sciences, space, defence, agriculture and many more.
Just a short stroll from Adelaide Convention Centre to the West End of the Riverbank, lies the $3.6 billion BioMed City – one of the largest and most significant health and science hubs in the Southern Hemisphere and home to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
A short distance away in the city’s North Terrace, is the city’s newest innovation precinct – Lot Fourteen. With a focus on the fastest growing industries of the future, including cyber, machine learning, space and defence, it’s here you’ll find the Australian Space Agency alongside world-renowned global companies such as the Institute of Machine Learning and a Stone and Chalk Group managed start-up hub.
This newly developed seven-hectare precinct is supported by a $757 million State and Australian Government investment and has several major projects in the works, including Tarrkarri – Centre for First Nations Cultures – a state-of-the art architectural masterpiece which is scheduled to open in 2025.
Coupled with Adelaide’s collaborative culture and accessibility, these thriving innovation precincts offer business events immense opportunity to tap into some of the best minds in the biz and allow for knowledge exchange to take place beyond the conference room.
“We’ve always had really smart, creative people and with the innovation districts – particularly with BioMed City and Lot Fourteen – the way we tend to pursue business events, is we align them to our key economic sectors,” Kitto says.
“More times than not, the event will be at Adelaide Convention Centre, then it’s only a five-to- 10-minute walk to BioMed City or a 15-minute walk to Lot Fourteen where you can meet industry leaders in those districts, tour the spaces and facilities, attend lectures, have meetings and network. It ends up being much more than just presenting a business event in a venue but extending the opportunity to see and experience these technology and innovation districts as well.”
Team Adelaide
Adelaide prides itself on its unified, collaborative culture and it all starts with Business Events Adelaide which Kitto says takes a “Team Adelaide” approach with its industry partners when working with event organisers.
“We’re really proud about working together as Team Adelaide – the venues, the hotels, the professional conference organisers, the expo builders, the whole supply chain,” he says.
“Especially in going through the post- COVID economic recovery, having that trust and credibility in the event delivery service is really important and the event solution can be highly tailored to the needs and requirements of the client. The people here really care and want to deliver a great experience for business delegates coming to Adelaide.”
Business Events Adelaide also offers a ‘Conventions Adelaide’ program which features a network of 80 South Australian industry leaders from key sectors who are committed to successful convention programs.
“That’s the beauty of being a small city – we all communicate and work and collaborate together, and nothing is impossible. We really live by that and I think we’re really well known for it.”
World-class venues and facilities
From its state-of-the-art Convention Centre to a variety of high-end and unique venues in the heart of the city, Adelaide offers something for any and every type of event.
Adelaide Convention Centre
Situated on the banks of the River Torrens, Adelaide Convention Centre opened in 1987, making it Australia’s first purpose-built convention centre. In 2017, the Centre completed a major expansion project which added two new buildings, expanding its overall footprint to 20,000 square metres.
In the East Building, the flexible Plenary Hall offers 3,000 square metres of floor space for exhibitions and banquets, or tiered seating for up to 3,500, and can also be sub-divided into more than 15 different configurations. This awe-inspiring space also has a “Starry Night” ceiling panel which features more than 35,000 fibre optic lights, adding a touch of wonder and intrigue to your event. The Centre’s high-end capabilities make it one of the most modern, flexible and technologically advanced centres in the country, while its stunning design, complete with elevated “Skyway” walkway which connects all three buildings, and sprawling river views, make it one of the most beautiful too.
Light Adelaide
Founded by local husband and wife duo Nick and Sophie Dunstone the midst of the pandemic and launched in February 2021, Light Adelaide is one of the city’s newest and most innovative spaces. Combining technology, hospitality and the performing arts, this not-for-profit organisation was created as a philanthropic venture with the aim of giving the local arts community access to cutting-edge audio-visual technology. Housed within an old 1880s building in the artsy West End precinct, the hub features the highly-acclaimed Aurora restaurant, an outdoor bar and dining area, and The Lab – an immersive performance and events space for up to 150 pax cocktail, featuring a 50-square-metre LED screen.
In November, Light will open two new spaces – a bar overlooking leafy Light Square, and Light Immersive Theatre, offering a fully immersive space amid 150 square meters of LED screens, ideal for any style of event for up to 100 people.
SkyCity Adelaide
Offering a luxurious setting, five-star service and exceptional dining, SkyCity Adelaide is the perfect venue for when you want to go all out. Its Level 2 dedicated events floor includes eight versatile spaces, including the SkyCity Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 450 guests seated or 650 standing and features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the River Torrens and bathing the space in natural light.
Adelaide Oval
The iconic Adelaide Oval is the place to be for an authentically South Australian experience. In addition to its cutting-edge facilities, including 25 distinct spaces for up to 3,000 people, the venue stands out with its superb culinary offering, energetic atmosphere and range of unique experiences such as stadium tours, RoofClimb, lighting and ribbon boards, and much more.
Adelaide Zoo
Transport your delegates to the lush gardens of Adelaide Zoo, just north of the CBD. As well as being home to more than 2,500 animals, the zoo has a range of indoor and outdoor spaces, including the Bamboo Forest Pavilion where you can wine and dine up to 250 guests and treat them to a special Giant Panda guest appearance. Other special experiences include a whole zoo takeover at twilight for up to 3,000 guests, special animal encounters and private guided tours.
Must-do experiences
• Get the adrenalin pumping on top of South Australia’s largest stadium with Roofclimb Adelaide Oval.
• Discover, explore and be inspired by the future-focused exhibitions at MOD.
• Blend your own wine and try a drop from the year of your birth direct from the barrel in the Barossa Valley.
• Embark on a whimsical wine adventure inside the d’Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale.
• Experience memorable wildlife encounters and breath-taking natural scenery on Kangaroo Island.
Where to wine and dine
• Sôl Rooftop for creative cocktails, fresh share platters and stunning sunsets.
• Five Regions for an exquisite wine-matched degustation that showcases Adelaide’s wine regions.
• Aurora for sustainably sourced, local produce that shines.
• 2KW Restaurant & Bar for innovative, seasonally led dishes and rooftop views.
Where to stay
Sofitel Adelaide
Merging local culture with the brand’s signature French art de vivre, this five-star hotel features 251 spacious guestrooms and suites, ultra-chic bars and Garçon Bleu restaurant, functional meeting spaces, exclusive Club Millésime floor, gym and heated indoor swimming pool.
Crowne Plaza Adelaide
Designed as a retreat for work and rest, this hotel in the city’s tallest building offers jaw-dropping views from its 329 rooms and suites, thoughtful workspaces, a popular Japanese restaurant, fitness centre and heated rooftop infinity pool with adjoining bar.
Eos by SkyCity
This glamourous hotel has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a high-end casino hotel – opulent décor, luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, swish bars and restaurants, luxury spa, and outdoor pool with sprawling views.
