The first budget of the minority Liberal Government in Tasmania was handed down on Thursday, 12 September, with Treasurer Michael Ferguson delivering it in state parliament.
Of the $5 million boost for Business Events Tasmania – to be spent during the next two years – $3.8 million has been provided for the Business Events Attraction Fund, and a further $1.2 million for business-to-business marketing.
“The Business Events Attraction Fund – which was established by the Tasmanian Government in 2019, and which Business Events Tasmania took over the administration of in September 2021 – allows Business Events Tasmania to offer financial support at the critical bidding stage to help secure national and international conferences to the state,” says Business Events Tasmania CEO Marnie Craig.
“In addition, the increased investment for marketing will allow us to represent Tasmania at tradeshows nationally and internationally.
“We are in the final stages of planning a familiarisation program that will bring more than 60 event planners and key decision-makers to Tasmania, who have either never been to the state before in a business events capacity or haven’t been for many years.”
Craig says Business Events Tasmania aims to grow the value of the state’s business events sector to $300 million (up from $199 million currently) annually by 2028.
“The funding provided in the recent budget is critically important if we are to achieve our goal of growing the value of the business events sector in Tasmania,” she says, thanking the Tasmanian Government for its contribution and support.
