The research from Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit reveals Australia is a sought-after destination among international incentive and association event decision makers, with a positive future schedule of business events on the horizon.

The 2024 Business Events Consumer Demand Project research is conducted annually to understand the perception of Australia as a business events destination, the factors influencing decision makers’ destination choice, and to provide outlook for the international business events industry.

“According to the latest research, the outlook for international events in Australia is looking bright, with one in three decision makers surveyed actively planning an event in Australia in the next three-to-10 years,” says Tourism Australia’s executive general manager of commercial and Business Events Australia, Robin Mack.

“This positive outlook is an opportunity for the Australian business events industry to capitalise on this strong awareness and drive conversion through strengthening business events decision makers’ understanding of Australia’s unique offering.”

The research shows almost two-thirds of event decision makers are optimistic their budgets will increase in the coming years – 64 per cent of incentive decision makers and 63 per cent of association decision makers.

“It’s positive to see spend for international business events is expected to increase,” says Mack.

“With bigger budgets comes bigger events. Our research also shows upcoming business events globally are expected to have more attendees compared to the past five years.”

Two-thirds of event decision makers surveyed said sustainability credentials have a significant impact on the destination they choose.

The research surveyed 160 associations in North America, UK and Europe, and 499 corporate decision makers from the incentive sectors in North America, UK, China, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.