TA celebrates 10 years of business events partnerships in Asia

HONG KONG – Australia will be looking to consolidate its credentials as a business events destination for the corporate meetings and incentives market, when the 10th Team Australia Business Events Educational (TABEE) trade mission kicks off in Macau next month.

Tourism Australia (TA) managing director, Geoff Buckley said TA and the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux partners, known as Team Australia, will meet with key business events buyers at TABEE from March 3-5, 2008.

Around 50 Australian convention bureaux and industry partners will meet with 100 corporate meeting and incentive decision makers from 11countries for one-on-one business appointments at the event. For the first time the event will also include a VIP program for Australian industry leaders to experience how Australia’s business events sector is promoted offshore.

This will be the first international trade event under the new brand – Business Events Australia.

Head of Tourism Events Australia, Joyce DiMascio said Asia is a vital source of business for Australia and is the fastest growing region for incentives and meetings.

Australia received 838,500 business visitors in 2007, an increase of seven percent compared to 2006, with nearly 40 percent of visitors coming from Asia. Of these business visitors 188,000 (up 10 percent) nominated attending a conference or convention as their main reason for visiting Australia.