The Australian federal government has allocated $2 million to measure business events data in international and national data sets, including bespoke data collection activities.
The program will be rolled out in two phases:
Phase 1: Tourism Research Australia, has introduced a new suite of questions to the National and International Visitor Surveys. These questions have been in operation since January 2023, and are already collecting data.
Phase 2: Working closely with the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), bespoke data collection points including venues, organisers, delegates and exhibitors will be rolled out across the nation.
New business events sector data and measurements will support decision-making about the events to target for Australia. It will also help the broader visitor economy understand how it can best benefit from business event travellers and increase the chance that international business event visitors will return to Australia for holidays in the future.
BECA Chair, Dr Leo Jago OAM, said ”The $2 million allocation is the single largest investment in business events research that we have seen and will establish a long-term framework to most accurately and consistently measure the business events industry’s contribution to the economy over the next decade.”
Trade and Tourism Minister, Don Farrell said “The new business events data project is a critical part of the Government’s support for the ongoing recovery of Australia’s business events sector. Better data means better decisions, better decisions mean better events, and better events mean a bigger boost for Australia’s visitor economy.”
