The Gold Coast has secured one of the most significant international incentive travel events awarded to Australia, with the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) Global Conference confirmed for February 2028.
The event will be held from 21-24 February 2028 and marks the first time in SITE’s history that its flagship global conference will be staged in Australia or the wider Asia-Pacific region. The win was secured through a partnership involving Experience Gold Coast, SITE ANZ, Business Events Australia and Tourism and Events Queensland.
SITE represents the global incentive travel sector, bringing together incentive houses, destination management companies, hotels, airlines, cruise operators and tourism organisations from around the world. Incentive travel remains one of the highest-value segments of the business events market, with delegates typically spending significantly more than traditional conference attendees.
The conference is expected to attract around 500 senior incentive travel professionals from key international markets. Experience Gold Coast Chief Executive Officer John Warn said the event is expected to deliver economic benefits well into the tens of millions of dollars for the destination.
While traditionally known for leisure tourism, the Gold Coast has increasingly focused on attracting conferences, incentives and association meetings through the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre and an increase in now hotels.
The announcement also comes as South-East Queensland prepares for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with significant infrastructure investment already underway across the region.