Brisbane wins hosting rights for paediatric hearing and speech symposium

The symposium will have an impact on Hear and Say, the paediatric hearing healthcare sector, and Brisbane (pictured) as a city.

A US-headquartered paediatric health symposium has chosen Brisbane as its first-ever Asia-Pacific host city, with 500 global experts set to meet in the city come March 2021.

The successful bid for the AG Bell Global Listening and Spoken Language Symposium was led by economic development board Brisbane Marketing in partnership with Hear and Say, a local non-for-profit providing early intervention services for children with hearing loss.

The symposium will have an impact on Hear and Say, the paediatric hearing healthcare sector, and Brisbane (pictured) as a city.

Hear and Say’s clinical director, Emma Rushbrooke, was one of the first recipients of the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant. She used the grant to attend the symposium in 2018 and worked with Brisbane Marketing to advocate for Brisbane as a future host city.

Lord Mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner shared in a statement that the three-day symposium would highlight Brisbane and Australia’s world-leading expertise in paediatric hearing and healthcare research while generating over A$890,000 (US$626,204) for the local economy.

“Business events generate an average A$250 million for Brisbane’s economy annually, and each conference that comes to our city facilitates knowledge exchange, partnerships and boosts the local tourism, hospitality and service sectors,” Schrinner said.

“Teaming up with professionals like Rushbrooke to attract international conferences is precisely why the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant was established and it’s pleasing to see another conference secured through the programme,” he added.

“This conference will significantly boost Hear and Say’s profile, enhancing our reputation as specialists on an international scale, and showcasing our Brisbane HQ as a centre of excellence for paediatric hearing healthcare, research and training,” Rushbrooke said in a statement.

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