Australia gets starry-eyed with astronautical win

THE International Astronautical Congress (IAC) will be held in Adelaide in 2017 and is expected to draw over 3,000 delegates including some 200 astronauts, making it the largest congress ever hosted in the state.

Adelaide Convention Bureau bagged the event in partnership with the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) and state government of South Australia, beating rivals such as Bremen in Germany, Orlando in the US, Istanbul, and Dublin.

IAC will feature an exhibition component which is to attract support from space agencies and international space, while the organising committee will leverage the congress to shout out about Australian innovation.

Come 2017, the event will add A$18 million (US$15.8 million) to the Adelaide economy, 22,000 room nights, and 170 jobs.

The International Astronautical Federation’s executive director paid Adelaide a visit earlier this year to view conference, hospitality, and key city tourism facilities. IAC officials were also shown a video that gave them a better idea of what delegates would experience if the event was held in Adelaide.

Adelaide Convention Bureau CEO Damien Kitto said: “The IAC is the world’s most important annual interdisciplinary meeting for the space industry, regularly attracting over 3,000 participants from more than 70 countries, including space professionals, academics, major corporations, government representatives, students, and media.”

“The legacy to be left to South Australia’s space and related industries as a result of this win is priceless. For the duration of the event, the eyes of the space industry will be firmly on this state. It will increase opportunities for international collaboration and regional leadership, especially relevant as Australia – and South Australia in particular – is recognised as an emerging participant in the international space community.”

He added: “The recent experience of host destinations has shown that hosting an IAC brings significant attention to the capabilities of the destination and provides a framework for further advancing their development and international partnerships.”

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