Destination Gold Coast is diving head-first into the new year with a total of 146 events in the city’s business events pipeline worth some A$200 million (US$140 million) between now and 2030.
Bids secured include two confirmed international events, the 17th World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Biennial Congress in 2023, and the 74th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference in 2024, which were secured with the support of Tourism Australia’s Bid Fund Program and Tourism Events Queensland’s Business Events Acquisition and Leveraging Fund.
Marking their first time to Australia in 18 years and the very first time being hosted on the Gold Coast, the 17th WFC Biennial Congress will attract 1,000 delegates over four days from October 11 -14,2023, who will convene at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Meanwhile, the 74th Annual ICA Conference was initially secured in 2020 but the event went virtual due to the global pandemic. Destination Gold Coast re-bid for the conference to be hosted June 19-24, 2024, and was selected to host 3,000 delegates from over 80 countries including the US, Germany and Japan.
Destination Gold Coast also partnered with the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre and successfully won an international bid for Society for Eye Research (ISER) 2023 which will add another A$3 million to the city’s economy.
Destination Gold Coast’s head of business events, Selina Sinclair, said demand for hosting business events on the Gold Coast has increased significantly over the past 12 months.
“In addition to our incredible climate, coastal location and sun-drenched lifestyle, a significant investment in infrastructure has been made over the past two years which is seeing the Gold Coast’s profile as a business events destination continue to grow,” Sinclair said.
“The Gold Coast is attracting scientists, engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and creatives of every kind. With companies pouring capital into investment, ideas, entrepreneurship and innovation are flourishing across a wide range of industries.”
