Ottawa and The Hague join forces to attract top events
Senior representatives from Ottawa Tourism and The Hague Convention Bureau inked a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday that will bring the two cities’ convention offering closer together over the coming years.
In addition to the convention focused MoU, the event also celebrated and highlighted the many years of friendship between both the cities of Ottawa and The Hague and the nations of Canada and The Netherlands.
The MoU was initially discussed five years ago at the ICCA Congress in Antalya. The two organisations have since sought a variety of ways to cooperate.
Key objectives for the first year of the partnership include creation of joint sales activity; creation of research and intelligence documents focused on the security, governance and defence sectors, which will include identifying opportunities for both cities based on current leads and existing partnerships; identification of clients where both cities would be of interest followed by the creation of a joint proposal/bid highlighting synergies between the two destinations as well as legacy benefits of working together; identification of historic Hague clients that would be interested in Ottawa and vice-versa.
Expo 2020 Dubai spotlights medical topics
Expo 2020 Dubai will host a series of medical conferences and specialised events at the Dubai Exhibition Centre that are set to boost the UAE’s growing status as a global hub for innovation.
The nine events – expected to attract attendees from across the world – will take place during the six months of Expo 2020, which will run from October 20, 2020 until April 10, 2021, and will be organised by MCO, a Dubai-based medical conference and consumer events specialist.
There will be Virtual Reality (VR) and Robotics Expo pediatric, orthopaedic and surgery conferences as well as events focusing on cutting-edge technological advances such artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing and wearable technology.
The nine contracts will see MCO lease a cumulative 90,000m2 of space.
Hilton opens a hotel at the new P&J Live, Aberdeen
Hilton Aberdeen TECA, located at The Event Complex Aberdeen at P&J Live in Scotland, has welcomed its first guests.
The RBH-managed hotel includes 200 bedrooms over four floors, including nine suites named after the region’s most famous sons and daughters, as well as a Presidential Suite with an exclusive outdoor terrace space.
Conferences and events for up to 90 guests can be accommodated across 257m2 of meeting space.
As well as being directly connected to P&J Live, the destination’s new events venue, the hotel is within easy reach of the city’s attractions and Aberdeen Airport.
The property is Aberdeen’s only Hilton Hotels & Resorts branded property.
More than 500 operators, investors, industry, local councils and government partners have joined forces to deliver a bold new 12-year vision to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more in the Brisbane region.
The Visitor Economy 2031 Vision for the Brisbane region targets visiting friends and relatives, holidaymakers, students, as well as major event and business travellers.
Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said the Visitor Economy 2031 Vision, developed by Brisbane’s economic development board Brisbane Marketing, in collaboration with industry and regional tourism partners as well as all levels of government, would help unlock the potential of the Brisbane region.
“Brisbane is transforming through A$12 billion (US$8.3 billion) worth of new developments, including Brisbane’s new runway, International Cruise Ship Terminal and Queen’s Wharf Brisbane,” he said, adding that “there is potential to secure an additional A$6.5 billion a year in visitor expenditure and support 50,000 new jobs”.
“In Brisbane, we know there is more to see and do in our region than ever before, but now we need to work together to create a globally recognised Brisbane brand and remarkable experiences to give visitors even more reason to stay and spend in our region.”
The Visitor Economy 2031 Vision aims to build experiences in Brisbane, encourage brand awareness and global advocacy, as well as encourage visitors to explore the entire Brisbane region and use Brisbane as a base to explore the rest of Australia.
Schrinner said work had already started to build a globally recognised brand for the region and unearth new experiences. Some of the initiatives underway include:
A A$10 million cooperative marketing program in collaboration with Brisbane Marketing, Brisbane Airport Corporation and the State Government targeting North America and South-east Asian markets where there are direct flights into Brisbane.
An industry-owned and shared Brisbane narrative, that captures the elements and examples that make Brisbane the region of choice for a growing number of domestic and international visitors.
The recently announced Lord Mayor’s Experience Development Incentive Grant Program that supports local businesses to offer more exceptional experiences to enhance Brisbane’s appeal as a destination of choice.
Brisbane City Council’s River Access Network that has opened up opportunities for new commissionable tourism products, similar to Sealink and the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation’s (QYAC) newly launched Yalingbila whale watching tour.
“This Vision is a great example of collaboration, but our ambitions for the Brisbane region over the next 12 years will only be realised through a true partnership approach where all stakeholders continue to come to the table,” Schrinner said.
Brisbane Airport Corporation’s CEO Gert-Jan De Graaff said the city was in a unique position to attract more visitors and entice them to stay longer.
“Brisbane is entering an era of extraordinary opportunity and Brisbane’s new runway is a catalytic investment that will enable significant growth in international visitors for decades to come,” he said.
Momentum for Brisbane is already building with the latest tourism figures showing record numbers of domestic and international visitors from places like Sydney, Melbourne, China and the US.
Forecasts from the Visitor Economy 2031 Vision show the combined value of international and domestic overnight visitors to Brisbane will contribute nearly 90 per cent of total visitor spend and visitors will come from regional markets, interstate capital cities and Brisbane’s top six international markets, including China, India, North America, South Korea, Japan and the UK.