Business Events (BE) Adelaide describes the events mood in the South Australia capital as “particularly buoyant” at the start of 2025. This optimism starts with the State Government offering strong support for bringing a greater number of business events to the state, and a recognition of the economic tail that flows from business events.
Adelaide has quietly grown into a contemporary, vibrant international city. Investment in infrastructure – both redeveloped and new hotels, products and experiences – means Adelaide now has the global brands and high-quality venues expected of a modern city but has retained its boutique charm and is being noticed not just by CMW (see our review at www.c-ww.net of Adelaide’s hosting of Australia Next 2023 programme), but by publications including the Wall Street Journal and Lonely Planet as a city with global appeal.
Associations seeking world leading facilities and expertise in cutting edge industries will find in Adelaide an event destination focused sharply on economic outcomes. The city has a strong government and private sector partnership and its sectoral leaders have much to share with international associations and their delegates.
All of this translated into a record value for business placed in FY24 (July 2023 to June 2024) and FY25 is forecast to be even bigger, according to the BE Adelaide team, who report a strong pipeline of future sales opportunities for the next few years. The bureau identifies healthcare, innovation, defence and renewable energy as particularly strong sectors for events that also align with South Australia’s strategic priorities.
BioMed City is a A$3.8bn health and medical innovation district in the heart of Adelaide, comprised of leading-edge anchor institutes and companies that cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators.
Lot Fourteen, a global innovation district in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD, focuses on accelerating South Australia’s space, defence, cyber and creative industries, enabled through critical technologies including AI, machine learning, quantum computing and photonics. Lot Fourteen is home to Australia’s Space Agency, the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre, the Australian Institute for Machine Learning and the Stone & Chalk start-up hub that works alongside global companies including Amazon Web Services, Cisco and Salesforce.
Defence is also an increasing focus in the city. The AUKUS trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the USA – and associated defence projects – is strengthening national security and stability in the region, with record investments in skills, jobs and infrastructure underway in South Australia.
Future aims
So, what are Adelaide’s primary goals for the business events market in 2025? Are there specific growth areas that BEAdelaide is targeting and how does the pipeline look – are booking times getting longer/shorter?
“On the back of a strong performance last year, business on the books for the next three years looks particularly healthy. Domestically, Adelaide’s presence is now well-established and will remain a focus,” says Damien Kitto the BEAdelaide chief executive officer.
“Internationally, we have identified that there is an opportunity for growth. Global competition for business events has never been higher, but Adelaide stands up really strongly when a bid is aligned to the key economic sectors that we work to.
“A destination must provide a value proposition which includes an economic narrative. From this perspective, Adelaide has a lot to offer in areas including health, medical and life sciences research; innovation; AI and space; machine learning; renewable energy production and defence,” he adds.
Sustainability
Adelaide has a great story to tell in regards to sustainability – being a city in a park and close to the airport with good walkability. While Adelaide Convention Centre became the world’s first convention venue to achieve EarthCheck’s Master certification. South Australia is also a world leader in renewables and was one of the first places to enact legislation to reduce carbon emissions. It is on track to achieve 100% net renewable energy by 2027.
“We talk about these green credentials, but that is no longer enough – we need to be able to demonstrate practices that reduce the impact on our planet, especially in a country like Australia, with delegates conscious of the carbon footprint associated with their travel,” Kitto underlines.
He points to the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-M), which Adelaide joined in April 2024 and which ranks cities according to their sustainability practices and validates their efforts to be more environmentally and socially conscious. “Our result gave us a blueprint for how we can quickly improve and work together as a destination to further develop sustainability strategies, and it’s realistic for Adelaide to aim for a place high in the top 40 in coming years.”
Refreshing approach to recruitment
What of recruitment and rising costs, presumably key issues for the city’s events community? Kitto again: “In 2024, our changing business needs – and greater focus on the international sector – meant refreshing our business development teams. New personnel were bought in, some of whom had no sector experience but came with a strong background in other industries. This was a strategic choice to bring sales skills without an industry bias. Internally, some team members were given new and increased responsibilities.
“Providing career opportunities for existing team members not only demonstrates a strong internal culture but also put ‘rubber on the road’ much more quickly. With a solid structure in place, we have seen a significant improvement in our sales conversion in a few short months and look forward to converting more opportunities.”
Australia’s experience city
We asked Kitto what new experiences or event formats being tested could take off in 2025? “Adelaide is Australia’s experience city. International tourists love the variety of what’s on offer, either our premium wine via more than 200 cellar doors; the thrill of doing a ‘hot lap’ at The Bend Motorsport Park; feeding the lions at Monarto Safari Park or taking a behind-the-scenes tour at Jurlique Farm, where you can learn about the nature and science behind their own skin care products made from local ingredients.
“Whether as part of an incentive group or association delegates spending a few extra days after a business event, all of these activities are less than an hour away from the city, so there really is something different to do every day. Adelaide is the perfect package. It offers the blend of modern amenities and cultural richness. With its accessibility, immersive technology and diverse accommodations, it is an ideal choice for impactful business events.”
Kitto keen to stress that Adelaide is not just a conference hub but also a thriving business centre with a strong economy and skilled workforce. He adds that Adelaide “aligns perfectly with modern business values. It’s affordable, well-connected and as Australia’s food basket offers the very freshest produce and of course, premium wine.
“We invite international organisations to come and ‘take over’ the city for their next business event or incentive.”
How can this unique Adelaide culture and landscape enhance the value of international business events? “One of Adelaide’s most positive assets is that everything is close at hand, meaning that delegates can maximise their time on the ground to make more meaningful connections,” says Kitto. “Just 15 minutes separates the CBD and the airport, and luxury hotels start only metres from the Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC). Our innovation districts and universities are also within walking distance, and a free (electric) tram also traverses the city.”
This feeling of connectivity extends to our Team Adelaide approach to business events, Kitto stresses, who believes the strong alignment between suppliers, and the State Government is something that other destinations cannot match. “Everyone works together to make each business event an exceptional experience and being a connected city means more things are possible. International business events can ‘own’ the city – close off a street for a party, invite the Lord Mayor to a welcome event – anything is possible.”
Does that connectivity extend to international air connections and will we see more flight routes introduced in 2025? Kitto replies that the team was “thrilled” to welcome Emirates Airlines back to Adelaide in 2024, increasing connectivity to Europe.
“We were also really pleased with the return of China Southern, providing direct aviation access to Greater China. Whilst Adelaide has plenty of connecting flights with larger cities interstate and in Asia, we know direct access is vital, especially for the corporate incentive sector. Our Strategic Partners at Adelaide Airport are working hard to secure more direct routes to global destinations, so expect more announcements in 2025,” he says.
