Adelaide’s 2020 indigenous vision nets big WIPCE congress

The Adelaide Convention Bureau is to host the 2020 World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE). The announcement was made at the 2017 WIPCE conference in Toronto. WIPCE brings together indigenous representatives from across the globe to share strategies and developments for indigenous education. Over the course of its 30-year history, the conference has become recognised as the largest and most diverse event of its kind. The South Australian capital won the WIPCE 2020 bid thanks to the city’s convention bureau working in collaboration with professor Peter Buckskin, dean: aboriginal engagement and strategic projects, from the University of SA, with support from the minister for aboriginal affairs and reconciliation, Hon. Kyam Maher. WIPCE 2020 will give Australia’s aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the opportunity to celebrate their place in the world as the oldest living culture of humanity. The 3,000-delegate conference is expected to add AUS$13.2m (US$10.46m) to the state’s visitor economy and provide 17,872 bed nights, while creating 119 jobs. Damien Kitto, CEO, Adelaide Convention Bureau, said: “The soon to be opened phase two of the Adelaide Convention Centre redevelopment has enabled us to bid for these large size events that were once beyond our reach.” Professor Buckskin added: “Sharing and showcasing our culture and knowledges with other indigenous global citizens as the oldest living culture of humanity will be an honour and privilege.”