Brisbane: innovating industry sectors strengthen business events

Sponsored by Brisbane Economic Development Agency in partnership with Business Events Australia Brisbane, capital of Queensland, Australia, is a thriving multicultural city of 2.7m people and has grown exponentially into what is today a key business events hub. The city has shown itself to be a leading example of how knowledge economy excellence can drive association and corporate events. Here we examine how this has been achieved and celebrate some of the key sectors showing a global lead in innovating for the future. Medtech sector delivers healthy dividend for meetings The pandemic period brought into sharp focus the importance of the global health services sector, now estimated to be worth $8 trillion worldwide. Business events in this sector are booming, not least in Brisbane which hosted more than 20 major health and life sciences business events last year, including the World Down Syndrome Congress, the Health Informatics Conference, Options XII for the Control of Influenza Conference, and the Society for the Neurobiology of Language Annual Meeting. The line up into 2025 is equally impressive with a large conference confirmed in the area of microarray patch technology adding to a sectoral spread which includes The Lancefield International Symposium on Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases 2025. LISSD will be held at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC), 1-5 June and will focus on prevention of Strep A disease in Indigenous communities. BCEC was also the venue in 2023 for the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science, which drew over 4,100 delegates in person and 1,200 virtually. So, why is it that planners looking for the best impact, legacy and academic and industry networking opportunities for their health and medtech events are drawn to Brisbane? They seek a destination that offers all that and more and Lorelle Chittick, general manager tourism, business and major events at the Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA), says Brisbane has all that and more, and is able to offer organisers a destination where the local government fully supports the health and medical sector. She highlights also the close proximity of world-class medical institutions and research centres, as well as excellent healthcare infrastructure and, of course, top conference facilities. Good accommodation stock and transport infrastructure are really foundational requirements for organisers in this sector – an area in which Brisbane excels, but it is, perhaps, the knowhow and sectoral expertise that puts a city like Brisbane ahead of the pack. Pushing boundaries

Brisbane is pushing boundaries for medtech and health and the list of innovations developed in the field include needle-free vaccine delivery, the widespread use of robotics in orthopaedics and ultrasound technology that removes the plaques that characterise Alzheimer’s Disease. Such breakthroughs have come thanks to the city’s more than 100 health and biotech facilities: the biomedical sector alone employs over 12,000 people in Queensland. Academia is pioneering research, with the Translational Research Institute (TRI) just one institution leading the way in biopharmaceutical production, testing and treatments.

The city also hosts one of the largest health and hospital clusters in the Southern Hemisphere and this critical mass is further strengthened by a ‘knowledge corridor’ that spans five kilometres in the city and comprises hospital, research institutes and university precincts. All of which makes Brisbane “an unmatched destination for healthcare business events,” according to Chittick. This environment has attracted many of the world’s brightest medical researchers and scientific minds as well as a ton of investment. Notable names breaking through to new medtech frontiers include professor Ian Frazer, who developed the first vaccine for cervical cancer and lends his name to the Centre for Children’s Immunotherapy Research; professor David Johnson, a pioneer of kidney disease research and Dr Kiarah Khosrotchrani, a leading experimental dermatologist and expert in skin cancer. Young researchers and entrepreneurs are also attracted to the city by the lifestyle and climate, which means a whole new innovative generation of talent is well rooted for the future.

Cluster concept It is not just the academics and researchers blazing a trail; the cluster concept embraced in Brisbane brings in the best of corporate innovation and start-ups to work alongside and take on some of the inventions and innovations through to production and commercial realisation. David Hoey, the CEO of Vaxxas, Australia-based specialists in commercialising vaccine technology, identified three things that he feels position Brisbane as a destination for building a successful biotech company: “Infrastructure, talent and opportunities for growth.” His company is heavily invested in its city facility and in March secured a US patent for its needle-free vaccination manufacturing technology.

Brisbane-based start-ups have also led to breakthroughs in telehealth delivery and in artificial heart technology. Start-ups have benefitted greatly from BEDA support in linking ideas and talent with investment. BEDA has played a pivotal role in supporting early-stage ventures in the city to scale globally and attract investment. It’s Global MedTech Accelerator, launched in 2022, has helped more than 30 Brisbane businesses fast-track international partnerships, funding and distribution deals. Technologies and products being rolled out thanks to this start-up cohort include smart patches for painless delivery of drugs and non-opioid pain therapies. For organisers and delegates after an impactful healthcare or medtech event experience, it is clear that Brisbane has the full conference care package. Brisbane’s firm farming roots nourishing ground for agri events Brisbane is perfectly positioned at the centre of a 360-degree food bowl, which provides unrivalled access to agriculture commodities and an enviable pipeline of world class ingredients. Eighty per cent of Queensland land is used for agricultural production and beef cattle represent the state’s largest agricultural export valued at AUD$7.1bn, and nearly half (49%) of Australia’s national herd grazes in the state. Brisbane is also a global leader in research into tropical and subtropical agriculture and agrifood education. According to macroeconomic forecasts, Brisbane’s food and beverage exports are expected to grow 43% in real terms over the period to 2031. Brisbane’s Lockyer Valley, an hour from the city, is renowned as ‘Australia’s Salad Bowl’ and has been feted as one of the top ten most fertile farming areas in the world. It encompasses approximately 2,200sq.km and grows the most diverse range of commercial fruit and vegetables of any area in Australia. Brisbane is also fertile ground for some of the world’s brightest agricultural and scientific minds and institutions. These include the University of Queensland (UQ) which is at the forefront of agricultural research. Another key organisation headquartered in Brisbane is AgTrade, a global livestock, genetics and food security group, while start-ups such as Agbot, MaxSil and Qponics are delivering innovative agriculture technology and soil nutrient solutions. Brisbane is home to the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA), a not-for-profit member-based body founded in 1875 and headquartered at the iconic Brisbane Showgrounds, an events and lifestyle precinct 1.5km from the city centre. The Showgrounds also house the Royal International Convention Centre (Royal ICC), which has capacity for 3,000 delegates. The surrounding leafy RNA precinct offers a range of indoor and outdoor venues, along with accommodation, shopping and dining. Last October saw the Royal ICC and Brisbane Showgrounds host the Australian Lot Feeders Association’s BeefEx, an event celebrating the grain-fed beef industry. The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC), which is located in the heart of Brisbane’s waterfront South Bank district, boasts 44 meeting rooms and event spaces with capacity for 8,000 pax events and is part of an 17-hectare convention centre precinct, is the host venue in May for the quadrennial World Angus Forum, which will bring together Angus cattle breeders, enthusiasts, and industry professionals from around the world. Scott Wright CEO of Angus Australia says: “Brisbane is a vibrant city as a base to many of Australia’s beef businesses and is a jumping off point for the World Forum post-tour of the Queensland cattle industry.” Agri-innovation and key ingredients for conference success Another business event which highlighted agricultural innovation was the AgriFutures evokeAG staged at the BCEC in February 2025. Attendance exceeded the 1,800 delegates who supported the event in 2024. Anthony Ryan, BEDA CEO, pointed out: “Brisbane is taking a leading global role in food innovation and technology in protein production.” AgriFutures Australia MD John Harvey notes Queensland is fast gaining a reputation as the home of innovators who are creating cutting-edge technologies to transform the agricultural landscape. “This combined with its breadth of agricultural, forestry and fishery industries, make it the perfect place to host AgriFutures evokeAG,” he says. “Since launching in 2019, we’ve learned that to create an event like AgriFutures evokeAG, you need a few key ingredients like a thriving and open local ecosystem, a community hungry for innovation and solutions, and open-minded, passionate people – all of which Queensland has in spades.” Queensland’s agribusiness sector is not only land-based but incorporates the aquaculture and seafood industry. Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) chose Brisbane to host its biennial forum in 2022 and the Seafood Directions conference, held at the Sofitel Brisbane Central, was a sell-out event, one of the largest and most successful events ever staged by SIA. Veronica Papacosta, CEO of SIA, says the 2022 conference provided “an excellent forum for industry leaders and innovators across aquaculture, wild-catch and post-harvest to join together with scientists, fisheries managers and broader stakeholders”. Papacosta adds that Brisbane offered delegates “an impressive destination with a range of must-see attractions, premiere accommodations, and delectable seafood dining options”. Of course, local academia contributes to the meetings harvest, with UQ also a global leader in agriculture and food science research, and in subtropical and tropical production systems. It has been ranked by various institutions (see UQ website for full details) Number 1 agricultural research institution in Australia 2022; Number 4 global agriculture research institution 2022 and Number 13 in the world for food science and agriculture. BEDA, which worked with government and industry to land the Seafood conference, also secured and supported BeefEx, World Angus Forum and evokeAG, and Chittick says its Business Events Team’s local knowledge and close partnerships with hotels, venues and service providers enable them to provide holistic support for planners from early stages through to event completion. Key start-ups The following start-ups are punching above their weight and hold huge promise for driving the agri sector forward on all fronts. Agbot (Yeronga, Brisbane), founded by Philip Livingston was featured at evokeAG 2024 Demo Stage/Scaleup Station. Now a division of Gasbot Pty Ltd, the company unifies liquid and solid measurement into a single hardware solution and Australian customers include Origin Energy, Gallagher, CSBP, Coregas, Thunderbird Ag, Coerco and Great Northern Tanks. MaxSil (Brendale, QLd (North Brisbane/Moreton), founded by David Archer, also featured in evokeAG at the 2024 Startup Alley and pioneers a patented process transforming waste glass into sub-micron powder and granular products. With a demonstrated ability to enhance crop yields in diverse conditions, MaxSil’s solution tackles critical issues like salinity and acid soils. Qponics, Brisbane Technology Park, is applying new technologies to produce high-value nutraceutical and food supplements products and protein from marine microalgae. Advancing Australia’s flair When you are ahead of the field you stand out, and the Zero Net Emissions Agriculture Co-operative Research Centre, brokered by UQ and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, is a consortium of 73 partners across industry, government and education. The Australian government’s CRC contribution of $87m is the largest in the programme’s history and should help the alliance meet the ambitious goal of achieving zero net emissions in Australian agriculture. The Food and Beverage Accelerator is looking after AUD$20m of federal government funding that food and beverage manufacturers can apply to share in for developing product ideas. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is another major institution and it manages a food R&D pilot plant with five temperature controlled rooms in Coopers Plains, Brisbane, in partnership with government. And over at the EcoSciences Precinct 1,000 scientists are focused on climate change, natural resource and sustainable growth research. n Energy and resource powerhouse driving a cleaner future Queensland government is planning to invest over AUD$62bn in the future energy transition process. It is a sector that supports over 170,000 jobs in the state. In 2022-2023, mining was Queensland’s largest industry and valued at AUD$86.5bn. These mineral resources position the state at the forefront of the raw materials supply chain necessary for the global energy transition. These include cobalt, vanadium, titanium, graphite, and rare earth elements which are crucial for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, aerospace alloys, steel production, energy storage solutions, and a range of other applications. Brisbane is also a rich natural resource for the world’s brightest energy and resources minds and institutions. Their work and research covers the full life cycle of projects from exploration, extraction and processing through to final rehabilitation stages. Innovative research being conducted focusses on issues such as environmental management, geological mapping and analysis, mineral processing, operational safety and autonomous systems. Several key institutes are based at The Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies and include the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance and also the Minerals Resources Group. UQ in Brisbane is also home to the Energy Transition Network, the Sustainable Minerals Institute and the Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre. At Queensland’s Griffith University, the CCCE is conducting research into material sciences and energy sustainability. Brisbane’s mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector is part of the largest METS cluster in the world and, in June 2023, the 26th World Mining Congress (WMC) brought 3,500 participants to Brisbane. Charlie Sartain, chairman of the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s Advisory Board at UQ was the WMC2023 chair, sponsorship and exhibition director and says: “Brisbane was selected as the city to host the event because we felt that the support that we were getting locally from the state and from the industry really justified us putting a strong bid in.” And the city’s close proximity to the Asia Pacific region and extensive aviation networks is good encouragement for energy and resources companies to establish their headquarters in the city. The focus on decarbonisation helps create a landscape of opportunity for businesses in the clean energy transition and this, in turn, creates a buzz for boosting attendance to a Brisbane business event. That appeal is backed up by innovative technical tours and locally-sourced expert speakers, as well as investment opportunities. Quantum leap Brisbane is Australia’s quantum computing powerhouse, with the city hosting two of Australia’s four Quantum Centres of Excellence. This sub-sector is expected to grow to be worth AUD $2.2bn by 2030. The world’s first commercial-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer is to be built in Brisbane by PsiQuantum, a US-based company which is also planning to establish its Asia Pacific headquarters in Brisbane. The fact that governments are investing AUD$1bn in the PsiQuantum project is testament to the faith in the Brisbane team. It is expected this computer will be able to tackle challenges across many sectors, including energy. The company is also planning to establish a Climate Research Centre in Brisbane. The 2024 Asia Pacific Hydrogen Summit & Exhibition also hosted at the BCEC, attracting over 3,000 experts. The list of recent energy related business events staged in the city also includes the 8th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Engineering (2024) and the Critical Minerals Conference (2024). Australia’s leadership in mining technology, exploration, and renewable energy, along with its status as the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas further underscores Brisbane’s potential as an international hub for any association or company active in the sector. As well as a strong delegate base and industry knowledge, Brisbane can offer a wide selection of potential sponsors and exhibitors to support events in this sector. Environmental science – a natural hub With more than 2,500 plant and 800 animal species, Brisbane is the most biodiverse capital in Australia and the city boasts more than 52,000 hectares of greenspace. The city is also a hub for environmental science bolstered by its proximity to unique ecosystems such as Moreton Bay, tropical rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. These natural wonders also attract international business events keen to leverage local expertise and research around the topic. And such natural wonders are simply extremely appealing to delegates for pre- and post tours. The city is rightly proud of its natural heritage. Brisbane City Council has a specialist Brisbane Sustainability Agency charged with accelerating its long-term plan for positive environmental outcomes across biodiversity, water, waste, energy, and resilience. One target is to increase natural habitat on mainland Brisbane to 40% by 2031. The Lord Mayor’s Young Environmental Leadership Network (LMYELN) is another supporter of sustainable aims and is empowering young leaders to create real change in their schools and college communities. In this sector, too, BEDA closely collaborates with Brisbane’s three universities (UQ is ranked in the Top 20 of the QS World University Rankings for environmental science) to maximise opportunities. The universities have longstanding collaborations with influential environmental and scientific institutions in Australia and globally – these include the World Bank, UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the UN Environment Programme. The Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and its Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, as well as CSIRO, the national science agency, are all on board actively promoting opportunities in the environmental science sector, so event planners will never be short of friends, collaborators and key support. The University of Queensland vice-chancellor professor Deborah Terry, AC says: “The ecological and environmental research carried out at UQ has had a direct impact on policy and practice in Australia and internationally. “Conferences such as the 12th International Conference on Environment Pollution and Prevention in late 2024 provided an opportunity to share that expertise, as well as Queensland’s natural beauty, with the world.” The local Griffith University is home to the Australian Rivers Institute, which has been named the Number One Global Water Security Think Tank by the independently curated Global Go To Think Tank Index Report. Other prestigious conferences that have chosen Brisbane as their host destination over the past year include: Collaborate Innovate 2024, staged at the Sofitel Brisbane Central in July 2024 attracted delegates across the spectrum of R&D and innovation systems. In November 2024, the AELERT Global Summit, which focusses on environmental law and regulation, was held at the voco Brisbane City Centre hotel. Gregory Abood, CEO of the Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators Network (AELERT), described Brisbane as “an ideal host destination for solving complex regulatory and law enforcement challenges around environmental laws”. The BCEC has also successfully led the attraction of many prestigious global environmental science conferences, such as the Freshwater Science Annual Meeting in 2023 and in 2025 both the World Lake Conference and the International Congress for Conservation Biology will be hosted in Brisbane. “These conferences showcase the breadth and depth of Brisbane’s industry and research collaboration across a significant network of business leaders, industry, academia and government,” says Chittick. Let Brisbane’s sectoral strengths act as a springboard for your event success While the sectors covered above can be seen as multiple aces in the pack for organisers looking for expertise, know-how and legacy, Brisbane has the fully developed infrastructure hardware framework on which to hang this knowledge-based software overlay. A reminder of those key factors: Leisure appeal: With its sub-tropical climate and green environment, Brisbane is ideal for delegates wishing to extend their time in Queensland. From whale watching to wine tasting, and a host of First Nation heritage to explore, the city and its environs offer rich experiences which includes a thriving arts and dining scene. Connectivity: Brisbane is close to key Asia Pacific markets and connects to 33 international locations by air. Connectivity is good on the ground too, with the city being easily walkable. Venues: The BCEC was named the World’s Best Convention Centre by AIPC, 2016-2018, and been recognised for its sustainability initiatives and commitments. Innovation: We have discussed how Brisbane is a medtech and health sector powerhouse, and offers a centre for innovators to meet across sectors such as food and agriculture, and energy too, but we can also throw into the mix sectoral pedigree in logistics, construction, advanced manufacturing and financial and business services – all grist to the business events mill. Sustainability: Brisbane in 2023 became the only Australian city, and the second globally, to receive the Gold level of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Cities Global Initiative. In the words of BEDA’s Lorelle Chittick: “Brisbane’s strength as a destination for business events shines through its collaborative culture among industry, government and academia, providing incredible growth opportunities in the city with unstoppable momentum.” With the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to town, the future looks dynamic, not least due to Elevate 2042, The Games Delivery Partners’ legacy strategy which aims to ensure a sustainable legacy for the city and its communities beyond the Olympics. You can join the race for meetings medals by connecting with BEDA to find out more: https://choose.brisbane.qld.au/events/business-events Or contact the team at businessevents@brisbane-eda.com.au direct to find out more information on bringing your next event to Brisbane.