Business Events Adelaide appoints new chairperson

Business Events Adelaide, the organisation responsible for attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in national and international business events every year to South Australia, has a new chairperson. Ian Horne (pictured), long term hotel industry advocate and former CEO of the Australian Hotels Association SA has been appointed to succeed Jim Kouts, who held the position since 2017. Kouts will remain as an independent director. Horne has been a member of the Business Events Adelaide Board since 2014, most recently as deputy chair. Since retiring from AHA SA mid-2023 Horne has been appointed to the Board of Tourism Australia, adding to his membership of the South Australian Tourism Commission Board, the Adelaide Venue Management Corporation and the South Australian Skills Commission. Business Events Adelaide CEO Damien Kitto said: “We are very fortunate to have someone of Ian’s calibre ready to lead Business Events Adelaide into the future. He is a highly regarded, connected and respected leader and having worked closely with Jim in refining Business Events Adelaide’s strategic vision, there is no one better placed to assume the position of chair”. Business Events Adelaide’s new deputy chair is experienced independent director Catherine Cooper. Kouts had been instrumental in securing increased government funding in 2023, which enabled Business Events Adelaide to take a more strategic approach to business development opportunities. He also oversaw the organisations rebrand from Adelaide Convention Bureau to Business Events Adelaide, as well as the strengthening of its operational structure.  The organisation is a 50-year-old independent, not for profit, member-based organization. The business event sector is worth more than A$2.5bn (US$1.65bn) to SA, and Business Events Adelaide contributes some $250m of that. Adelaide was recently host city for Tourism Australia’s big incentives programme Dreamtime. See our report in the latest edition of CMW here Further information on Business Events Adelaide activities can be found at www.businesseventsadelaide.com.au