Set against the breathtaking backdrop of two UNESCO World Heritage icons – the Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree Rainforest – Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is a premier destination for business events, a region that not only welcomes international conferences and incentive trips, but also invites attendees to immerse themselves in Australia’s most stunning landscapes. With a blend of striking natural beauty and state-of-the-art conference facilities, the region offers a unique environment for delegates to exchange ideas and foster professional connections.
Delegates can engage in meaningful discussions and collaborations surrounded by a place dedicated to sustainability. With the recent addition of over 800 accommodation rooms to the city’s inventory, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef has established itself as a modern destination for international events, with a recent surge in scientific and medical conferences, as well as incentives in tech, finance, and retail.
In 2024, the region hosted successful international scientific conferences, including Viruses of Microbes, the Congress on International Plant Molecular Biology, and the International Quark Confinement and Hadron Spectrum Conference. This success has set the stage for large medical conferences in 2025, including the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Congress and the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists ASM. Both events are expected to attract over 1,000 delegates each.
The growing prominence of the health and life sciences sector buttressed by leading local research institutions such as the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, the Australian Tropical Forest Institute and the Australian Tropical Herbarium, and a recent demonstration of local expertise is in the health and medical sector. Cairns Hospital has achieved some of the best survival rates in the world for the rare tropical disease melioidosis. Dr Josh Hanson, an infectious disease specialist has said that, globally, over 40% of individuals diagnosed with melioidosis die. However, in Far North Queensland, the mortality rate is below 10%, one of the lowest in the world, an improvement he attributes to early recognition, prompt antibiotic treatment, and advancements in sepsis management.
Ongoing investment in attracting business events from the US, Southeast Asia, India, and New Zealand has resulted in a significant return of the international incentive sector for both large and small groups. Cairns & Great Barrier Reef welcomed major companies such as tech giant Microsoft, Chinese retailer Wan Bang Footwear, and several waves of incentive groups from US financial services in 2024. Together, these events brought over 1,500 delegates to the region, most of whom engaged with the local culture.
In 2025, Amway will return to Cairns for the first time since 2018, hosting 2,700 delegates from Amway Korea over the course of a month, strengthening the region’s reputation as a premier destination for rewarding employees through tailored, high-impact experiences in a breath-taking natural environment.
Sustainable and accessible
The region’s commitment to environmental responsibility and cultural preservation is deeply embedded in its local business events industry. Cairns’ dedication to sustainability is a core value that shapes the destination’s offerings. Delegates’ sustainable journey can even begin with transfers from Cairns International Airport to their accommodations aboard a fleet of electric coaches.
The city is very walkable and hotels, restaurants, the Cairns Convention Centre, and the departure point for the Great Barrier Reef are all within a ten-minute walk. The flat, easy to navigate grid city or picturesque waterfront boardwalk benefits both the planet and the wellbeing of its visitors.
Scratch the surface of a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, and delegates will discover that simply being on board the boat contributes to ongoing research and the conservation of the Marine Park through their ticket price. Dive deeper and discover how the marine fleet is adapting to the future use of sustainable fuels. Delegates can spend the day on board a world-first, solar and wind-powered reef pontoon complete with a scientific laboratory and a team of marine biologists ready to educate them on coral restoration projects – indeed this writer experienced exactly that during the Australia Next international incentive showcase in. September 2024 – before snorkelling directly over them to see conservation in action.
Entwined with efforts to preserve the environment is the preservation of Cairns & Great Barrier Reef’s two First Nations cultures, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The region offers the opportunity to combine the two, connecting with both the natural world and culture in a meaningful way. Our group even experienced a music and dance performance on board the vessel delivered by First Nation guides.
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is also the most highly eco-accredited region in Australia. With over 190 eco-accredited tours and attractions, the region ensures the delegate experience leaves a light footprint throughout their event. During Australia Next in Cairns in September, the region funded the purchase of 280 trees to offset the event’s carbon footprint. This investment in local reforestation supported a local environmental initiative restoring rainforest habitat, home to the Lumholtz Tre Kangaroo.
Local flavours – sustaining the body for business
Cairns city centre has been transformed into a vibrant pedestrian promenade featuring restaurants, hidden laneway speakeasies, and panoramic rooftop bars. The region boasts a lively culinary scene that highlights fresh, locally grown produce and over three-quarters of the food consumed by delegates is sourced from within a three-hour radius of Cairns. From bespoke farm-to-table dining to authentic seafood experiences fresh off the boat, delegates can partake in off-site events catered by award-winning chefs.
Fusing work and play – the rise of ‘bleisure’
A standout feature of hosting a business event in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is the region’s ability to blend work and leisure. Its stunning natural beauty serves as an inspiration for creativity and innovation. From the reef to the rainforest, the city to the outback, and food to culture, delegates can enjoy a range of activities including rafting down thrilling rapids, skydiving over breathtaking beaches, floating down serene rainforest streams and engaging with iconic Australian wildlife
Cairns Convention Centre
The Cairns Convention Centre is celebrating a full year of operations since it completed its expansion and refurbishment. It is now a powerful driver of the business events market across city and able to host multiple events simultaneously. By June 2025, the Centre expects to have hosted 22,000 delegates from both Australia and overseas.
The Centre’s menu emphasises sustainability by using fresh, seasonal produce from local suppliers, an example being that 100% of fish comes directly from Cairns. The Centre also partners with Reforest to offer a carbon removal and nature repair programme. Additionally, Cairns is renowned for its fresh tropical fruits and local delicacies, which inspires the centre’s menu, supports the local economy, and leaves delegates satisfied and energised.
Cairns offers a further 60 unique off-site venues starting just 10 minutes away from the Centre, ranging from lush rainforest retreats to contemporary arts facilities housed in converted historical naval oil storage tanks, suitable for welcome dinners. While the business events market in Cairns is flourishing, the industry remains highly competitive which is why the Centre values its close collaboration with partners like Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), whose bid funding plays a key role in winning business for the only convention centre in Australia nestled between two World Heritage-listed natural wonders.
The Centre has set ambitious goals for 2025 and although the national market remains the main focus based on excellent flight connections between all states, management continues to leverage the region’s growing international connectivity to destinations such as Singapore, Europe and the USA for international association conventions. Cairns International Airport was named Airport of the Year at the Australian Aviation Awards for a second consecutive year in 2024 and new routes are being introduced in 2025.
Starting in April 2025, direct flights from Cairns to Fiji/Nadi with Fiji Airways will improve connectivity to major North American destinations such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas. This will provide the fastest flying time to Cairns from the US, reducing travel time from Los Angeles to 16 hours and eliminating the need for transfers at Australian domestic airports. Additionally, Jetstar will commence direct flights from Cairns to Christchurch in April 2025. Singapore Airlines continues to depart four times a week, enabling connections to Cairns from multiple cities in Europe, as well as Asia and North America via its Changi hub.
AI: A transforming tool
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative tool poised to enhance efficiencies across various functions within convention centres. In Cairns, AI is still in the exploratory phase of daily operations. The Centre is a founding partner of Citizens of the Reef, an organisation that uses AI to advance conservation efforts, integrating it into conference programmes as engaging sessions or activities. Through the Great Reef Census initiative, visitors become citizen scientists, collecting data to help reef managers implement effective conservation strategies
Cairns can offer event organisers the opportunity to incorporate First Nations culture through Welcome to Country ceremonies, cultural performances,
