Perth programme and bid attracts Neuromuscular Congress to return to Western Australia in 2024

The International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases is set to return to Perth, Western Australia, for the first time in over 50 years. The Congress is expected to attract thousands of delegates from around the world for the 2024 date. The event was first held in Perth in 1971, following the groundbreaking research by Western Australian (WA) Emeritus Professor Byron Kakulas AO who showed that degenerated muscle could regenerate in quokkas. This research eventually led to United States Food and Drug Administration approved treatments developed by WA’s Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with application to other diseases. WA Tourism Minister David Templeman said: “We can’t wait to welcome the International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases back to our beautiful state, and I encourage delegates to extend their stay and venture into our diverse regions to experience everything Western Australia has to offer.” “Business events are an important part of the Western Australian economy, bringing high yielding visitors to the State, which is why the McGowan Government funds organisations like Business Events Perth, through Tourism WA, to bid and secure major conferences and exhibitions for our thriving state.” Business Events Perth chief executive Gareth Martin said: “Our expertise in bidding for international business events, combined with Western Australia’s excellence in the field of neuroscience, ensured that Perth was the obvious choice to host the International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases in 2024. “As part of the bidding process, Western Australia presented itself as a premium destination to host business events, with a capital city filled with brand-new hotels and venues as well showing its ingenuity by collaborating with the local organising committee and industry to livestream its presentation to the globally-based decision-making committee. This innovation and collaboration meant Western Australia was highly competitive against other global destinations.” Tourism Australia supported the bid to bring this event back to Australia through the Business Events Bid Fund Programme. “This is a tremendous win for Perth and for Australia, and we are thrilled to support business event bids such as this one through our Bid Fund Programme,” said Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison. To secure the conference Business Events Perth worked collaboratively with the local conference organising committee, which features prominent neurological scientists from the Perron Institute and professional conference organisers Arinex.