AACB Supports Global Exhibitions Day

Photograph: Annika Hofsink (Left), AACB Marketing & Communications Executive and Andrew Hiebl (Right), AACB CEO

Today, the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) has expressed its support for Global Exhibitions Day, highlighting the role that convention bureaux play in attracting exhibitions to Australia.

The AACB’s latest market intelligence indicates that a total of 146 international business events with an exhibition component were secured on the Forward Calendar (at January 2017) by its members. At which time, convention bureaux were working with an additional 69 confirmed international business events to determine their exhibition needs.

AACB CEO, Andrew Hiebl, highlighted that, “Without the strategic bidding activities undertaken by convention bureaux for international business events, these exhibitions would simply not occur in Australia”.

“International exhibitions play a significant role in enabling global trade and stimulating Australia’s economy. They offer a platform for Australian small to medium enterprise to promote their goods and services to export markets on home soil.

“Business events are the ideal forums in which collaboration can take place. Exhibitions enable opportunities for commercialisation by bringing together scientists and researchers with private enterprise and investors. Resulting new products and services then increase national productivity.

“For many professions, exhibitions are a key sales tool. In many countries, they are a primary marketing tool, and as such, their value to cities that exert new technology cannot be underestimated. Exhibitions are now an integral part of successful major conventions.”

According to Ernst & Young’s report on the Value of Business Events to Australia, in 2013-14 there were 2,157 exhibitions staged in Australia, attracting 9.3 million visitors and over 65,000 exhibitiors. The total direct expenditure was $3.1 billion and these events contributed direct value add of $1.5 billion, generating over 21,000 full-time jobs.

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