In the biggest shake-up of the business events association landscape in over a decade, the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux Inc (AACB), the Australian Convention Centres Group (ACCG), and the Exhibition & Events Association of Australasia Ltd (EEAA) have announced they have unified and will launch the Australian Business Events Association ( ABEA) on 3 July 2023.
 Singapore Changi Airport handled 4.63 million passenger movements in March 2023, or over 82% of its pre-Covid traffic in March 2019, the first time since the pandemic that it has crossed 80%. Aircraft movements, which include landings and takeoffs, totalled 26,000, about 81% of March 2019 levels. Airfreight throughput was 152,000 tonnes for the month, maintaining what was recorded for the same period last year.
 Caroline James Events - National Winner - Small Event Management Organisation of the Year 2022 The annual Australian Event Awards is here again and the 2023 event set to be the biggest. The Awards is now open for entries. Following industry consultation, the Australian Event Awards Team have introduced 15 new categories and reintroduced 6 categories to recognise the entire events industry, their creativity, contribution, innovation and excellence. In total, the 2023 Event Awards have 33 categories on offer – the biggest Event Awards yet.
Australian Government confirms $2m commitment to Business Events on Global Meetings Industry Day3/30/2023
"Business events are vital drivers of Australia’s visitor economy and the broader economy. They encourage high-yield travel, build networks, support the development of commercial concepts, and expand business opportunities. The new business events data project is a critical part of the Government’s support for the ongoing recovery of Australia’s business events sector. Better data means better decisions, better decisions mean better events, and better events mean a bigger boost for Australia’s visitor economy." On Global Meetings Industry Day, 30 March 2023, Australian Trade & Tourism Minister Don Farrell acknowledged the value of Australia’s business events sector which contributes $36 billion in total industry expenditure to the economy.
The Albanese Labor Government has committed to working with industry to better measure its contribution to Australia’s visitor economy. To do this, the Australian government has allocated $2 million to measure business events data in international and national data sets, including bespoke data collection activities.  TCEB takes on the role as host for the Event Professionals category of the ASEAN MRA on Tourism Professionals Ten Tourism Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have agreed to establish a common professional standard for MICE professionals and event professionals with the goal of enhancing ASEAN’s competitiveness as a destination for MICE. The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (ASEAN MRA on TP) for MICE Professionals and Event Professionals was approved during the 26th Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Implementation of the approved standards will begin later this year.
The annual ITE, Hong Kong’s only and Asia’s major outbound travel fair, will be held from 15 – 18 June 2023 at Halls 1 of Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, with two trade days and two public days. Its first one-and-a-half days admit only registered trade while in remaining days visitors can pay for admission. Favorable developments result in very encouraging response from exhibitors and visitors, hence ITE2023 will be bigger and more international in its visitor and exhibitor profile.
 Amanda Marie Siow (left) celebrates with a shower of streamers as she is announced as the Grand Prize winner of the ‘Win With Changi’ campaign Concession sales at Changi Airport have been boosted as passenger traffic continues to see steady recovery since the relaxation of Singapore’s border measures in April 2022. Changi’s stores in the transit and public areas, as well as its online sales, recorded total concession sales of S$1.1 billion in 2022, representing 37% of sales in 2019. Sales in December 2022 reached 58% of the 2019 level on the back of a passenger traffic recovery to 72%. More than nine in 10 landside and airside shops are open today to serve travellers as the airport prepares to welcome even more passengers in 2023.
 Mr Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President, TCEB Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled a five-year action plan (2023–2027) aimed at revitalising the economy and promoting Thailand as a premier destination for international MICE. It will leverage innovation and sustainability as travel normalises and international MICE continues on a path of rapid recovery. The plan will be supported by the “TCEB Go” strategy and Thailand MICE to Meet You Year 2023 campaign.
Singapore Changi Airport handled 32.2 million passenger movements in 2022, reaching almost half of the traffic in 2019, before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Aircraft movements, which include landings and takeoffs, totalled 219,000, 57.2% of 2019 levels. Airfreight throughput registered 1.85 million tonnes for 2022, a year-on-year decline of 4.8%.
"...with greater investment in research and advocacy, we will be able to better demonstrate the economic contribution and social impact of business events as the true trusted experts and representative ‘one voice’ of the industry.” The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) held a special general meeting of its members on 31 January to vote on the future representation of Australia’s business events industry, and the result was unanimous.
AACB’s members have supported a special resolution to establish a new well-resourced peak body, representative of the entire business events community across Australia, together with the Australian Convention Centres Group (ACCG) and the Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia (EEAA). |
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