In a major boost for the State's economy and the meeting and events industry, Adelaide has won the right to host the 2009 Meeting & Events Australia (MEA) National Conference.
Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) Chief Executive Alec Gilbert says about 600 delegates, including some of the country's leading event and meeting planners, will attend the conference providing Adelaide with the opportunity to promote itself as Australia's convention city and help to elevate Adelaide's status as a convention destination of national significance.
"This is the conference for conference organisers around the country - a prestigious event to continue to promote Adelaide as an ideal destination for business events," Mr Gilbert says.
"We will work with our partners, the hotels, airport, SATC and the City to ensure that we provide the delegates with a memorable experience and remain top of mind as "Adelaide. Australia's Convention City", he said
"Rather than learning about the State from a brochure or website, delegates will experience our 'Team Adelaide' approach as well as our service and facilities first hand making us an attractive option when they select destinations for their own meetings and events in the future.
"Adelaide is the perfect conference destination, compact with everything in easy reach while on its door-step are world-class tourist attractions such as our internationally recognised wine regions and Kangaroo Island. This conference will give us the opportunity to showcase all this and more."
Mr Gilbert said meetings and events were vital for the State's economy, with events at ACC alone generating more than 200,000 bed nights each year.
The winning conference bid was a joint effort involving the Adelaide Convention and Tourism Authority and ACC. The last time Adelaide hosted the MEA Conference was in 1991.
MEA Chief Executive Officer Linda Gaunt said Adelaide had presented an impressive bid, beating a highly competitive field for the hosting rights.
"The MEA National Conference is a highlight of the meetings calendar each year and is attended by professionals in the industry, providing enormous benefits for the host city for many more years to come" she said.
"The Gold Coast put on a magnificent display in 2006 and continues to generate business from that event."
Ms Gaunt said the MEA conference provided the business events industry with the opportunity to stay up to date with the latest technology and industry practices and to form essential networks.
