world’s largest and most diverse Indigenous education forum comes to Adelaide
Posted 30 September 2022
Underlining the much-welcomed return of international events, Adelaide, South Australia was delighted to play host to the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE 2022) in September.
The largest and most diverse Indigenous education forum in the world, the five-day conference was held at Adelaide Convention Centre on the lands of the Kaurna Nation, the original people of the Adelaide Plains, and officially opened by the Hon. Linda Burney MP – the first Aboriginal woman to serve as Minister for Indigenous Australians – with the opening ceremony incorporating a Parade of Nations to celebrate visiting delegates from 17 countries.
“WIPCE 2022 was the perfect event to herald the return of major international conventions to Adelaide, and Adelaide Convention Centre was proud to be the host venue, with a terrific energy throughout the Centre over the course of the five day conference,” comments Martin Radcliffe, General Manager, Adelaide Convention Centre.
The event’s comprehensive program coupled with Australia’s strong safety record and destination appeal pushed attendance above expectations at more than 2,400 in-person delegates. To extend the event’s reach, Adelaide Convention Centre’s dedicated in-house technology team provided live-streaming services, which drew an additional 500 online participants.
Themed ‘Indigenous Education Sovereignty: Our Voices… Our Futures’, the WIPCE 2022 conference treated delegates to a culturally and educationally rich program featuring eight keynote presentations and more than 300 interactive workshops, along with networking, yarning circles and master classes.
As part of WIPCE 2022’s strong connection to country, delegates were treated to a fantastic array of South Australian produce and flavours. As an extension of Adelaide Convention Centre’s current Honest Goodness menu philosophy, the Centre’s talented kitchen team crafted a bespoke menu for the event shining a spotlight on native Australian foods. This saw Adelaide Convention Centre’s kitchen team work closely with local First Nations producers and suppliers to source authentic Indigenous recipes and preparation methods, along with an abundance of native fruits and herbs, which were woven through all event catering.
WIPCE 2022 was a great success by all measures, demonstrating the strong appetite for face-to-face events along with Australia’s great destination appeal. As South Australia’s largest international business event since the onset of the pandemic, it was fantastic to see in-person attendance match pre-COVID expectations.
In addition to creating a lasting legacy for Indigenous education in South Australia, WIPCE 2022 also highlighted the pivotal role played by business events in supporting the visitor economy. The event delivered significant economic benefit by injecting more than $11.3 million into the South Australian economy, along with providing a great boost to local hotels by generating 15,500 bed nights.