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The Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) has exceeded its annual sales target by securing more than $64 million worth of meeting and incentive business for the State in the 2007-2008 financial year.
Over the past 12 months a total of 69 national and international conventions and corporate meetings and incentives have been secured.
This translates into an estimated $64.19 million in direct delegate expenditure (DDE) injected into the economy by approximately 29,985 delegates visiting Western Australia for these events over the next five years.
According to Managing Director Ross MacCulloch, a strong performance in the last quarter of the year and additional funding from the State government aided the Bureau’s achievement of a hefty $2.19 million over their target which was $62 million.
“This is the first year of a five year commitment by the State government to provide an additional $11.9 million to our sales and marketing efforts. The end of year results show that we are delivering a solid return on that investment, however the figures are highly conservative,” he said.
“Considering convention delegate expenditure figures are based on the 2005 National Business Events Study (which is soon to be updated), the actual value of the business we bring to Western Australia is significantly higher.”
The additional funding has been a necessary boost to the Bureau’s efforts in luring 900-plus delegate conventions, which this year, has made up 56% of the overall results. Evidently this demonstrates that Perth has the resources and capability to attract and deliver large scale, high yielding business events.
The sales results include the 2010 Annual General Meeting of the Ulysses Motorcycle Club, which at 4870 delegates, is the largest piece of business ever secured for Western Australia.
Other major conferences secured during the financial year include:
- 20th Deep Offshore Technology (DOT) International Conference & Exhibition being held in December this year (2000 delegates);
- The Lions National Convention confirmed for Perth in 2012 (3000 delegates);
- Combined Annual Scientific Meetings of The Endocrine Society of Australia, The Society for Reproductive Biology, The Australian Diabetes Society and The Diabetes Educators Association coming to Perth in 2001, expected to attract 2000 delegates; and
- Liturgy and Leadership National Conference being held in Perth following World Youth Day 2008 (1750 delegates).
Mr MacCulloch expressed that he was extremely pleased with the results and remarked that the big conference wins did not stop at June 30.
“A fantastic start has been made to the 2008 – 2009 financial year and we are delighted to announce that Amway Thailand has chosen Perth to reward 1600 of their top achievers in 2010,” he said.
“The Amway (Thailand) Ltd. Special Leadership Seminar represents a huge win for the business events sector in Western Australia. Large incentive groups like this often go to the Gold Coast or luxury international destinations such as Macau, and we believe it is the first time a group from Amway International has ever visited Perth.”
The PCB worked closely with industry partners to secure the win. Representatives from Amway Thailand, Tourism Australia and two Thai in-market agents attended an impressive five day site inspection of Perth’s accommodation, venue facilities and key attractions, forming an integral part of the decision making process.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
