Sydney still a favourite meeting place

Sydney’s position as Australia’s leading business events city has been reconfirmed in the latest International Congress and Convention Association rankings which place Sydney 22nd in the world for business events, with a record 65 meetings in 2007.
The ranking puts Sydney well ahead of other Australian cities, with the closest, Melbourne, ranked 40th with 36 meetings. Brisbane was the third Australian city, achieving 56th spot with 23 meetings.
The ranking comes after Sydney scored another major win in the international sports arena, having secured the rights to stage the 18th Air New Zealand Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival in 2010.
The event will bring 6000 participants from around the world for a week-long festival worth an estimated $25 million to the city’s economy.
The festival joins other 2010 events worth a combined $214 million in what is likely to be a record year for international events in Sydney.
Other 2010 events secured with the help of the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) include the 7th International Orthodontic Congress for 6000 delegates, the International Federation of Surveyors Congress for 2000 delegates, the Toastmasters International Convention for 2000 delegates and the Annual World Congress of the Human Proteome Organisation for 2000 delegates.
The biggest event of the year will be the 2010 Lions Clubs International Convention, an enormous gathering expected to bring 25,000 Lions members from all over the world, generating an estimated A$92 million for the local economy.
The SCVB Managing Director Jon Hutchison said the concentration of grand scale events in 2010 was proof of Sydney’s international appeal and reputation for staging spectacular events.
‘Sydney accounted for almost one-third of the total number of meetings attributed to Australian cities in the 2007 rankings. This reflects Sydney’s enduring appeal as a business events destination as well as the professionalism of our events industry,’ he said.
Mr Hutchison said Sydney had been positioned 20th in the world in 2006 with 51 meetings.