The mission of the newly formed Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) is to promote the business events industry and drive member prosperity through industry development, networking, research, and advocacy. In this video report from IMEX 2024, Peter King, the organisation’s inaugural chair, is joined by leading industry faces who share the reaction of both industry and government to the consolidation of many organisations, voices, and faces delivering on one united strategy – and message.
Is this the model for other countries, as the industry strives for funding and recognition of the direct and long-tail impacts and legacies that result from business events?
In Australia, the business events industry is now recognised, for the first time, as a coherent and critical driver of the Australian economy and society that enables all industries, sectors, and civil society to thrive – the campfire around which all industries convene to address the challenges and opportunities facing cities, states, and communities. And as a result of convening the diverse interests and previous multiple associations under one banner, the ABEA is now seated at policy tables the industry never previously shared.
Beyond tourism, the industry is now acknowledged as the meta tool that drives growth and social wellbeing for Australia and yet it was the Tourism Minister, Don Farrell, who was first to applaud the singularity and simplicity of the message.
Phillipa (Pip) Harrison: You have to know your data, speak with one voice, and know the audiences you are trying to influence
ABEA Deputy Chair and Iceberg Ambassador, Matt Pearce, concludes that international collectivism accelerates advocacy through shared learning, professional development, and advocacy experiences, suggesting that the adoption of the ABEA model in other countries could become the future of industry development, networking, research, and advocacy.
You can learn much more from the APAC Outlook Magazine’s Spotlight of the ABEA
