The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has re-elected Geoff Donaghy as Chairman for a further two-year term.

BECA is the peak industry body representing the interests of the business meeting, convention, events and exhibition sectors in Australia.

Mr Donaghy is a senior Ogden IFC executive with CEO responsibility for Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the award-winning Cairns Convention Centre and the Darwin Convention Centre currently under construction as part of the $1 billion Darwin waterfront redevelopment.

He is a Board Member of the Brussels-based International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) and a Director of Ogden IFC’s joint venture operation of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia.

Following his re-election, Mr Donaghy said that while Australia was well served with world-class convention and tourism facilities and service standards, its market share of the global meetings business was under serious threat.

“Finalising negotiations we started with the Federal Government in 2006 on funding for international marketing targeting this most lucrative of Australia’s visitor segments is BECA’s immediate priority,” Mr Donaghy said.

Total annual expenditure attributable to Australia’s business events industry is estimated to be more than $17.3 billion. International conference delegates can spend up to six times more per day than leisure tourists.