Regional NSW won record levels of conference business during 2003/04, with four major events worth $1.5 million secured by the New South Wales Convention Bureau.

Annual figures released by the NSWCB today show a 160 per cent increase in the value of conferences secured for regional NSW over the previous financial year, as well as a 200 per cent increase in the number of delegates expected to attend. NSWCB Managing Director Jon Hutchison said the result reflected increasing interest in staging conferences outside Sydney.

“We’ve won twice as many conferences for regional NSW as we did in 2002/03,” Mr Hutchison said. “And on top of this, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of Sydney-based events that also offer delgates tours to areas like the Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains and Central Coast. The fact that we have such a diverse range of unforgettable experiences in the areas outside Sydney is one of the key reasons conference organisers are choosing NSW for their events.”

The regional conferences secured during 2003/04 were:

• 12th National Eco-tourism Conference – November 2004, Blue Mountains, 300 delegates, worth $379,824 to the local economy
• BIG 4 Holiday Parks 2004 National Conference – September 2004, Blue Mountains, 400 delegates, worth $630,000
• Country Public Libraries 2005 Conference – October 2005, Central Coast, 300 delegates, worth $378,000
• Tourism Industry Council Annual Conference – September 2004, Hunter Valley, 200 delegates, worth $126,000.

Mr Hutchison said conferences were an important contributor to regional economies, with the bureau’s 2001/02 Regional NSW Convention Delegate Study showing domestic delegates spent an average $942 each during their stay.