In recognition of the value and importance of the business and major event industries, Tourism Australia (TA) will establish a new Tourism Events Australia division that focuses on marketing Australia as a business and major events destination announced TA Chairman, Tim Fischer.

“I am pleased to announce that the Manager of the new TEA will be Sue Thomson. Sue has over 15 years experience in the tourism industry, and most recently worked for Gold Coast Tourism as Marketing Manager and acting CEO,” Tim Fischer said.

“TEA will be launched by the Minister for Small Business and Tourism the Hon Fran Bailey early next month, as a key initiative of the Australian Government that will concentrate on the key areas of business events, including corporate meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, and marketing of major events.”

“The opportunity for TEA to hit the deck running with a new Manager will ensure a great start for this important White Paper initiative. Business Events are worth more than $17 billion to Australia. In addition, as the Olympics, the Australian Tennis Open and Spring Racing Carnival have demonstrated, major events also provide significant opportunities to profile Australia.”

“Moving forward the Commonwealth Games presents the next big opportunity. The Australian Government has backed these Games strongly and at Tourism Australia we are determined to make the most of the Games from a tourism perspective.”

“TEA will be about driving both business and major events. TA has a strong focus on increasing tourism spend and dispersal and TEA’s focus on business and major events will help us kick these goals for Australia, when the Minster launches TEA in a few weeks time, ” Tim Fischer said.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Scott Morrison said “we are very excited about the establishment of TEA. “

TA has had a strong focus on business events for many years. Only this year we hosted our largest ever incentive group with Amway China, working with the SCVB to deliver more than 13,000 business tourists to Sydney in January this year.”

“TEA represents a new phase for TA’s Business Events efforts and I would particularly like to thank our Manager, Business Events, Meg Yeates for the work she has done developing and implementing international business event marketing activities and in particular her work with the convention bureaux and key industry associations.”

“After three years in her previous role Meg Yeates has been promoted to head up Global Programs for Tourism Australia, working with companies such as National Geographic, Discovery and CNN. The role will develop new media opportunities that leverage off our advertising spend and extend TA’s international marketing activities, with Meg’s experience in developing strong partnerships with business enhancing TA’s ability to work with international media organisations and businesses.”
 
Tourism Australia has set up a business events advisory panel and a major events consultative panel that ensures industry input into program development. The Business Events Industry Advisory Panel and has been involved in the development of the business events strategy over the past 12 months.

TA is currently working with new global agency partners M&C Saatchi and Carat to develop the business events campaign.

Tourism Australia and before it the Australian Tourist Commission worked extensively with the Australian business event and major event industries to develop the foundations for Tourism Events Australia.

Representatives from the Australian Association of Convention Bureaux (AACB), Meetings Events Australia (MEA), Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), the Tourism Task Force (TTF) and the events industry should be congratulated on the work achieved over the past twelve months.