John “Johnny” Allen AM (10th June 1943 - 22nd Dec. 2025) Johnny Allen passed away at home on 22nd December following a long illness after contracting COVID at the 50th Anniversary of the Nimbin Aquarius festival. Rob Harris was a longtime friend and colleague of Johnny and penned this tribute. Johnny was my friend and a mentor to many within the Australian event industry.

Sydney Royal Easter Show (the Show) Head of Entertainment, Lynelle Smith IFMG, CFE, has become the first person outside of the United States to be recognised as Certified in Management through the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). The IAFE Institute of Fair Management Graduate Track in Management is an advanced program designed for industry leaders that specialises in the management of fairs and expositions.

When it comes to driving the visitor economy, who has the biggest impact — a global pop superstar or one of Australia’s biggest sporting events?Peter Jones crunches the numbers Recent hotel data out of Melbourne might surprise even the most seasoned event professionals, showing that one-off mega events can rival, and even surpass, our traditional tourism powerhouses. The Surprising Winners…

Novatech has been named the National Winner for Production Company of the Year at the 2025 Australian Event Awards, celebrating innovation, creativity, and excellence in event production across some of Australia’s most high-profile live event experiences. As an Adelaide-based, family-owned company, this national recognition highlights the strength and passion of our 70+ full-time event professionals who continue to set benchmarks in technical delivery, creative design, and client collaboration.

Event organisers today must address a wide range of responsibilities - from occupational health and safety (OH&S) to accessibility, inclusion, and more. But there’s another crucial issue that often goes overlooked: corruption. Bill O'Toole Festivals, concerts, and even academic conferences - being international, cross-border, multi-funded, and temporary - are especially vulnerable to corrupt practices. As public events grow in size, number, and impact, they increasingly attract illegal activity.

The Australian Event Awards presentation returned to a regional centre after eight years (the previous one – Sunshine Coast). This year was Coffs Harbour’s turn with the awards presented at the Wiigulga Sports Complex. The venue, owned by the City of Coffs Harbour, opened in December 2022 and is in Woolgoolga, a 20 to 30 min drive from the centre of Coffs Harbour.

The 2025 Qantas and Jetstar TNQ Tourism Industry Excellence Awards at the Cairns Convention Centre on October 24 celebrated the 50th anniversary of Tourism Tropical North Queensland with 350 guests at the gala event. The organisation’s first Chair George Chapman and General Manager Bill Cummings were among the former staff and Board members attending alongside industry representatives to mark 50 years of working together to promote Tropical North Queensland.

The Australian Centre for Regional Events (ACRE) today announced the launch of Eventfolk, a vital new national community designed to combat the intense isolation and burnout faced by regional and rural event organisers. Eventfolk is ACRE's answer to the rising pressures threatening the survival of events across regional Australia - from escalating costs and climate change challenges to overwhelming compliance and volunteer fatigue.

Australian Regional Tourism (ART) is pleased to announce that Busselton, Western Australia will be the host destination for the 2026 ART Convention to be held from 20-23 October 2026. A gentle 2.5-hour journey south from Perth, Busselton rests where forest meets ocean — a coastal town cradled by the turquoise waters of Geographe Bay. Long regarded as the northern gateway to the Margaret River Region and its fine wines and produce, Busselton continues to evolve as a place of vitality and vision, where heritage and innovation sit side by side.

The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) Australia and New Zealand Chapter have announced a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster shared goals of industry development, research contribution, talent growth, and sector visibility. The collaboration formalises their commitment to advancing the business events and incentive travel sectors by supporting emerging talent, expanding access to research and education programs, and amplifying the voice of the business events industry through unified advocacy.

Against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical attention in the Middle East, Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) has announced internationally renowned leadership and resilience expert Dr Alia Bojilova as the keynote speaker for the BEIA Conference 2025 at Cordis Auckland, 26–27 November. Sponsored by B2B Speakers, Dr Bojilova’s extraordinary background as a former SAS psychologist, United Nations Commendation recipient, and Inaugural Meritorious Service Medal awardee for her work negotiating critical incidents in the Middle East, positions her keynote as one of the most anticipated sessions of the conference.

The Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre is one step closer to opening its doors with events now booked for the world-class venue – backed by the Allan Labor Government. Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced the first four events that will be held at the $450 million state-of-the-art venue – covering a range of topics such as leadership, education, culture, and community in July and August 2026.

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has been named Oceania’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre in the World Travel Awards 2025. Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards celebrate excellence across all sectors of the international travel and tourism industry. Te Pae Christchurch was recognised at the World Travel Awards Asia and Oceania Gala Ceremony; a black-tie event held at the InterContinental Grand Stanford in Hong Kong on 13th October.

The Australian Event Awards & Symposium is thrilled to announce Qantas as its newest Partner – joining a line-up of reputable experts and leading organisations across the events industry. This exciting partnership means travelling to Coffs Harbour for the Symposium and Awards this October has never been easier. With Qantas offering discounted airfares exclusively for delegates and guests, the journey to the Coffs Coast is simple and accessible from across the country.

The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has today opened registrations for the 2025 ABEA Conference, to be held from 3 to 5 December 2025 at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). Following a highly successful inaugural event in 2024, the ABEA Conference returns as the national meeting place for Australia’s business events community. Designed to engage professionals across venues, bureaux, suppliers, organisers and more, the 2025 event will deliver three days of insights, learning and genuine industry connection.

FACTS Festival, Australia’s gathering for Aviation, Corporate Travel, Business Events and Travel Payments professionals, has announced its highly anticipated 2025 program, taking place 25-26 November 2025 at ICC Sydney. Building on the success of its debut in 2024, the Festival continues to break new ground, bringing together four powerhouse summits under one roof, uniting leaders, disruptors, and innovators from across the globe.

Registrations are now open for this year's Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) 2025 Conference set for Cordis Auckland on 26 and 27 November. Preceded by the Business Events Expo and coinciding with The Bizzies awards night, the BEIA Conference is set to attract the who’s who of New Zealand’s conference, incentives and business events industry for two days of knowledge sharing, networking, and celebration in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

ENTECH founder Julius Grafton has stepped aside, with Kate McKenzie appointed CEO. McKenzie, who joined in 2017, has managed and delivered every ENTECH event across Australia and New Zealand since then. Kate Mckenzie Founded by Grafton in 1993, ENTECH grew into a major tradeshow occupying more than 10,000 square metres at the Sydney and Melbourne exhibition centres. The event was sold to Kerry Packer in 2003 and later repurchased by Grafton, who transformed it into the ENTECH Roadshow — a streamlined touring format now running annually each May across Australia and biennially in New Zealand.

The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has officially opened entries for the 2025 Australian Business Events Awards, which recognise and celebrate the people, companies, teams and innovations shaping Australia’s business events sector. Returning for its second year, the Awards will take place on Thursday 4 December 2025 at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of the 2025 ABEA Conference.

After seven years of reflecting Australia’s photographic landscape, PHOTO Australia has confirmed it will close, with the Board announcing PHOTO 2026 will not proceed. Founded in 2018, the festival set out with what organisers describe as a “bold vision: to bring photography into public life through free and accessible programming.” Across three editions (2021, 2022 and 2024), PHOTO Australia showcased more than 400 artists and attracted over 600,000 visitors to Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef has launched a new funding program to attract and secure business events to the region over the next four years, with the initiative projected to deliver a $54 million direct economic impact. Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) General Manager of Partnerships and Events Tara Bennett said the program would support new business events proposing Tropical North Queensland as a destination, with a minimum of 150 delegates staying in the region for three nights.

BESydney has welcomed the release of the NSW Government’s new Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 by NSW Premier Chris Minns and the Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper. It’s an ambitious roadmap, which sets a clear target to generate $91 billion in annual visitor expenditure and generate an additional 150,000 jobs by 2035. The Strategy, which was developed following extensive consultation with over 500 NSW stakeholders, including BESydney, focuses on five key pillars to accelerate growth.

It was all sunny side up for business events professionals who flew in from Sydney and Melbourne to sample a showcase of the region’s premier venues and attractions. The annual Sunshine Soiree was fully subscribed by leading business events bookers, who traversed the region accompanied by the trademarked sunshine and the finest of hospitality. Beginning in Sunshine Beach – home to former prime ministers and media celebrities – the…

With the colder months typically seeing reduced visitation to the region, Te Pae Christchurch is again highlighting the value of its contribution to the local economy, turning the ordinarily quiet shoulder season into a hive of activity for the city. Te Pae Christchurch is in the midst of its busiest season since the convention centre held its first conference in May 2022.

Tourism New Zealand confirmed 64 international conference wins in the past year, worth an estimated $78.8m to New Zealand’s visitor economy. The Tourism New Zealand Business Events team closed out its 2025 financial year hitting record bid targets enabled by a $3m government funding boost announced in March 2025. It exceeded its stretch target of 110 bids worth $170m, making 112 bids worth $173m.