The Malinauskas Labor Government in South Australia will invest a further A$10m in Business Events Adelaide to help lure even more events and conferences to the city, with the aim of supporting jobs, filling hotels and boosting the state’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
Business events have been demonstrated to deliver a strong and immediate return to the state’s economy, with interstate and overseas delegates spending an average A$1,165 per day while in Adelaide, according to the University of Adelaide’s South Australian Centre for Economic Studies.
South Australia’s pipeline of prospective business events has more than doubled compared with this time last year and is valued at an estimated $3.1bn over the next five years. The State government’s A investment will help Business Events Adelaide can harness this momentum. This funding is in addition to A$10m already provided in the 2025-26 State Budget.
Adelaide’s candidacy for COP31 placed South Australia firmly on the global stage for international business events, albeit the event ultimately was awarded to Antalya in Turkey.
Between August and December next year, however, Adelaide has already secured more than 10 business events, valued at A$2m. These events will attract around 5,000 delegates and generate 16,000 bed nights for Adelaide hotels, demonstrating the immediate return generated by targeted investment in the sector.
In addition, more than 20 further business events are currently being aggressively pursued now that the COP decision is known, representing significant additional opportunities for the state.
South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas (pictured), said: “Business events deliver incredible value to our tourism and hospitality sector and Adelaide is now well and truly on the national and international stage to host these events. “As a government, we are determined to harness this momentum and translate it into even more events for our state.”
The premier added: “Our state has built incredible momentum and now is the time to push even harder and secure the next wave of events that will deliver benefits for years to come.”