A conference for conference organisers is being held in Tasmania for the first time since 2010.

It is also the first time the conference has been held anywhere in Australia since Covid severely impacted the professional meetings and events sector.

The theme of this year’s event is A Breath of Fresh Air: Fresh Ideas, Fresh Thinking and includes a panel session on Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Events.

Barry Neame, the President of the Professional Conference Organisers of Australia, said the conference provided the opportunity to showcase Tasmania to a large group of buyers who were influential in client decision-making.

“It helps to build the Tasmanian brand,” he said.

“There is nothing like being immersed in the destination and experiencing it first hand.

“We know from our research that there are significant economic benefits for destinations that host conferences and events.”

Mr Neame said beyond the direct economic benefit, the conference would showcase Tasmanian industry on the national stage, provide a space for knowledge creation and exchange, opportunities for talent acquisition, future research collaboration and trade and investment opportunities.

BET CEO Marnie Craig said the conference provided the perfect opportunity to showcase Tasmania as a destination for conferences.

“Delegates will be able to experience Tasmania as a business events destination which then enables them to sell the experience and possibilities to their clients and bring more conferences to the state,” she said.

“Our industry was heavily hit by Covid, and this conference signals a strong finish for 2022 in business events.

“This year across the state Tasmania hosted 98 business events bringing more than 19,000 delegates, 78,000 room nights and more than $55 million in direct economic expenditure to the state.

“Twenty one of these events were supported through the Tasmanian Business Events Attraction Fund which allowed BET to offer funding at the bidding stage to assist in securing the business to the state.

“Research reveals that at least 25 per cent of delegates attending a conference in Tasmania brings at least one other person with them and stays on average 6.1 nights.”

In Australia, 43.7 million people attend a business event every year, injecting $17.2 billion in direct value to the Australian economy.