Mention Australia, and most people immediately think of Sydney or Melbourne, or conjure up images of the Opera House and Great Barrier Reef. But the state of South Australia has been making a big impact on the global travel radar, attracting travelers interested in the easy cosmopolitan vibe of Adelaide, exploring the nearby Barossa Valley’s winery offerings, or taking a puddle jumper across to Kangaroo Island to luxuriate in its natural splendor. Recognizing their global worth, Adelaide and the state of South Australia have been making great strides in positioning themselves as the new, great meetings and events destination.
    Business events have become incredibly lucrative to South Australia, bringing in more than $1 billion to the Australian economy—$100 million of which is infused directly into South Australia—while contributing to over 200,000 jobs. For the 12 months ending in March 2008, South Australia recorded an estimated 70,000 domestic overnight visits, and 9,800 international visitors specifically visiting for a conference, exhibition, convention or trade fare. The state now reports that 38 percent of all visitors are business travelers. The Economist has also taken notice, having recently tagged Adelaide as the best city in Australia for business travel.
    Part of what has begun to draw such mass business attention to the area is the Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority (ACTA), a private, nonprofit organization with a membership of approximately 250 businesses and service providers that share a common interest in business events, conventions, exhibitions and incentive tourism. The organization has been particularly aggressive in growth, confirming 41 future conventions in this financial year—10 of which are international—quadrupling that of Melbourne and tripling Sydney’s.
    “Adelaide’s world-class conference facilities and hotels, excellent affordability, and ease of access are enjoyed by convention organizers and delegates,” explains Damien Kitto, chief executive of ACTA. “In how many other cities can delegates arrive at the airport, check into a five-star hotel within half an hour, be adjacent to an internationally-acclaimed convention center, and just 30 minutes from beautiful beaches and wineries?”
    Kitto’s compelling argument, coupled with ACTA’s gamble, has been paying off, with a demonstrated business growth in attracting new tourism clientele of 80 percent over the last three years. Part of what has helped ensure and support this success is the four-year-old annual conference Qantas Destination SA, designed to encourage more business travel and initiatives to the area.
    The exhibition has showcased the best products and services of South Australian conference and meeting organizers to national and international buyers—successfully connecting businesses from all over Australia, Singapore, China, New Zealand and more—focusing heavily on B2B opportunities. The 2008 conference reported each buyer netting up to 17 face-to-face meetings, with ACTA members showcasing the best in South Australia’s products, venues and services, convincing many to choose Adelaide for future events.
    But the conventions aren’t without fun and games. Balancing out the business push, ACTA has made a concerted effort to design off-campus activities for visitors interested in experiencing the area’s leisure options firsthand.
    For example, during the 2008 conference, a group of Asian buyers had the opportunity to experience a traditional Kaurna welcome at Tandanya, the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute—which included a unique, bush-tucker morning tea—before visiting the National Wine Center of Australia and the Hilton Adelaide. Meanwhile, delegates from New Zealand were invited to try glassblowing at JamFactory, and followed up the experience with a helicopter ride over the Barossa Valley, South Australia’s premiere wine region. ACTA also organized guided tours of the Adelaide Central Market, giving attendees a firsthand look at the nexus of the area’s dedication to fresh and innovative cuisine.
    “Adelaide is defined by its easy access to some great places,” notes Steve Kernaghan, executive general manager of communications for the South Australia Tourism Commission. “It’s a half-hour’s flight from the city to Kangaroo Island, Australia’s answer to the Galapagos, and a 50-minute flight to Port Lincoln, where you can swim with sea lions, sharks, dolphins and even tuna. Less than an hour’s drive away from Adelaide is the Barossa Valley, the Napa Valley of Australia, and you can take a 90-minute flight from Adelaide to the heart of the Outback, where you can get on a horse and drive cattle. Whether you’re a business traveler on your own or part of a business-group trip, they can easily be part of your experience.”
    It’s that experience that’s drawing so many local and international travelers to Adelaide, helping to position it as a convention city with pleasurable downtime offerings. As a result of this interest, ACTA has since announced plans to break into the corporate and incentive market over the next three to five years.
    Recognizing the benefit of ACTA’s approach, the Australian government has upped its financial infusion to $1 million annually, to help the organization in its bid to attract more business-related tourism to the area. The group has also begun receiving marketing assistance from the Adelaide City Council. And the city is preparing for the impact. Over the next two to three years, approximately 1,000 new four- and five-star hotel rooms are due to open for business.
    The Adelaide Convention Center is also finalizing extension plans to offer more space for conferences and exhibitions. Last fall, the Adelaide Showgrounds—located just outside the city center—completed a new, environmentally-sustainable event space called the Goyder Pavilion, upping Adelaide’s total exhibition and event space to over 200,000 square feet. On top of that, the city council approved $1 billion worth of infrastructure and development projects in 2008.
    Regardless of the growth, Adelaide understands that part of what makes it such an attractive destination lies in the simplicity of the city itself. As the fifth-largest capital in Australia, with a population of 1.2 million, Adelaide considers itself a big city without all the associated hassles. Just a half-hour’s drive from Adelaide Airport (ADL), many of the city’s most popular destinations can be reached within 20 minutes of any starting point—often times, a walkable prospect.    For those who prefer to take public transportation, Adelaide’s tram line recently relaunched, after a $31-million upgrade to assist visitors who take the free tram directly from the Adelaide Convention Center to Glenelg Beach. This, in addition to free bus service in the downtown core, means service as frequent as every five minutes.
    Even through such aggressive expansion, the city and its associated developers are mindful of staying eco-friendly and sustainable—so much so that the goal is to position the area as not just a conference destination, but a green one.     The Adelaide Convention Center is working hard at being recognized as the nation’s most environmentally-responsible convention center. Part of its initiatives include continual research and efforts in how to operate in the most environmentally-responsible way, while also seeking new and innovative initiatives for reducing the carbon footprint for the venue, convention and exhibition organizers, and delegates.
    One such effort comes in the form of the Trees For Life campaign, which supports a native tree-growing project to help create healthy, functioning ecosystems. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Goyder Pavilion features the biggest solar power bank and water collection system in Adelaide, further solidifying the area as a leader in renewable energy efforts and leading the nation in wind and solar power.
    With all this success, Adelaide and South Australia plan to ride the wave, and continue to build and capitalize on what has been accomplished thus far—especially with projections suggesting that the tourism industry is looking to grow to a $6.3-billion industry by 2014.
    Although business travel accounts for just over a fifth of that total number, the tourism industry is taking notice that business events are a high-yield tourism sector for South Australia, with business visitors spending three to four times more than the average traveler. That—coupled with the collaboration of various statewide initiatives—is what Martin Radcliffe, ACTA’s director of sales and marketing, hopes will continue to make Adelaide a go-to business locale.
    Says Radcliffe, “Naturally, the tenacity and professionalism of the ACTA team has been instrumental in achieving this outcome, however, such results would not be possible without the collaboration we enjoy with the local business events sector. Our members and stakeholders remain committed to the success of Adelaide and South Australia as an international convention destination.”