After 20 months of disruption in the meetings, incentives and events sector, the Sunshine Coast is getting on the front foot preparing for a major revival of the market in 2022.
To kick-start the process, Business Events Sunshine Coast staged a Sunshine Soiree in Brisbane to showcase the region’s best conference and incentive products and update the audience of over 50 delegates on new venues, attractions and activities.
While the Sunshine Coast faced considerable challenges as a result of the pandemic, the region was still able to host a number of major events, including the ‘Aussies’ (the national Surf Life Saving Championships), the Ironman and Noosa Triathlon. Next year, the Sunshine Coast will host the prestigious Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, and booking interest has grown dramatically since the announcement that Queensland’s borders to NSW, Victoria and the ACT would re-open from 17 December.
Matt Stoeckel, CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast said the Sunshine Soiree was the perfect opportunity to get meetings and events back on the travel agenda.
“There’s undoubtedly a huge pent-up demand for conferences meetings and incentives, with a real desire for face-to-face meetings and networking,” said Mr Stoeckel.
“For many of the delegates this was their first opportunity in over a year to attend such a function. It was great to reconnect with everyone and share optimism for the year ahead.
“The event brought to life all that our visitors love about the Sunshine Coast, and provided a great reminder to the delegates of our competitiveness as a business event destination”.
Sunshine Coast operators participating in Sunshine Soiree included: ACCOR, Alexandra Park Conference Centre, Australia Zoo, Creative Tours & Events, Event X, Kangaroo Bus Lines, Kingfisher Bay Resort Group, Landmark Resort, NightQuarter, Mercure Sunshine Coast Resort, Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort, Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort, People, Plates & Places, Rumba Beach Resort, Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort, Spectacular Events, Spicers Clovelly Estate/Spicers Tamarind Retreat, Splash Events and The Events Centre, Caloundra.