Despite the long-held belief that corporate travel businesses wouldn’t recover from the pandemic, travel trends in Australia have revealed the opposite. With a 400% uptick in international travel following the relaxation of travel restrictions, business travel in Australia has shown to return to the pre-pandemic levels of 2009. Moreover, it’s expected to further increase. In addition to the nature of business travel to Australia, the shift towards a knowledge-oriented workforce has meant that the booming Aussie market, in general, is oriented around travel- in a domestic and international sense.
In particular, networking events and B2B conferences are the cause of drawing traction from international business travellers to Australia. These events represent the increasing complexity of business work, which frequently requires face-to-face collaboration, events, and workshops. World-renowned conferences such as AIME and ACSI are attended by corporations and small business owners worldwide, thus improving Australia’s position in the travel department.
Events of such kind present unique networking opportunities as well. They allow business travellers to establish social and professional connections with individuals from similar industries, enhancing business outreach and opportunities. Business travelers gain significant insight and networking from attending events from their particular business niches.
Here are the best networking opportunities to watch out for in Australia during 2023.
In this article, we'll take a look at:
Registration Fee: $250 + GST For Visitors
Date: 13th-15th February
Venue: Melbourne
Industry: Knowledge Economy and Exhibition
AIME embodies Melbourne’s position as a business giant in Australia. This B2B conference connects vital industry stakeholders through an influential AI schedule designer, allowing them to transfer and gather knowledge while establishing connections and fostering community. The event aligns with over 10,000 meetings and connects buyers with the services and products offered by over 300 exhibitors. All this happens over three days, divided into two show days and a knowledge program.
Attendees see the Asia Pacifics Incentive and Meetings Event (AIME) as a crucible for establishing business connections and networking. More than 95% of the delegates at the 2022 conference agreed that it was the best place to make connections due to the positive atmosphere and credibility held by the conference. Additionally, 94% of delegates were impressed by the investment return, showing how AIME is a very inclusive and affordable business conference.
Registration Fee: 950$ for Full Access
Date: September 20-21
Venue: Sydney
Industry: Digital Marketing, Media, and Advertising
DigiMarCon offers investors and marketing consultants various networking events and the opportunity to interact with some leading marketing leaders and professionals worldwide. This interaction is coupled with imparting valuable insight into emerging marketing trends and innovative technologies that guide lead generation opportunities. Lastly, it offers the space to network with thought leaders and creates peer networks with individuals of like-minded fields. This is promised within two packed days, filled with conferences on issues ranging from Behavioral & NeuroMarketing to Web Analytics and Search Engine Optimization.
The DigiMarCon is renowned for its personalized one-on-one experience between speakers and delegates. In this sense, it is a great networking event. This uniqueness makes it well-suited for entrepreneurs looking to consolidate business relationships and networks with leaders in their respective fields. This is especially important within the saturated marketing field because it allows delegates with start-ups to gain valuable insight that will put them a step ahead of their competitors.
Registration Fee: $700, including GST
Date: 13-14th February
Venue: Ngunnawal Country, Canberra
Industry: Volunteering Calendar
This is Australia’s biggest volunteer calendar event. It involves representatives from all walks of life- from non-profits and academics to corporate representatives and volunteer management professionals- who address emerging priority issues. The idea is to generate discourse and inclusivity and create a climate wherein innovative technologies and methods can address issues of all sorts, ranging from climate sustainability to income inequality.
The conference prioritizes delegates from rural or regional communities, lower socio-economic classes, and those involved in leading community work. For businesses, the availability of the opportunity to interact with people of such divergent paths of life is quite essential for networking purposes. According to numerous reviews, this two-day event and its focus on long-term strategies and research allow corporations to integrate newly developed sustainability methods into their corporate model. This allows them to remain dynamic and have a consistently positive social impact.
Registration Fee: $980 + GST
Date: 3rd May
Venue: Hilton Sydney
Industry: ESG Issues
The ACSI Annual Conference is an event predicated upon teaching investors about environmental, social, and governmental issues (ESG). It provides meaningful solutions that investors can use to positively impact society while adding economic value to their actions. The conference brings together leading investors, academics, and researchers for this purpose. Whether moving towards net zero or promoting better corporate governance and culture, the ACSI is committed to adding a much-needed social dimension to businesses.
ACSI is a financially significant organization, with more than 26 Australian and international asset owners and institutional investors and more than $1 trillion under its name. With a focus on how long-term investment planning can help mitigate the short-termism promoted by market mechanisms, ACSI believes that a strong relationship between policymakers and investors can help foster environmental sustainability. For businesses and SMEs, conferences like these again provide a platform for engaging with issues and individuals that will help ground your business within a consistent ethical standard.
Registration Fee: Free
Date: 24-25th May 2023
Venue: Victory Room, Marvel Stadium, Docklands
Industry: SME and Small Business Growth
The purpose of this event is self-explanatory. The Small Business Expo is a two-day expo that aims to help SMEs and small businesses to connect and grow. This involves creating a platform that allows small entrepreneurs to showcase their products or services, network, foster new business opportunities, and grow. The expo also promises funding & grants, seminars on SME trends, digital marketing, cybersecurity, and fostering sustainable growth strategies. The best part is that all of this is free to attend since it targets infant businesses.
The expo allows SMEs to increase their ability to challenge changing trends and market demand and face intense competition. This is coupled with ample opportunities for networking with leading experts and business leaders alongside struggling business peers.
Registration Fee: $297
Date: 21st-22nd September
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Industry: Technology Expo
TECHSPO is another two-day exhibition that brings together developers, marketers, brands, technology designers and developers, and all sorts of innovators looking to take advantage of the changing technological climate of the world. It allows investors and marketers to be exposed to exhibitions carried out by technological leaders, allowing them to take advantage of them in their business models. This is a place for networking and product interaction.
According to numerous ratings and reviews, it accomplishes these tasks. The TECHSPO practically allows investors critical insight into the technology best suited for their model and access to leaders who can best guide them toward that technology.
It’s evident that Australia hosts a plethora of networking events and B2B conferences that are vital opportunities for business travellers and start-ups. It can, however, be difficult to manage corporate travel. Don’t worry, because TruTrip, an excellent travel management company, is here to take care of all your business travel needs. Book a demo or sign up for a free trial to avail TruTrip’s services.
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