Eden, Shadow Play Melbourne by Peppers This scale underpins a broad meetings and events ecosystem that ranges from large convention-capable properties to lifestyle-driven venues and coastal retreats. According to Accor, business events across the Pacific are experiencing sustained growth, with a reported 19 per cent year-on-year increase in conference, incentive and group bookings.
Such figures reflect a wider regional trend: corporations and associations are returning to face-to-face formats, often with heightened expectations around experience design, flexibility and sustainability.
“Meetings and events are a cornerstone of our growth strategy in the Pacific,” said Adrian Williams, Chief Operating Officer for Accor in the Pacific region. “We are actually seeing strong, sustained demand from planners who are looking for venues that go beyond traditional function spaces.”
Portfolio Diversification & New Openings
Accor’s recent expansion across Australia illustrates how brand diversification is being deployed to meet varied event formats. In 2025 alone, the group opened several properties, including 25hours Hotel The Olympia Sydney, Hyde Melbourne Place and Mondrian Gold Coast, alongside Novotel Sydney Cabramatta and two MGallery Collection properties – Elysium Noosa Resort and The Brighton Hotel Sydney.
While these openings broaden lifestyle and luxury offerings, they also expand meeting capacity in both metropolitan and regional markets. Novotel Sydney Cabramatta strengthens Western Sydney’s ability to host events of up to 650 delegates, while The Brighton Hotel Sydney introduces 11 flexible event spaces, including two ballrooms, into a waterfront setting.
Simultaneously, established conference destinations are undergoing upgrades. The Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort, for example, is enhancing its conference facilities within a precinct capable of hosting up to 1,400 delegates. Meanwhile, Shadow Play Melbourne by Peppers unveiled Eden, a newly unveiled premium events space offering panoramic city views and contemporary interiors, accommodating up to 120 guests.
Smaller-scale, design-led venues are also being introduced, such as Alma Events by BAHA at The Adnate Perth, which accommodates between 20 and 150 guests, reflecting demand for boutique business gatherings.
“Meetings and events are a cornerstone of our growth strategy in the Pacific,” said Adrian Williams, Chief Operating Officer for Accor in the Pacific region. “We are actually seeing strong, sustained demand from planners who are looking for venues that go beyond traditional function spaces.”
Loyalty & Sustainability
Beyond physical expansion, Accor has integrated meetings and events into its broader loyalty strategy through the ALL Accor Meetings & Events programme. This integration reflects a structural shift: organisers are being recognised as long-term stakeholders within hotel ecosystems. By embedding event bookings into the ALL loyalty framework, planners can earn reward and status points that extend beyond a single congress programme.
Meanwhile, sustainability has become a defining criterion in event destination selection, particularly for international associations aligning conferences with ESG commitments. Across the Pacific, Accor reports that more than 230 of its hotels – over 60 per cent of the network – have achieved eco-certification.
Measures include waste-reduction initiatives, responsible sourcing and energy-efficiency programmes, alongside the option for organisers to design lower-impact events.
“Planners are increasingly looking for partners who can help them meet their own ESG commitments without compromising on experience,” Williams said. “That is why we are embedding sustainability into how our venues operate and how events are delivered. From large convention centres to boutique lifestyle venues, we are focused on giving organisers practical, credible ways to host more responsible events.”
Beyond environmental initiatives, Accor’s regional purpose – articulated as “Pioneering the Art of Responsible Hospitality, Connecting Cultures, with Heartfelt Care” – is reflected in partnerships addressing social impact, including collaborations supporting domestic violence awareness, refugee employment pathways and inclusive hiring initiatives.
Fast-evolving meetings market
Asia Pacific remains one of the fastest-evolving meetings markets globally. Rapid urbanisation, improved air connectivity and the expansion of regional middle classes are contributing to demand for both corporate and association gatherings.
In this context, scale and network diversity become strategic assets. Accor’s footprint across the region allows planners to replicate brand standards while adapting event formats to local cultural and geographic contexts – whether in CBD high-rise hotels, beachside resorts or design-focused lifestyle venues.
For international associations, particularly those rotating congresses between continents, such network consistency can also reduce risk and simplify procurement processes.
Accor’s Pacific expansion illustrates how global hospitality groups are recalibrating their business events strategies: combining scale with brand differentiation, integrating loyalty mechanisms with event planning, and embedding sustainability as a core operational principle rather than a peripheral add-on.
As Williams notes, the objective is not simply to provide function space, but to deliver venues “that inspire connection, creativity and impact.”
For further information about Accor’s Meetings & Events portfolio, visit accorevents.com