Central to BCEC’s strategy is the Convention Advocates Partnership, established in 2009. It brings together senior academics and industry leaders who use their expertise and networks to support Brisbane’s bids for international meetings. The Advocates are trusted advisors who help ensure that events hosted in the city are relevant, credible and aligned with real industry priorities.
“Working with our Convention Advocates is central to BCEC’s purpose of being a catalyst for Brisbane’s growth,” says Kym Guesdon, General Manager of BCEC. “Their insight and influence help us champion key sectors and position the city as a global hub for innovation, collaboration and discovery.”
A World in Transition
The past few years have shown how quickly energy systems can be disrupted. First it was the Ukraine–Russia conflict and its impact on European gas supplies; now it’s tariff disputes and new trade barriers shifting global flows.
For Asia Pacific, the stakes are high. It is the world’s fastest-growing region and accounts for the majority of new energy demand. Food and energy security are its two greatest risks. “Energy risks in this part of the world are only getting sharper,” explains Rod Bresnehan, one of BCEC’s long-standing Convention Advocates (pictured left). “Asia depends heavily on secure and affordable supply, and that makes Australia’s role even more critical in the years ahead.”
Australia is, in fact, at the epicentre of these dynamics. Located at the crossroads of the Indo-Pacific, it links advanced Northeast Asian economies, like Japan, Korea and China, with Western capital and innovation. Its role as a leading natural gas supplier means its policy decisions create a ripple effect across continents. “
If you take Australia’s LNG out of the equation, you put Asia’s energy security at real risk,” says Bresnehan. “Japan, Korea and China rely on it in the medium term, and until renewables and storage are truly reliable at scale, that won’t change.”
This is where conferences matter. By hosting global industry gatherings, Brisbane provides a neutral meeting ground for Asia, Europe, and North America to exchange expertise and forge collaborations that directly feed into policy and investment flows.
A Microcosm of the Energy Transition
Queensland illustrates the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition better than almost anywhere else. It still relies on coal and natural gas, but at the same time it is where new approaches are being tested – from hydrogen pilots in regional communities to trials of critical mineral processing.
“Queensland is a microcosm of the issues out there,” says Bresnehan. “We’ve got the resources, the demand, the distances, the community engagement – all the factors you need to understand the transition. Not many places can offer that breadth.”
The state produces one-third of Australia’s natural gas, supplying New South Wales and Victoria, while exporting nearly 90% of LNG to Asia. Seven universities in Brisbane provide deep technical expertise, from methane pyrolysis and carbon capture to hydrogen production.
A strong network of trade commissioners, based in Europe, the UK, Germany, Japan and Korea, further extends Queensland’s reach. These representatives attend global energy summits – from Rotterdam to Houston – carrying back investor interest and positioning Brisbane as the entry point to the Asia Pacific market.
Critical Minerals Are The Next Chapter
Queensland’s resources story is no longer only about coal and natural gas. The state also has cobalt, vanadium, titanium, graphite and rare earth elements, materials essential for batteries, renewable storage, and advanced manufacturing. This shift has put Brisbane on the map as a meeting place for critical minerals.
The Critical Minerals Conference, launched at BCEC in 2023 by AusIMM, drew the largest gathering of professionals in the field anywhere in Australia. Its second edition, in August 2024, reinforced the scale of industry interest. “This was a forum to share knowledge on a topic of state and national importance that also has global significance,” said AusIMM CEO Stephen Durkin.
These conferences feed directly into national strategy. The Australian Government’s 2024–25 budget pledged AUD 7 billion in tax incentives for processing and refining 31 critical minerals, and AUD 6.7 billion for hydrogen. With CSIRO and Brisbane’s universities already testing sustainable mining and recycling solutions, international delegates can see both the policy drivers and the practical science in one place.
Natural gas as the “Creeping Reality”
Despite the hype around renewables, the transition will not be immediate. “For a host of reasons – cost, technology, sustainability – the transition won’t be rapid,” says BCEC Advocate and Emeritus Professor at Queensland University of Technology, Ian Mackinnon. “Natural gas and even some coal will be part of the mix beyond 2050 if we want to keep energy secure while building up renewables and storage.”
How Brisbane Uses Conferences to Shape Energy Outcomes
- Targeting scale: BCEC concentrates on attracting large international conferences of 500+ delegates, while Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) works on smaller sector-specific meetings. This way, the city covers both major global congresses and niche technical gatherings.
- Turning resources into projects: Australia has gas reserves that could exceed current demand, but development depends on regulatory clarity and community acceptance. By hosting events at BCEC, Brisbane provides a platform for government, industry and researchers to align on how those projects can proceed responsibly.
- Spotlighting innovation: Technical solutions such as carbon capture and storage, methane pyrolysis (turning waste methane into hydrogen and carbon nanotubes), and new low-impact drilling techniques are showcased at BCEC conferences, helping translate research into commercial action.
Natural gas, in particular, is seen as a critical transitional fuel. With lower carbon intensity than coal and oil, it can be delivered on-demand and at scale, bridging the intermittency of solar and wind. “People don’t realise that we are going to need natural gas to smooth out the lumps and drops in renewable supply,” says Rod Bresnehan. “There’s a creeping reality: renewables cannot yet meet heavy industrial demand 24 hours a day.”
The issue is not simply technical but also commercial. Investors weigh energy reliability alongside tax regimes, regulatory stability, and government support. As Mackinnon explained: “We’re in competition with the US and other jurisdictions. Australia has the resources, but investors look closely at whether the regulatory environment is conducive.”
Conferences as Strategic Levers
BCEC’s role in the energy story is perhaps most visible through the events it has hosted. The impact of these events can be seen well beyond the days of the programme. When the Asia Pacific Hydrogen Conference was held in Brisbane in 2024, investors were able to move straight from discussions at BCEC to site visits at operating hydrogen facilities, giving them a rare chance to see projects in action. The event proved so successful that it has since been licensed to a global exhibitions company, ensuring its continuation and growth.
The World Mining Congress in 2023 attracted more than 3,000 delegates from 70 countries and has already left a legacy of its own. Out of the momentum created in Brisbane came a new national conference on critical minerals, designed and run by the industry itself, which will alternate between Brisbane and Perth. Even earlier, the Asia Pacific Unconventional Resources Conference, initiated by BCEC Advocates, helped to establish Brisbane as the reference point for unconventional gas development at a time when the sector was still emerging.
These examples show how BCEC conferences act as policy accelerators, platforms for commercial deals, and recruitment tools for the next generation of researchers and engineers.
Brisbane 2032: An Olympic Legacy for Energy
The 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be Australia’s first “climate-positive” Games. By hosting global debates on natural gas, hydrogen, and critical minerals, BCEC is actively shaping the policies and investment flows that will fulfill Brisbane 2032’s sustainability promise.
“As we celebrate 30 years of BCEC, it’s timely to highlight the strategic role we play in supporting industry growth and aligning with sector-wide ambitions,” reflects Guesdon. “With the 2032 Games on the horizon, we remain committed to shaping what comes next through meaningful collaboration and long-term impact.”
The message from Brisbane is clear: energy transition requires pragmatism as much as ambition. As Bresnehan concludes: “Produce energy which is fit-for-purpose, cost-effective and lowers emissions. The same applies to conferences: make them strategic, forward-looking and capable of delivering real outcomes.”
To learn more about how the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre works with international associations and industry leaders to deliver conferences with impact, visit BCEC’s website.