Over recent years, Adelaide has witnessed an investment explosion in innovation and infrastructure across a broad range of industries, enabling clients to leverage the Adelaide Convention Centre’s extensive local networks to provide market leading delegate experiences.
“The Adelaide Convention Centre team proactively identifies conferences with potential links to local innovation neighbourhoods as a way of assisting associations enhance their conference programs,” says Melissa Reilly, Head of Sales, Adelaide Convention Centre. “Adelaide is home to many global thought leaders and decisions makers. Our team creates meaningful connections with these subject matter experts and business leaders to leverage incredibly exciting opportunities for conference organizers and delegates alike. It’s all about creating a unique value proposition.”
The emergence of Adelaide’s innovation hub, Lot Fourteen, is but one of many examples of the opportunities available. Lot Fourteen is home to the Australian Space Agency and countless global tech companies dedicated to showcasing some of the world’s future industries, including artificial intelligence and cyber security.
Adelaide’s thriving space ecosystem comprises more than 80 space-related organizations, many of which are based at Lot Fourteen. The burgeoning space sector provides conference planners a realm of potential collaboration opportunities.
Hand-in-hand with the growth of the space industry in Adelaide has been the evolution of the Australian Space Forum, a bi-annual event at the Adelaide Convention Centre which brings together the best from Australia’s space industry and around the world. Starting out as a one day seminar for 130 people in 2016, the latest forum (now managed by The Andy Thomas Space Foundation), included a full-day plenary and sold out 2,000sqm exhibition featuring 65 industry exhibitors and drawing 900+ in-person and virtual participants. The next scheduled event – the 14th Australian Space Forum slated for October 2022 – will again grow, this time incorporating an industry dinner to welcome national and international delegates.
According to the Chair of the Andy Thomas Space Foundation and former Chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia, Michael Davis AO, “The Adelaide Convention Centre has played a key role in supporting the space sector in Australia, and will continue to do so by providing the perfect venue for bringing together the key players in our internationally-recognized industry.
“Over the past five years, the collaborations that were first discussed at the International Astronautical Congress and across the thirteen editions of the Australian Space Forum are now providing careers and economic opportunities for an increasing number of professionals and businesses throughout Australia. In addition, the Adelaide Convention Centre’s proximity to Lot Fourteen allows our delegates to easily connect with space industry stakeholders to further enable the all-important networking and business exchange outside of the conference formalities.”