For Sally Cope, who now oversees both Tourism Australia’s industry team and Business Events Australia, the mood in Frankfurt was encouraging. “I feel energised,” she said. “It’s my first time at IMEX. I’ve met many, many people. I feel there is a real sense of cautious optimism in the room.”
Her expanded remit brings together industry relations, experience development, Tourism Australia’s own industry events and Business Events Australia. “Putting business events together with that portfolio within Tourism Australia has really connected those two teams very well,” she explained. “The industry on the ground are obviously the people that deliver so much of the experiences that business events is promoting.”
More Than a Sustainability Campaign
Cope is careful not to describe Green Is Our Gold as a conventional campaign. “Campaign is not the right word,” she said. “It is very much a way for the Australian industry to get behind the messaging that we share with the world around our sustainability principles, how we operate, and what we deliver for visitors when they come to Australia.”
Launched at IMEX, Green Is Our Gold was developed to unite Australia’s business events and tourism sectors around a shared commitment to protecting natural environments, cultures and communities. It includes a Promise and five Principles: Celebrate Community, Embrace Culture, Preserve Place, Respect Wildlife and Take Care.
Tourism Australia’s research shows the timing is commercially relevant: 76% of incentive decision makers rank sustainability credentials as a significant driver of destination choice, while 83% of association organisations already have sustainability credentials and practices in place.
Robin Mack, now Managing Director of Tourism Australia, positioned the initiative as a national framework. “Australia’s business events industry has a strong track record of delivering world-class experiences and events that are sensitive to the environment, our cultures and our communities,” he said. “Green Is Our Gold recognises the strong foundations already in place, while encouraging a collective commitment to continuous improvement across the sector.”
Cope added that Tourism Australia’s reading of sustainability goes beyond environmental management. “When we talk about sustainability, we’re talking in the holistic sense internally,” she said. “Our First Nations culture really links to sustainability as well.”
Bid Support Through to 2032
Alongside the sustainability message, Tourism Australia confirmed that the Bid Fund has been extended to support events out to 2032. Since 2018, the programme has helped secure 221 events for Australia, representing AUD $1.5 billion in direct economic impact. On average, every dollar invested by Tourism Australia through the programme has generated AUD $52 for the Australian economy.
“We just announced it 24 hours ago,” Cope said during the interview. “But we know from our centres and our bureaux in Australia that they’re very excited to be getting new bid applications in.”
For Mack, the extension is about maintaining pace. “At the moment, what we’re hearing is there hasn’t been a softening on new leads,” he said. “So it’s making sure that our businesses in Australia can continue to bid on business beyond 2029.”Recent wins include Data Center World and The AI Summit Series in Melbourne in 2026, the International Federation of Fertility Societies World Congress in Brisbane in 2027, the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Sydney in 2028, and the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Melbourne in 2029.
A National Partnership Model
Mack described Tourism Australia’s relationship with states, territories, convention bureaux and centres as a “Team Australia approach”. “We work hand in hand with our states and territories,” he said. “We have regular conversations, we share our strategy with them, we listen to their ideas. It’s a real collaboration.”
For Cope, this matters because Australia is not a single-destination story. “We do have a good cross-section of convention bureaux and centres around the country, and they are all shapes and sizes,” she said. “I think it’s about showcasing what is distinctly Australian within their offering and the locations they’re in.”
She pointed to the urban location of Australian convention centres as a differentiator. “What’s really special about our offering is that our centres are in the heart of our cities. An Australian experience is very much understanding, learning and being part of the lifestyle of those cities.”
Product Investment Across the Country
Australia’s infrastructure pipeline gives planners new options. From 2026 onwards, 18 developments are scheduled across the country, including convention, hotel and event products.
Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, opening in July 2026, will offer 3,700 square metres of flexible space, a 1,000-seat theatre, a 2,000-square-metre exhibition hall and an attached 200-room Crowne Plaza hotel. It is targeting a 5 Star Green Star rating and will operate as a fossil-fuel-free site, self-generating 38 per cent of its energy.
In Sydney, The Cutaway at Barangaroo will become available for events from August 2026, offering 5,000 square metres of space and capacity for up to 2,000 people. Its all-electric operations align with Barangaroo’s carbon-neutral commitment. The wider pipeline includes The Lands by Capella in Sydney, Andaz Hotel Gold Coast, Hilton Palm Cove Resort & Spa, Waldorf Astoria Sydney, The Hoxton Melbourne/Narrm, Kimpton Teneriffe in Brisbane and a Ritz-Carlton on the Gold Coast.
Sector Expertise for Associations
For association congresses, Mack argued that Australia’s sector strengths are as important as its venues. “From an association’s perspective, the sector smarts around the whole of Australia really lend themselves to association decision makers. There are key sectors that we focus on: health, technology, manufacturing, minerals, agribusiness, education and infrastructure.”
Tourism Australia’s Australia Innovates programme was created to make that expertise easier to navigate. “Australia can be overwhelming when you’re looking at it as a destination,” Mack said, “so we try to break that down and show what the different areas represent.”Distance remains part of the discussion for European and North American associations, but Mack said the value equation often changes after delegates experience the country. “We survey our visitors before and after they come, and they rate us more highly for value for money after they leave,” he said.
More Than a Destination
Mack’s final message to associations was that choosing Australia means entering a partnership structure. “For people that don’t know Australia, it’s a true partnership when you pick Destination Australia for your business event and your association meeting,” he said. “The bureau, the centre, the PCO – it’s a real partnership. We will innovate, we will do everything we can to meet the objectives that you have, help you build on legacy, and help you meet your sustainability goals.”
And, he added, Australia’s competitive culture has its own character. “The mateship that we have is genuine. We are friendly competitors across Australia, but we really are Team Australia – and they’re mates at the end of the day.”