Brisbane cements role as the nation’s convention capital

Brisbane is continuing to build a reputation as the country’s convention capital with 148 future conferences set to be held in the city over the next few years.

Business making a beeline to Brisbane for conventions.

Brisbane is continuing to build a reputation as the country’s convention capital.

The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) reports that over the past 12 months it has secured agreements for 148 future conferences that will roll out over the next few years. These future events are expected to bring 74,000 delegates to Brisbane, delivering a massive 260,660 room nights at city hotels. Of the future events, 26 are international conferences, reflecting Brisbane and Queensland’s growing expertise in research and science, medical research, health care, technology, agriculture and energy sectors.

One of the biggest medical events coming our way is the World Congress of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition in 2028 that will attract 2,000 delegates.

The congress will highlight Queensland’s leading research role in gastroenterology, with Professor Nikhil Thapar, the director of the gastroenterology, hepatology and liver transplant service at the Queensland Children’s Hospital leading the successful bid with the BCEC.

Brisbane Convention Centre general manager Kym Guesdon

The centre also will host evokeAG 2025, the premier agrifood tech event, in February.

BCEC general manager Kym Guesdon (illustrated) says that with the centre entering its 30th year of operation, there are exciting times ahead as Brisbane unites for the hosting of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

BCEC delivered its second best ever result in the 2023/24 financial year with 110 conferences, including the Convention of Zonta International in June, which brought 1,600 delegates to Brisbane and delivered some 6,000 room nights to city hotels.

Coast to Coast

Sunshine Coast-based law shop Travis Schultz & Partners (TSP) is strengthening its presence on the glitter strip with a new office in Southport as well as an expanded team to meet the growing demand for personal injury legal advice.

TSP managing partner Travis Schultz says the expanded Gold Coast presence is strengthened by the addition of veteran legal eagle Nickelle Morris who joins fellow lawyer Karla Macpherson in the Gold Coast office.

Travis Schultz says the expanding construction sector, along with the Gold Coast’s rising population, has inevitably led to more workplace and road accidents.

Sunshine Coast lawyer Travis Schultz expanding on the Gold Coast.

“Alongside the complexity of insurance schemes, this has driven a substantial rise in demand for our expertise,” Schultz says. “Our decision to expand on the Gold Coast is a direct response to the current market conditions and the heightened demand.”

TSP is now in its seventh year with over 70 staff in Queensland across four offices. The Southport office covers all areas of compensation law, including workers’ compensation, public liability, and motor vehicle Compulsory Third-Party claims.

Tech win

Kudos to local tech whiz Sarah-Jane Peterschlingmann who was named the winner last week of the 2024 ARN Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) in the entrepreneur category. The ATech owner and managing director was among more than 375 nominations for the awards, spanning partner, vendor and distributor businesses around Australia. Starting out as a web developer in 2007, Ms Peterschlingmann has grown Brisbane-based ATech to become a leading cloud hosting and web development company with multimillion dollar revenues.

Originally published as Brisbane cements role as the nation’s convention capital