Home to industry-leading research and acclaimed event facilities, with a warm and welcoming subtropical climate, impressive accommodation options and a range of must-do attractions and experiences, Brisbane is the ultimate destination for your next business event.
Fuelled by a $25 billion pipeline of city-transforming projects, Brisbane continues to evolve and excite. Here are 10 ways Brisbane offers an unparalleled delegate experience for both business and leisure.
The acclaimed Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre – consistently rated among the world’s top three convention centres – is surrounded by green spaces, rainforest pockets, swimming lagoons, cafes, bars and restaurants, as well as Australia’s largest Gallery of Modern Art, the city’s performing arts centre and museums. This creates extensive opportunities for bespoke delegate networking experiences.
Brisbane Airport has the most domestic connections in Australia, with outstanding international access to Asia, North America and Europe. The 24/7 airport is located just 20 minutes from the city centre. The new parallel runway enables the highest aviation capacity in Australia, with more than 50 million passengers a year forecast by 2040.
Over 21,000 hotel rooms are available in Brisbane, including 26 five-star hotels from leading international and boutique Australian brands, as well as more cost-conscious options. Another four luxury hotels, providing an additional 1,100 hotel rooms will start to come online from August 2024 as part of the Queen's Wharf development.
With a subtropical climate and 240 days of sunshine every year, Brisbane enjoys an alfresco lifestyle focused around the energetic dining and entertainment precincts nestled along the river, all easily accessible on foot by extensive green bridge infrastructure. Brisbane also offers easy access to unique nature experiences, with Moreton Bay’s pristine white sand islands and World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforests on the city’s doorstep.
Queensland’s newest entertainment and leisure destination is taking shape on Brisbane’s river edge, transforming an underutilised part of the city into a breathtaking and vibrant oasis that embraces the region’s enviable outdoor lifestyle. The $3.6 billion precinct features unique event spaces, including a ballroom, a Sky Deck Bar, and a range of unique outdoor activation spaces; 52 new restaurants and bars; one of the world’s finest luxury shopping precincts; and a new pedestrian bridge connecting directly across to the South Bank Cultural Precinct and the Brisbane Convention & and Exhibition Centre.
Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) is the city’s official Convention Bureau, supporting conferences and incentives to create successful and enduring outcomes for organisers. BEDA offers digital assets, marketing support and advice, and enables true collaboration and partnership opportunities, with easy access to industry and business leaders and all levels of government.
As the home of four world-class universities, more than 100 pioneering health and biotech facilities and a strong business and entrepreneurial ecosystem, Brisbane presents a unique chance to access world-class thought leaders and keynote speakers who can bring expert knowledge and global networks to your conference.
Brisbane is Australia’s greenest city, with over 2,180 parks and waterways and over 6,000km of paths, walkways and bikeways running through the city like green arteries. Both South Bank Parklands and nearby Roma Street Parkland have received the Green Flag Award, a global benchmark for the management of green spaces.
Brisbane rolls out the red carpet for conference delegates, with free ferries and bus loops connecting key tourist regions, discounted AirTrain tickets and GoCards, free city tours, and discounts for South Bank Convention Precinct eateries and bars, as well as airport welcome signage and tourism ambassadors.
Brisbane has hosted an impressive array of global business events, including the G20 Leaders’ Summit, World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, Routes Asia, and the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation. From 2022 to 2026, the city is already scheduled to host more than 95 business events, including the Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum, IAS Conference on HIV Science, the Conference for the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, and IUSSP International Population Conference.