Darwin Convention Centre welcomes record delegate numbers in 2018

The Darwin Convention Centre achieved its highest ever delegate numbers in 2018, with event organisers and delegates from across Australia and internationally meeting in Darwin to explore the Top End.

Major events saw the Property Council of Australia (PCA) attract a record-breaking 760 delegates for its annual conference in September 2018, the annual Rural Medicine Australia Conference attracting 450 attendees in October and more than 410 delegates attend leading inbound tourism conference, the 2018 Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) Meeting Place.

The event provided inbound tour operators the opportunity to experience the Top End and enjoy pre and post conference experiences.

Event Coordinator Michelle Cuzens stated “our final count was 775 attendees (for the PCA event), it was a big number in Darwin - one of our biggest."

Cuzens said the common misconceptions about distance and cost for a Darwin business event were a non-issue, adding “we definitely thought about that: Darwin was one of those places we weren’t sure if everyone was going to make the trip.

“But many of our delegates told us they’d never been to Darwin, and in our post-event survey, it was a massive stand out that Darwin is a ‘destination city’. It turned out to be a must-visit, and for our delegates, both the cost and the distance wasn’t an issue.”

For the ATEC event, highlights of the conference included familiarisation programs for buyers to Darwin and surrounds, Kakadu National Park, Arnhem Land, Mary River and the Katherine region.

Commenting on the experience, ATEC Managing Director, Peter Shelley stated “in 2016 we made the decision to move Meeting Place out of its Sydney base, a location where it had been held for 40 years and we can definitely say the move has proved to be highly successful.

“We achieved record attendance with over 410 delegates attending the Darwin conference. We didn’t know what to expect hosting the event in Darwin for the first time, but the facilities were world-class and the experiences were ‘authentically Australian.’

In addition to organisations reaching record numbers, conference organisers are finding Darwin provides the perfect destination for delegates to connect and knowledge share.

For more information go to www.darwinconvention.com.au

Images: Darwin Convention Centre (top) and an excursion in Kakadu National Park (below).