Sunshine Coast prepares for a major revival of the events industry in 2022

Sunshine Coast prepares for a major revival of the events industry in 2022

Following 20 months of disruption in the meetings, incentives and events industry, the Sunshine Coast is preparing for a major revival of the market in 2022.

To kick-start the process, Business Events Sunshine Coast staged a Sunshine Soiree in Brisbane to showcase the region’s best conference and incentive products and update the audience of over 50 delegates on new venues, attractions and activities.

While the Sunshine Coast faced considerable challenges as a result of the pandemic, the region was still able to host a number of major events, including the ‘Aussies’ (the national Surf Life Saving Championships), the Ironman and Noosa Triathlon. Next year, the Sunshine Coast will host the prestigious Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, and booking interest has grown dramatically since the announcement that Queensland’s borders to NSW, Victoria and the ACT would reopen from 17th December.

Visit Sunshine Coast Chief Executive, Matt Stoeckel said the Sunshine Soiree was the perfect opportunity to get meetings and events back on the travel agenda and noted “there’s undoubtedly a huge pent-up demand for conferences meetings and incentives, with a real desire for face-to-face meetings and networking.

“For many of the delegates this was their first opportunity in over a year to attend such a function. It was great to reconnect with everyone and share optimism for the year ahead.

“The event brought to life all that our visitors love about the Sunshine Coast, and provided a great reminder to the delegates of our competitiveness as a business event destination”.  

Sunshine Coast operators participating in Sunshine Soiree included: ACCOR, Alexandra Park Conference Centre, Australia Zoo, Creative Tours & Events, Event X, Kangaroo Bus Lines, Kingfisher Bay Resort Group, Landmark Resort, NightQuarter, Mercure Sunshine Coast Resort, Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort, Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort, People, Plates & Places, Rumba Beach Resort, Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort, Spectacular Events, Spicers Clovelly Estate/Spicers Tamarind Retreat, Splash Events and The Events Centre, Caloundra.

Image top: Sunshine Soiree 2021 The Warehouse; image above: Sunshine Soiree - Katie Tomkins, Iceberg Events, Matt Stoeckel VSC, Jodie Parker, Iceberg Events