The Perth Convention Bureau has exceeded its annual sales target, by attracting $55.7 million in delegate expenditure for the state's business tourism market in 2006-07, but this was well below the amount attracted in the previous year.
The Perth Convention Bureau has exceeded its annual sales target, by attracting $55.7 million in delegate expenditure for the state's business tourism market in 2006-07, but this was well below the amount attracted in the previous year.
Despite the profit from the Bureau's 68 national and international conventions being above its $55 million annual target, it was unable to match the previous financial year's $72.2 million profits, recorded after the bureau secured two large incentives conferences in the period.
The two groups, representing 3,350 and 3,000 participants respectively, were expected to generate a combined delegate spend of over $14 million.
In an announcement, bureau chairman Graham Muir said the 2006-07 result was a satisfying one in a competitive market.
The news comes after the bureau received an additional $11.9 million from the state government to promote Western Australia as a business travel destination in late March, taking the state's total spend in this area to $17 million over five years, with this input met by a $2.2 million injection from the private sector.
The full text of a Bureau announcement is pasted below
The Perth Convention Bureau exceeded its annual sales target for the 2006-07 financial year, securing meeting and incentive business worth an estimated $55.67 million in delegate expenditure.
This was slightly ahead of its $55.05 target and, according to the Bureau's Executive Chairman Graham Muir, represented an extremely satisfying performance.
"I think we're all aware that each year we're operating in an increasingly competitive market environment, so it's particularly pleasing to exceed our sales target for last year," he added.
The Bureau secured a total of 68 national and international conventions and corporate meetings and incentives, translating into 31,734 delegates.
The Convention Bid Fund, a three year initiative launched in July 2005 with $1 million from the State Government, has been a key factor in attracting larger conferences to WA.
The Government funding is contingent on the private sector also contributing a further $500,000.
Mr Muir said the ability to offer financial support was often the difference between WA winning a conference from other competing destinations.
He said that more than $37 million worth of business had been secured since the CBF was introduced.
"This has been a great boost to our efforts to attract the 500-plus delegate conferences and now we're in the final year of the CBF we expect to comfortably exceed its $50 million target," he added.
"Clearly, the Government and the wider Western Australian community will have received an excellent return on its $1 million investment."
Established in 1972, the Bureau is the peak industry organisation responsible for marketing the State as a business tourism destination.
