50 visitors set to bring over $30m to South Australia

ADELAIDE - The Adelaide Convention Bureau hosted its premiere in-state event over the extended weekend (2-6 August) with 50 business event/conference organisers and media having flown in from interstate and overseas (SE Asia and NZ) to enjoy the best of the best over in terms of what South Australia has to offer potential business visitors to the state.
“This single weekend provided a massive opportunity at both a State and local business level” said Adelaide Convention Bureau CEO Damien Kitto.  “In this, its tenth year we know for a fact that the return on the investment to those involved is massive – the opportunity for local businesses meet with event organisers who have the direct ability to spend a lot of money with them –let alone the value to the state of being able to showcase what we have to offer to the calibre of these visitors is priceless” he said.
The guests arrived from their respective home cities on Friday and were immediately immersed in the best of Adelaide with a welcome afternoon tea at the Hilton, central market tours and major city hotel inspections followed by dinner split between three of the city’s top restaurants The Shiki, Rigonis and Jolley’s Boathouse.
Saturday morning saw an early start with one group heading off for a weekend in Australia’s most iconic wine region the Barossa Valley where they indulged in some of the finest hospitality – thanks to Saskia Beer, tasted centenary old ports at Seppletsfield  and enjoyed wine tasting, blending and matching activities at Chateau Tanunda, Jacobs Creek and Hentley Farm and Artisans.  An early Sunday morning flying fox ride across the Jacobs Creek property got the blood pumping and offered up material for plenty of stories upon the return home!!
A second group enjoyed the finest offerings the Hills and McLaren Vale wine regions had to offer with cooking experiences at the famous Chapel Hill winery and cooking school, wine tasting and painting experiences at Wirra Wirra followed by a degustation experience at Mt Lofty House.  A Sunday cruise through the hills in Mustang cars to Longview Wines via Hahndorf, Nepenthe wines and Shaw & Smith wines caped off the weekend nicely.
A Sunday night reception on the Riverbank adjacent the Adelaide Convention Centre gave guests the opportunity to be updated on the development area – from the RAH and SAHMRI to the Convention Centre itself, the future plans for the casino, Festival Centre Plaza and of course the footbridge over the River Torrens and  Adelaide Oval. 
Whilst The Adelaide Convention Bureau has been highlighting the city’s investment in infrastructure in this area for some time, Destination SA 2013 has been the first real opportunity to see many of the developments being close to completion.
Monday saw a full day of the all important one on one relationship building meetings scheduled as well as a lunchtime presentation of the Adelaide Convention Bureau’s new digital platform.
The final event of the full weekend was a gala dinner on Monday night held at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre featuring a spectacular programme of entertainment as guests prepared to farewell each other sated in the knowledge they’ve just spent a weekend in one of the most liveable and easy cities in which to conduct business whilst being assured their guests will be well catered for upon their arrival in the future.

Sourced: TravelDialyNews