Sydney and NZ take top spots for meetings, events, and conferences

29 May 2023 – New Zealand has taken the top spot as the most popular international destination for meetings, events, and conferences in the 2023 calendar year. Meanwhile, Sydney has leapfrogged Melbourne as the city of choice closer to home, according to new FCM Meetings & Events data.

The United Kingdom, Fiji, Singapore, and Indonesia rounded out the top five in terms of international destinations, with Melbourne slipping into second place for the most popular domestic destination, followed by Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane.

“The first five months of 2023 has already given us an idea of how businesses have changed in terms of meetings, events, and conferences,” said FCM Meetings & Events General Manager, Simone Seiler.

“The most desired destinations have shifted back to previous favourites such as New Zealand, Asia, and the United Kingdom.

“It’s fair to say that the ability for businesses, employees, customers, and prospects to come together was taken for granted pre-pandemic – the passion and engagement I’ve seen since restrictions have been lifted has been very encouraging.

“It’s also telling that rather than cancel meetings and events, corporates looked to alternative destinations and venues last year that went against the norm – it really shows that after being apart for so long, people were desperate to get back to networking in person.

“With restrictions virtually a thing of the past, travellers are feeling more confident and less stressed with the removal of testing and quarantine conditions – that sentiment has flowed through to corporates, and we can see them returning to their ‘old favourites’ Sydney and New Zealand.

“Interestingly, our data shows that the traditional domestic ‘Golden Triangle’ of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane has shifted when it comes to meetings, events, and conferences in 2023 – with Adelaide and Perth flying in ahead of the Sunshine State’s capital.

“With budgets ready and no concerns about interruptions or cancellations, corporates are booking events throughout 2023 and 2024. Significantly more events are being planned for than in 2019, with the true value of in-person interaction coming back into focus by force."