Suppliers With the conference market still not fully recovered, the group has focussed on other avenues for growth. “Going into 2021, we have a huge number of bookings from schools looking at developing leadership qualities for the student cohorts,” he says. “We have also seen South Australian organisations and fully independent domestic tourists explore local opportunities for adventurebased learning and outdoor recreation.”
Supporting the supply chain
The BlackTies magicians
As in-person events get back underway, suppliers are encouraging event organisers to think local and support the businesses around them where they can. Watson hopes the move to smaller, localised events will provide a much-needed boost to the sector. “With overseas travel restrictions still in place we feel there may be more opportunities in the local market,” he says. “We've seen a few events with bigger corporates doing simultaneous theming in three locations like Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and then video linking them. So that’s an opportunity; there's more people thinking about supporting local suppliers.”