Business Events Adelaide has acknowledged the outcome of the COP31 hosting decision, noting that although Adelaide was not selected, the bidding process has already elevated the city’s international profile and strengthened its position as a competitive destination for future global business events. The organisation stated that hosting COP31 would have significantly boosted the city’s global perception and supported efforts to attract major conferences to South Australia.
That said, being a candidate city has raised Adelaide’s profile and encouraged global business event organisers to consider the city as a venue in the future. Over $1 billion worth of business events will be held over the next three years in Adelaide, with a pipeline of more than $3.1 billion in additional opportunities over the next five years that will be strongly pursued.
Business Events Adelaide Chief Executive Officer Damien Kitto said, “Although not directly involved in the bidding process, Business Events Adelaide shares the State Government’s disappointment that COP31 will not be held in Adelaide. Our initial conversations with organisations planning to attend COP – and many others in the sustainability sector – indicated a strong interest in Adelaide as a destination renowned for its environmental credentials. We will continue those conversations, and although the ‘main event’ won’t be in South Australia next year, we hope we have piqued the interest of associated organisations to consider Adelaide in future”.
Business Events Adelaide works over the horizon to fill city hotels and venues, with confirmed high-quality business events stretching well into the future. Having secured record values of business won in each of the last two financial years, Mr Kitto is confident that the organisation can support its members in the long term. “We understand that many hotels and business event venues were restricting confirmed bookings for October and November 2026 in anticipation of a positive outcome to the COP discussion. Now that Adelaide will not be the host city, we have a plan to support these establishments – many of which are Business Events Adelaide members”.
“There are 18 business events valued at over $23 million to be held next spring that are currently being bid for to add to the business already on the books. That said, our forward projections are as strong as ever. As well as confirmed business, there is a pipeline of potential business events valued at more than $3.1 billion, so there is everything to play for as our global profile builds. Whilst COP would have been the icing on the cake, it is ‘business as usual’ for us as a key economic driver for South Australia,” Mr Kitto added.
