Exhibitions and events were given centre stage at a forum with Austrade chief executive officer, Bruce Gosper.
The event, organised by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), took place at The Star last night in Sydney.
Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) chief executive Joyce DiMascio was invited to join Austrade’s leader to discuss the opportunities for leveraging trade shows to drive export and economic activity.
DiMascio said the forum was an important opportunity for the EEAA to continue to pitch the power of exhibitions to drive key pillars of the Australian economy through closer collaboration with key Australian government agencies like Austrade and Business Events Australia.
“It was an honour to be on stage with Bruce Gosper and I thank the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for recognising the importance of the opportunities associated with growing the Australian exhibition industry.” she said.
“Bruce Gosper has been a catalyst for change at Austrade and has helped open the door to its services and programs for many EEAA Members. While we still have a long way to go, in recent years we have made good progress as the collaboration between Austrade and the industry grows.
“Our members have been accessing services and participating in overseas missions but we do need more education for the industry about how to navigate the Austrade opportunities.
“In particular, we’d also like to see more assistance from Austrade with identifying buyers, especially in the Asia region, who could attend important trade shows in Australia particularly in the food and agribusiness, energy, advanced manufacturing and also in new industries such as the gaming sector.” she said.
EEAA commended ACCI for creating the opportunity for industry to hear from Bruce Gosper and for recognising the importance of the exhibition sector.
Also on the panel was Australian Federation of Travel Agents CEO, Jayson Westbury. It was facilitated by Steve Whan of ACCI.
