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© University of Technology, Sydney
The School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism
has prepared this report in accordance with
the project purpose outlined in the Research
Agreement dated September 2010.
The methodology adopted and sources
of information used by the authors
are outlined in this report. While all
care and diligence has been exercised
in the preparation of this report, the
authors assume no responsibility for any
inaccuracies or omissions. No indications
were found during our investigations that
information contained in this report as
provided is false.
This report was prepared between
December 2010 and July 2011 and is
based on the conditions encountered
and information reviewed at the time of
preparation. This report should be read in
full. No responsibility is accepted for use of
any part of this report in any other context
or for any other purpose or by third parties.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported and funded
by Business Events Sydney. The views
expressed herein are those of the
authors and are not necessarily those of
Business Events Sydney. The authors are
very appreciative of the assistance and
contribution provided by Business Events
Sydney. In particular, sincere thanks go to
Lyn Lewis-Smith, Acting CEO Business
Events Sydney, and Ian Stuart, Business
Events Consultant Business Events Sydney.
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 III
Foreword Business events come in many shapes...
conferences, conventions, meetings,
seminars, summits, exhibitions, training
and recognition and incentive programs.
Their significance and contribution to
the growth of the local economy and
community cannot be underestimated.
At world conferences hosted by
professional associations ideas are
generated, discussed and debated.
Knowledge and new research findings
are presented, collaboration is fostered,
investment is stimulated; networks are
consolidated, initiated and expanded.
Arguments are put and refuted: sparks
fly. And out of this crucible comes the
creativity and the innovation that helps
distinguish world-leading cities from the
runners up.
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) is at
the forefront in seeking to measure not just
the immediate tourism benefits of business
events but the longer lasting social legacies
as well. To ensure that business events
succeed in attracting serious and senior
level attention within government, industry
and academia, BESydney commissioned
researchers at University of Technology,
Sydney (UTS) to investigate and document
the legacies.
The first report A scoping study of
business events: Beyond tourism benefits
was published in May 2010. Reaction to
this locally and internationally was very
positive, leading to this second study
measuring the social legacies of business
events. The same questions and research
methodology are soon to be adopted
by other leading global cities, Sydney’s
partners in the Future Convention Cities
Initiative: Abu Dhabi, Durban, London,
San Francisco, Seoul and Toronto.
BESydney is a not-for-profit partnership
between the New South Wales
Government and more than 200 leading
tourism attractions, venues, event
suppliers and congress organisers. The
role of BESydney is to identify new event
opportunities and to compete through
a professional bid process to win these
events for Sydney and New South Wales.
Lyn Lewis-Smith
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Business Events Sydney
IV Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Table of contents
Foreword III
Table of contents IV
Tables V
Graphs V
Figures VI
Appendices VI
Executive summary VII
1. Introduction 1
2. Methodology 3
2.1 Instrument 3
2.2 Administration 3
2.3 Sampling error 4
3. Findings and discussion 5
3.1 Respondent characteristics 5
3.2 Exhibitors and sponsors 8
3.2.1 Reason for exhibiting/sponsoring the congress 8
3.2.2 Investment opportunities 10
3.2.3 Exhibitor and sponsor expenditure 11
3.3 Delegates 12
3.3.1 General benefits and outcomes arising from the congresses 13
3.3.2 Individual benefits and outcomes 16
3.3.3 Benefits and outcomes to the host destination 20
3.3.4 How delegates used the benefits and outcomes they gained 23
3.3.5 How delegates shared information and knowledge they gained 25
3.4 General questions 26
3.4.1 Destination reputation 27
3.4.2 When the benefits and outcomes from the congress occurred 27
3.5 Summary 28
4. Conclusion 32
5. Appendices 33
6. References 46
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 V
Tables Graphs
Table 1: Benefit and outcome legacies arising from
business events VIII
Table 2.1: List of congresses surveyed 3
Table 2.2: Breakdown of responses by congress
and role (n=1090) 4
Table 3.1: Gender by congress 5
Table 3.2: Intent versus achievement
of attendance objectives (n=59) 9
Table 3.3: Did you gain any investment opportunities
within… (n=27) 10
Table 3.4: Investment gained (n=27) 10
Table 3.5: Exhibitor and sponsor expenditure (n=25): 12
Table 3.6: Significant differences between attendee
characteristics and general benefit and
outcome variables 15
Table 3.7: Individual benefits and outcomes gained
by congress attended (n=1025) 17
Table 3.8: Significant differences between attendee
characteristics and individual benefit and
outcome variables 18
Table 3.9: Significant differences between attendee
characteristics and host destination
benefits and outcomes 21
Table 3.10: Significant differences between attendee
characteristics and how individuals used
benefits and outcomes variables 24
Table 3.11: Benefit and outcome legacies arising from
business events 29
Graph 3.1: Respondent age group (n=1090) 5
Graph 3.2: Where was your usual place of residence
at the time you attended this congress?
(Australian residents, n=504) 6
Graph 3.3: Overall composition of respondent place
of residence, by region (n=1,090) 7
Graph 3.4: At the time of your congress, for how
many years had you worked in your main
occupation? (n=1090) 7
Graph 3.5: At the time of the congress, where was
your organisation headquartered? (n=59) 8
Graph 3.6: My organisation exhibited or sponsored at
this congress to (n=59) 8
Graph 3.7: As a result of exhibiting at this congress,
my organisation (n=59): 9
Graph 3.8: Number of nights spent in destination by
exhibitor and sponsor attendees who
come from outside the destination (n=27) 11
Graph 3.9: General benefits and outcomes arising
from the congress (n=1031) 13
Graph 3.10: Individual benefits and outcomes gained
from attending the congress (n=1031) 16
Graph 3.11: Please tell us about any other benefits and
outcomes you may have gained from
attending this congress?
(Unprompted, n=305) 19
Graph 3.12: Benefits and outcomes to the host
destination (n=1031) 20
Graph 3.13: How delegates used the benefits and
outcomes they gained (n=1073) 23
Graph 3.14: How individuals shared information and
knowledge gained from the congress
(n=1031) 25
Graph 3.15: Please comment briefly on your response
(Unprompted) 26
Graph 3.16: When the benefits and outcomes from the
congress occurred (n=988, multiple
responses allowed) 27
VI Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Figures Appendices
Figure 1: Business event legacies beyond tourism
benefits 2
Appendix 1: How sampling error varies with sample
and population size 33
Appendix 2: Age summary, by congress (n=1090) 34
Appendix 3: Breakdown by role at congress and
respondent characteristics (n=1025) 34
Appendix 4: Domestic breakdown by place of
residence and respondent characteristics
(Australian residents, n=504) 34
Appendix 5: Breakdown by country of origin and
respondent characteristics (International
residents, n=585) 35
Appendix 6: Years worked in main occupation, by
congress (n=1090) 35
Appendix 7: General benefits and outcomes gained,
by congress (n=1031) 36
Appendix 8: Significant differences for general
benefits and outcomes by respondent
characteristics (n=973) 37
Appendix 9: Significant differences for individual
benefits and outcomes gained by
respondent characteristics (n=1031) 38
Appendix 10: Breakdown of benefits and outcomes to
the host destination, by congress (n=1031) 39
Appendix 11: Significant differences for benefits
and outcomes to the host destination by
respondent characteristics (n=973) 41
Appendix 12: Breakdown of how individuals used the
benefits and outcomes gained from each
congress, by congress (n=1025) 43
Appendix 13: Significant differences for how
individuals used the benefits and
outcomes they gained by respondent
characteristics (n=988) 44
Appendix 14: How individuals shared information and
knowledge gained, by congress (n=1031,
multiple responses allowed) 44
Appendix 15 How individuals shared information and
knowledge gained from attending the
congress by respondent characteristics
(n=973, multiple response allowed) 45
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 VII
Executive summary
The Beyond Tourism Benefits – Measuring
the social legacies of business events
study was conducted by University of
Technology, Sydney Business: Leisure,
Sport and Tourism. It was commissioned
on behalf of and with the co-operation
of Business Events Sydney (BESydney).
The study was an online survey of 1090
attendees – comprising delegates,
sponsors, exhibitors and members
of the organising committee – to five
international congresses held in Sydney
between 2009 and 2011.
Through a robust and rigorous
methodology the findings are
representative of the survey population
– in this case being attendees at the
five congresses surveyed – and clearly
demonstrate a direct connection between
the staging of business events and a range
of benefits and outcomes for delegates,
sponsors, exhibitors and the destination.
Findings
Exhibitors and sponsors make a
significant economic contribution to the
host destination, spending on average
$16,238 per respondent. They also realise
significant investment opportunities,
receiving investments that range from
$1500 to >$10m. Additionally they report
realising business-related opportunities
such as increased product exposure
and awareness, new leads, improved
organisational profile, access to target
markets and improving their brand.
Business events assist communication
that promotes the effective diffusion
of knowledge. Over 90 per cent
of respondents believe that these
congresses have facilitated the
dissemination of new knowledge, ideas,
techniques, materials, and technologies
by providing Sydney/New South Wales
(NSW) based educators, practitioners and
researchers with access to a network of
international colleagues. This networking
affords local delegates with new business
and research collaborations, which can
generate innovation, ideas and research
agendas for many years to come.
Significantly, for the continued health
and growth of each sector, attendance at
these business events has delivered these
benefits to emerging leaders, including
Australian postgraduate research students.
Business events provide a supporting
platform from which the growth of
intercultural understandings and
international friendships can occur. It is
this understanding that contributes to
Australia’s capacity for success in global
markets in business and education.
International delegates are exposed to
local knowledge, research capacity, sites
and facilities – all of which increase the
attractiveness of Sydney’s education
sector. Growth in this sector has wider
benefits for increasing the future capacity
of NSW in the various sectors.
Sydney’s capacities are showcased
through the staging of international
business events, putting the destination
‘on the map’, fostering Sydney’s reputation
as a place of highly skilled, capable, world
leading researchers. Eighty-seven percent
of respondents agree that successful
hosting of the events has enhanced
Sydney’s reputation as a global business
events destination.
Congress attendees are not a
homogenous group. Significant differences
were identified between: males and
females; younger age groups and older
age groups; delegates with less than 5
years experience in the field and those
with greater experience; academics
and practitioners; and international and
domestic delegates.
Business events are shared social
contexts that take people away from their
established routines. Through this social
context the sharing of knowledge and
ideas occurs and common meanings are
developed through their interactions. It
is not surprising then that this research
has found a direct connection between
the staging of business events and an
extensive range of benefits and outcomes
beyond the tourism spend. These benefits
and outcomes can be considered as
leaving legacies in five different areas:
intrinsic, practice, social, economic and
attitudinal (Table 1).
As indicated in Table 1, the legacies of
these benefits and outcomes are not
mutually exclusive – one benefit and
outcome may have multiple legacies.
Intrinsic legacies are the opportunities
afforded by congresses to delegates
to develop their knowledge, skills and
practises to fulfill part of their potential to
work within the chosen industry sector.
The ability to express and share in a
collaborative environment their knowledge,
skills and practises to the extent that
they have already been developed is an
additional benefit.
Practice legacies result from the skills and
knowledge that delegates gain – such as
learning new insights, surgical techniques,
sharing new ideas and identifying solutions
to solving problems – being directly
integrated into their professional practices
and organisations.
Social legacies represent the camaraderie
that develops around the congress,
the appeal of engaging with other like-
minded people, the relationships that are
enhanced and developed and the broader
benefits that accrue to the communities
in which the congress is held. Business
events develop a social space that is
important as it facilitates and reinforces
social interaction and, in turn, influences
the effectiveness of collaborative learning.
Economic legacies are realised for three
reasons. First, social networks affect
the flow and the quality of information.
Moving in different circles from one’s
own group connects people to a wider
world. Therefore any new acquaintances
can be better sources when we need
to go beyond what our own group
knows. Second, trust is built as people
come to know and understand others.
As information is often subtle, nuanced
and difficult to verify, people will rely on
people they know. Congresses are intense
periods during which social interaction
is fostered, resulting in benefits and
outcomes that have both intangible
and tangible economic effects such as
dissemination of new knowledge, building
knowledge and capabilities, improved
workforce practices, better education, new
investments, enhanced funding and better
industry sector policies.
Attitudinal legacies arise from the
reactions of delegates through their
experiences at the congress, and from
governments, the private sector and
other individuals who become aware of
important issues that are communicated
through the international and local media.
VIII Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
General benefits and outcomes Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Exposed delegates to new insights, knowledge
and ideas • • •
Fostered networking to bring people together to
share new knowledge and ideas •
Focused on the latest research and its practical
applications •
Led to the dissemination of new knowledge,
techniques, materials and/or technology to the
professional sector
• •
Contributed to building the knowledge and
capabilities of young people working in the sector • • •
Contributed to building the knowledge and
capabilities of graduates who enter the field •
Contributed to improving the quality of education
in the field •
Led to networking that resulted in the generation
of ideas that drive future research agendas •
Enabled the international community to focus its
attention on global issues and challenges •
Acted as a catalyst for research collaborations • •
Resulted in the creation of business relationships •
Resulted in research collaborations that have
led to the development of new products and
technologies
•
Individual benefits and outcomes gained Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Opportunities to share knowledge • •
New knowledge and ideas that have enhanced my
professional practice • •
Affirmation of my current research and/or practice • •
New contacts •
A global perspective • •
A renewed sense of purpose • •
New knowledge and ideas that have enhanced my
teaching • •
New knowledge and ideas that have enhanced my
research • •
Opportunities for career advancement •
Opportunities for research collaboration •
Opportunities for business collaboration • •
Table 1_Benefit and outcome legacies arising from business events
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 IX
Benefits and outcomes to the host destination Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Facilitated networking opportunities for local
delegates •
Exposed local delegates in the congress
destination to cutting edge research and world’s
best practice
•
Enhanced the capacity of the professional sector
in the congress destination • •
Showcased local talent from the congress
destination •
Raised the profile of participating local
organisations, associations, and/or centres from
the congress destination
•
Resulted in the implementation of new
knowledge, techniques or materials into
professional practice in the congress destination
•
Enhanced the capacity of the academic sector in
the congress destination • •
Implementation of new knowledge, techniques
or materials into professional practice that have
improved outcomes for the community in the
congress destination
•••
Provided research and networking opportunities
for local postgraduate research students from the
congress destination
• •
Increased the attractiveness of the education
sector in the congress destination for academics
and students outside the congress destination
•
Enhanced the reputation of the congress
destination as capable of driving social change and
action
• •
Raised awareness of broader issues at the
congress destination • •
Raised both public and government awareness of
sector-specific issues in the congress destination •
Received local and international media coverage
that reflected positively on the congress
destination
•
Provided opportunities for local organisations,
associations, and/or centres from the congress
destination to access funding support from
government and/or the private sector
•
Resulted in expressions of support for the sector
from government representatives in the congress
destination
•
How individuals used benefits and outcomes Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Shared information gained with colleagues and
peers •
Applied new insights to professional practice •
Shared information gained with students •
Formed or strengthened collaborations with
researchers and/or practitioners from the
congress destination
•
Formed new collaborations with international
researchers and/or practitioners •
Strengthened advocacy and/or policy work • •
Refined existing research •
Applied new insights to research programs •
Undertaken new research •
X Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
The study has identified a ‘long-tail’
effect. The long tail suggests that more
needs to be known about the benefits and
outcomes which occur more than a year
after a congress is held to understand their
full impacts.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations arise from
this research.
1. Leveraging benefits and
outcomes – There is scope for
convention bureaux, national
associations and event organisers
to better leverage the benefits and
outcomes of business events. The
knowledge contained in this report
can be used by stakeholders to set
objectives and plan congresses
that provide opportunities for
a range of attendee needs. For
example, local delegates can be
prepared to better leverage global
collaborative opportunities.
2. Innovation and product
development – Innovation lies
at the heart of every successful
industry sector. Successful
innovation relies on collaboration
between researchers, practitioners
and investors. Congress organisers
can contribute to successful
innovation by improving the
dialogue between exhibitors and
sponsors and other business event
delegates.
3. Educating national associations
– BESydney can use the results
to educate local and national
associations about the full range
of benefits of hosting congresses
in Sydney and NSW with an aim
to encourage an increase in the
number of major business events
being held.
Congresses should be evaluated
not only for the financial return on
investment but also the beyond
tourism benefits. The development
of goal setting and evaluation
templates that reflect beyond
tourism benefits can assist national
associations to clarify business
event objectives and measure the
full range of event legacies.
4. Further research – This survey can
be used to monitor the ongoing
performance of business events
in Sydney. Repeating Stage 2
over regular periods will facilitate
comparisons, identify changes and
provide a deeper understanding
of the dynamic processes that
underlie the benefits and outcomes
that accrue from business events.
Such information will be useful for
a variety of stakeholders including
government, industry, national
and international associations,
sponsors, exhibitors and delegates.
Further research is required to
better understand the long tail of
business events legacies and the
full extent of their impact.
The research lends itself to a
global study that can compare and
build the international case and
discourse on the significance of
business events legacies beyond
tourism benefits.
5. Planning future events – Business
event organisers and national
association representatives can
use the information contained in
this report in a variety of ways,
from marketing to goal setting
and to leading change. For
example, promotional material
targeting international delegates
might focus on opportunities for
career advancement, research
collaboration, knowledge sharing,
making new contacts and gaining
new knowledge and ideas that
enhance their research.
To enhance outcomes for local
delegates, organisers might
develop strategies to increase
local delegate awareness of the
opportunities in these same areas.
The evidence presented in this report
indicates that business events are
equipping the Australian workforce
with skills, cutting-edge knowledge,
global networks and collaborative
projects to drive innovation.
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 1
Government and industry are aware that
the full value of the business event sector
needs to be established. To date, the
business event sector has been evaluated
primarily on its contributions to the tourism
sector. The tourism contributions have
been impressive in themselves; however,
the narrow focus has failed to account for
a more extensive set of contributions to
economies and communities.
The briefing paper by the Joint Meetings
Industry Council (2008) identified a wide
range of business event benefits such
as enhancing professional development,
generating new forms of technology,
promoting cultural exchange, and
attracting investment from influential
visitors. Subsequently other industry
reports (Teulan, 2010; Jago & Deery, 2010;
The Business Events Industry Strategy
Group, 2008) have offered evidenced
based examples of the benefits that
business events can bring, however
no peer-reviewed, academic literature
appears to exist in this area. In the New
South Wales context, data from Business
Events Sydney (2009) provided a number
of examples of the broader contributions
beyond the tourism spend made by
business events hosted in Sydney during
the period 2002–2008.
This activity has been in response
to the current status of the business
events industry. Australia’s international
business events performance has been
decreasing in recent years and Australia
has been losing market share (Business
Events Council of Australia, 2010) as
a result of an increasingly competitive
environment in part fuelled by a growth
in large convention and exhibition spaces
nationally and internationally. At BECA’s
2009 Business Events Summit, there
was a call for a new paradigm to respond
to the changing environment, one which
considered the positive impact of business
events beyond the direct tourism spend.
The post-summit report called for more
evidence-based information to be gathered
to provide a richer understanding of the full
potential of business events (BECA, 2009b).
Examining the benefits and outcomes
of business event beyond the traditional
tourism parameters allows a more
extensive understanding of business
events and their contributions. Such an
examination can also provide knowledge
to direct marketing strategies, encourage
public and private investment, support
policy development and enable planning
for growth.
Furthermore, the knowledge can be
used to educate national associations
on the benefits and opportunities of
hosting business events with an aim to
encourage an increase in the number
of major business events being held.
Such a strategy has the added benefit of
growing the national and global business
events market and reducing the focus
on competition. Driving demand is vital
to the ongoing sustainability of the
business events sector both nationally and
internationally. In the absence of a focus
on increasing demand, the business event
sector within Australia must continue to
compete for a limited market.
To address the need to understand the
benefits of business events beyond the
tourism spend there has been a flurry of
simultaneous activity with a small number
of studies beginning to explore the broader
value of business events using a range
of methods (Foley, Schlenker & Edwards,
2010; Jago & Deery, 2010, 2011; Business
Events Council of Australia, 2010; Business
Events Council of Australia, 2009a;
Business Events Council of Australia,
2009b; The Business Events Industry
Strategy Group, 2008).
In 2010, BESydney, the organisation
responsible for identifying and delivering
congresses, events, meetings and
incentives to Australia’s largest city,
commissioned UTS to conduct inaugural
research into the range and impact of
contributions made by business events,
beyond the tourism dimension (Foley,
Schlenker & Edwards, 2010). As little was
empirically known Foley et al. (2010) decided
to adopt a two stage approach – “grounded
theory” and quantitative assessment.
1_
Introduction
2 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Stage 1
Grounded theory is an “inductive theory discovery methodology
that allows the researcher to develop a theoretical account of the
general features of the topic while simultaneously grounding the
account in empirical observations of data” (Martin & Turner, 1986,
p. 141). Grounded theory is particularly useful for examining social
interactional processes in a specific context. In this case the
benefits and outcomes realised from attending a business event.
Using the grounded theory approach A scoping study of business
events: Beyond tourism benefits (2010) established that the
benefits derived from business events extend well beyond the
tourism contribution. The range of legacies identified in this study
is presented in Figure 1.
Stage 2
Beyond Tourism Benefits – Measuring the social legacies of
business events – represents Stage 2 of this project. Stage 2 was
commissioned on behalf and with the co-operation of Business
Events Sydney (BESydney). The purpose of Stage 2 was to verify
and extend the findings of Stage 1 through the quantitative
assessment of the legacies identified in Stage 1. An online survey
instrument was developed for this purpose. The instrument
measures the legacies identified in the 2010 study as well as the
investment opportunities generated by business events.
Knowledge expansion
•Growing local knowledge
•Knowledge improving education
•Knowledge improving professional practice
Networking, relationships and collaboration
•Access to networking opportunities for local practitioners and
researchers
•Networking fosters creation of long-term relationships
•Networking as a catalyst for knowledge expansion and research
development
•Networking as a catalyst for research collaborations
•Research collaborations lead to development of new products and
technologies
Educational outcomes
•Opportunities for local postgraduate research students
•Increased attractiveness of education sector
Fundraising and future research capacity
•Fundraising opportunities
•Greater access to government and/or private sector funding sources
Raising awareness and profiling
•Generating awareness of sector-specific issues
•Raising awareness of broader societal issues
•Profiling local organisations, associations, and/or centres
•A catalyst for government support
Showcasing and destination reputation
•Showcasing local talent
•Enhancing Sydney’s reputation as a leader
Figure 1_Business event legacies beyond tourism benefits
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 3
Table 2.1_List of congresses surveyed*
2_
Methodology
Data collection method for this study
was an online survey distributed to
the membership base of five national
congresses held in Sydney between
January 2009 and April 2011: the HUPO
9th Annual World Congress 2010; the 12th
World Congress of the World Federation for
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology 2009;
the 7th International Orthodontics Congress
2010; the Asia Pacific Ophthalmology
Congress 2011 and the FIG Congress 2010.
2.1 Instrument
The survey instrument extends the work
conducted in Stage 1. The survey was
compiled by the UTS project team in
consultation with BESydney. The survey
has three main sections.
Section one examines the reasons
why exhibitors and sponsors support
congresses and the estimated investment
they may have received as a result of their
support.
In section two the benefits and outcomes
identified in Stage 1 were drafted into
attribute items and grouped under the
following questions:
• generalbenetsandoutcomes
• individualbenetsandoutcomes
gained
• hostdestinationbenetsand
outcomes
• howindividualsusedbenetsand
outcomes gained
• howindividualsharedbenetsand
outcomes gained.
Section three asked some general
questions about the occurrence of benefits
and outcomes, Sydney as a world-class
congress destination, respondents’
overall satisfaction and basic demographic
questions.
The survey was piloted for clarity, length
etc. in March 2011, with 20 responses
being received (these were subsequently
excluded from the final sample). Minor
amendments were made to the final
version of the survey.
2.2 Administration
The survey was an online poll of
approximately 13,200 attendees –
comprising delegates, sponsors, exhibitors
and members of the organising committee
– to five international congresses held in
Sydney over the past two years (Table 2.1).
A survey link, embedded into an
introductory email, was distributed
by BESydney to attendees of the five
congresses progressively from Wednesday
30 March 2011.
As an incentive for response, respondents
had the chance to win prizes including a
return QANTAS airfare from any domestic
or international port to Sydney, and an
Apple iPad. Surveying closed on Friday 13
May 2011. By this deadline 1441 surveys
had been commenced. Of these 1090
were deemed valid, in that they had been
completed to the demographic section or
beyond. Some respondents chose not to
identify themselves, however this did not
invalidate their response.
Congress Date Attendees
(approx*)
Duration (including pre and
post event activities)
12th World Congress of the World Federation for Ultrasound in
Medicine and Biology Aug/Sept 2009 1400a5 days
7th International Orthodontics Congress 2010 February 2010 3600b4 days
FIG (International Federation of Surveyors) Congress 2010 April 2010 2200b8 days
HUPO 9th Annual World Congress 2010 September 2010 994a5 days
Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology 2011 March 2011 5006a5 days
aActual number distributed excluding bounce backs; bAttendee estimates taken from individual congress websites
4 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
1 Based on the estimate by each congress of its attendee numbers: see Table 1
2 While all attendees had the opportunity to complete a sur vey, results are reliant on those who chose to do so rather than those who had been randomly selected to
participate. Those who chose to take part may or may not be representative of congress delegates as a whole.
Table 2.2 displays the distribution of valid responses by congress and role. The highest percentage of respondents came from the
Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (27 per cent), followed by the FIG Congress 2010 (23 per cent), 7th International Orthodontics
Congress (22 per cent), 12th World Congress of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (17 per cent) and the HUPO
9th Annual World Congress 2010 (11 per cent).
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress
2010
HUPO 9th
Annual World
Congress 2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
Total
Member of
the organising
committee
14 22 11 7 4 58
7.4% 9.2% 4.4% 6.0% 1.4% 5.3%
Delegate -
academic
59 52 77 90 119 399
31% 21.8% 31.0% 76.9% 40.5% 36.6%
Delegate -
practitioner
112 152 138 9163 5 74
59% 63.9% 55.6% 7.7% 55.4% 52.7%
Sponsor 003138
0% 0% 1.2% 0.9% 1.0% 0.7%
Exhibitor 512 19 10 5 51
2.6% 5.0% 7.7% 8.5% 1.7% 4.7%
Total 190 238 248 11 7 294 1090
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Due to the nature of the survey, not all respondents answered
every question. The number of respondents answering each
question is marked as “n = XXX” in the graph accompanying that
question. Caution should be taken in analysing some questions
due to the small sample size.
Survey data were analysed in SPSS. Using independent sample
T-Test and ANOVA, the data was analysed for any significant
differences between agreement scores in terms of age, gender,
years of employment, delegate or practitioner role and origin.
Statistical significance is based on SPSS-calculated independent
sample t-scores or analysis of variation (ANOVA) calculations. In
statistical terms, differences termed “significant” are considered
unlikely to have been caused by chance alone. Tables that
summarise significant differences between gender, age, length of
employment, delegate role and origin are included where relevant.
Content analysis was used to analyse responses to open-ended
questions.
2.3 Sampling error
For a sample of 1090 congress attendees (out of an estimated
survey population of approximately 13,200)1, random sampling
error would be +/- 2.9 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence
level. This effectively means that were the survey to be repeated
20 times, results should be representative of the overall survey
population to within +/- 2.9 per cent in 19 of those 20 surveys.
Sampling error rises with lower sample sizes, hence care needs
to be taken in interpreting sub-groups within the overall survey
sample (Appendix 1).
Finally, it is important to acknowledge that the online
methodology used for this survey, being self-selecting (i.e.
“opt-in”) in nature2, is not strictly considered random. In a self-
selecting sample it is difficult to assess the presence of bias i.e.
whether the opinions or characteristics of the participants deviate
from those of the target population. Participants may differ
from the rest of the target population, e.g. those who take part
may have a strong opinion about the subject matter and hence
complete the survey.
However, there is no evidence in either the quantitative or
qualitative data that such bias exists in this survey, nor that the
overall results have been affected by any special interest groups.
We believe that in this instance, the robust sample size makes
the survey findings effectively representative of the survey
population – in this case being attendees at the five congresses
surveyed.
Table 2.2_Breakdown of responses by congress and role (n=1090)
N.B table excludes three respondents who attended multiple conferences
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 5
3_
Findings and
discussion
This section presents the aggregate data
for the five congresses. Firstly, respondent
characteristics are presented, followed by
the findings for exhibitors and sponsors.
The findings for general delegates are
presented next and, where applicable, a
breakdown by academic and practitioner
responses. The final section reports on the
general questions asked in section three
of the survey.
3.1 Respondent characteristics
63 per cent of attendees were male and
37 per cent were female. While there
were significant differences between the
congresses, females made up 59 per
cent of respondents from the Ultrasound
congress, while males accounted for
almost 90 per cent of FIG respondents
(Table 3.1).
Age distribution (Graph 3.1) was skewed
slightly towards older delegates, with 42
per cent of all respondents aged 50-plus.
However, as with gender, this varied
significantly between congresses. Almost
six in ten FIG attendees were aged 50 or
more, compared with just 16 per cent of
HUPO respondents (Appendix 2).
53 per cent attended their congress as
practitioner delegates, while academic
delegates comprised a further 37 per
cent. The exception is the HUPO World
Congress, to where 77 per cent of
respondents were academic delegates.
Organising committee members made up
5 per cent of the sample, with exhibitors
and sponsors comprising the balance.
A detailed breakdown of attendees’ role at
the congress by attendee characteristics
can be found in Appendix 3. Overall,
academic delegates were more likely to
be international in origin, in the 18 - 34 age
group and employed less than five years.
Practitioner delegates were more likely
to be domestic in origin, in the 50+ age
group and employed for more than five
years.
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation for
Ultrasound 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific Academy
of Ophthalmology
2011
Male 41% 64% 88% 73% 52%
Female 59% 36% 12% 27% 48%
Table 3.1_Gender by congress
Graph 3.1_Respondent age group (n=1090)
6 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
The split of domestic and
international delegates was
relatively even, with 46 per cent of
respondents based in Australia at the
time of their congress, and 54 per
cent visiting from other countries. Of
the domestic attendees, 56 per cent
came from New South Wales or the
ACT, with Victoria and Queensland
accounting for 16 and 14 per cent
respectively.
Six per cent were from Western
Australia, six from South Australia/
NT, and the balance from Tasmania
(Graph 3.2). A high attendance
(geographically and financially)
by local delegates can lead to
a concentration of benefits and
outcomes for the host destination.
Respondent breakdown by place
of residence and respondent
characteristics can be found in
Appendix 4.
Tasmania 2%
Western Australia 6%
South Australia 6%
Queensland 14%
Victoria 16%
NSW/ACT 56%
Graph 3.2_
Where was your usual place
of residence at the time you
attended this congress?
(Australian residents, n=504)
6 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 7
The diversity of international delegates
is highlighted in Graph 3.3, which breaks
down respondents’ place of residence
by region. While New Zealand, the USA
and UK made up the largest proportion
of overseas delegates, even these three
countries combined, comprised only a
quarter of all overseas-based attendees
(Appendix 5).
Two-thirds of respondents had worked
in their main occupation for ten years or
more (Graph 3.4). Just 16 per cent had
worked in their main occupation for five
years or less.
Again the exception to this was HUPO,
where just 30 per cent of respondents had
worked in the human proteome field for
ten years or more. This almost certainly
reflects the younger age demographic
of this congress, together (presumably)
with the relatively recent existence
of proteomes as a field of study. See
Appendix 5 for more detailed breakdowns
of survey respondents.
Graph 3.4_
At the time of your congress,
for how many years had you
worked in your main
occupation? (n=1090)
Graph 3.3_
Overall composition of
respondent place of residence,
by region (n=1,090)
Aus/NZ/Pacific 54%
Greater than 10 years 67%
Africa 2%
Less than 2 years 5%
Asia/
Middle East 19%
Europe 17%
Central/South America 8%
2-5 years 11%
5-10 years 17%
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 7
8 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
3.2 Exhibitors and sponsors
Due to the low number of sponsor
respondents, the exhibitor and sponsor
data has been aggregated. Fifty-nine
exhibitors and sponsors completed the
online questionnaire. Fifty-four per cent of
exhibitors and sponsors lived in Sydney at
the time of the congress, 29 per cent lived
overseas, 9 per cent lived in other NSW
and 8 per cent lived in other Australia.
Fifty-three percent of exhibiting
and sponsoring organisations were
headquartered overseas (Graph 3.5).
Of the local exhibitors and sponsors
headquartered in Australia, 27 per cent
were from Sydney, 8 per cent were from
New South Wales (NSW) and 12 per cent
were from the rest of Australia.
3.2.1 Reason for exhibiting/
sponsoring the congress
Graph 3.6 summarises the intent of
59 exhibitors and sponsors at the
five congresses. Major objectives for
supporting their congress included
gaining product exposure and awareness,
networking with clients and key industry
figures and gaining leads (all 90 per cent),
raising the organisation’s profile (88 per
cent), improving brand awareness (78 per
cent), reaching an identified target market
(76 per cent), increasing the recognition
of the organisation as a contributor to the
community (75 per cent) and contributing
to the development of the sector (73 per
cent).
Exhibitor and sponsor success in achieving
these objectives is shown in Graph 3.7.
Major achievements included networking
with clients and key industry figures
(85 per cent), obtaining leads for future
business (80 per cent), improving brand
awareness (74 per cent) and raising the
organisation’s profile amongst delegates
and peers (71 per cent).
Graph 3.5_
At the time of the congress,
where was your organisation
headquartered? (n=59)
Graph 3.6_
My organisation exhibited or
sponsored at this congress to (n=59)
Overseas 53%
Sydney 27%
Other Australia 12% Other NSW 8%
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 9
Table 3.2 compares exhibitor and sponsor
objectives with stated achievements.
The success ratio is presented in column
four. Overall, the majority of sponsors
were satisfied with what they achieved
from supporting the congress. The
highest success rate was for “improving
brand awareness” with a 95 per cent
“success” rating3. The success rate for
major objectives included 94 per cent for
networking with clients and key industry
figures, 89 per cent for obtaining leads for
future business, 81 percent gaining new
product awareness and 81 per cent for
raising the organisation’s profile.
Of interest is the opportunity that a
congress affords exhibitors and sponsors
to launch new products. While only
42 per cent had this as an objective,
90% achieved the objective. Whilst the
congresses collectively are doing an
excellent job in meeting a number of
sponsor and exhibitor objectives, there
are areas that require improvement. These
include increasing domestic and export
sales (61 per cent success rate) and
contributing to the development of the
sector (79 per cent success rate).
Objective (A) Intent (B) Achieved Success ratio (B)/(A)
Network with clients and/or key industry figures 90% 85% 94%
Obtain leads for future business 90% 80% 89%
Gain product exposure/ awareness 90% 73% 81%
Raise the organisation’s profile amongst delegates and peers 88% 71% 81%
Improve brand awareness 78% 74 % 95%
Reach an identified target market 76% 68% 89%
Increase the recognition of my organisation as a contributor to the
broader community
75% 64% 85%
Contribute to the development of the sector 73% 58% 79%
Increase domestic sales 56% 34% 61%
Increase export sales 49% 30% 61%
Launch a new product 42% 38% 90%
3 N.B. However this does not necessarily imply that 95 per cent of those seeking brand awareness achieved it,
as some sponsors/exhibitors may have achieved a result they did not initially seek.
Table 3.2_Intent v achievement of attendance objectives (n=59)
Graph 3.7_
As a result of exhibiting at this
congress, my organisation (n=59)
10 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
3.2.2 Investment opportunities
Exhibitors and sponsors were asked if they gained any investments as a result of supporting the congress (Table 3.3). Fifty-nine
exhibitors and sponsors indicated that they gained investment opportunities. Of these 14 per cent gained investment from within NSW,
24 per cent from within Australia and 31 per cent from overseas. A further 25 per cent were unsure if they received investments from
NSW or Australia and 32 per cent were unsure if they received investments from overseas. Despite the small sample size, this appears
to be an excellent result.
Business events play a valuable role in facilitating business investment. Exhibitors and sponsors to these congresses realised
significant investment opportunities, receiving investments that range from $1500 to more than $10m (Table 3.4). They also made
a significant economic contribution to the host destination, spending on average $16,238 per respondent. Additionally, they report
realising business-related opportunities such as increased product exposure and awareness, new leads, improved organisational profile,
access to target markets and improving their brand.
Region n Ye s No Unsure
NSW 59 14 % 61% 25%
Australia 59 24% 51% 25%
Overseas 59 31% 37% 32%
Table 3.3_Did you gain any investment opportunities within…
Origin of
exhibitors’ HQ
Investment from:
$ Total
$ NSW
(n = 6)
$ Aust
(n = 10)
$ Overseas
(n = 11)
Sydney (n = 2) $ 3000 $ 270,000 $ 1,050,000 $ 1,323,000
Other Aust (n = 4) $ 1500 $ 710,000 $ 4,290,000 $ 5,001,500
Overseas (n = 10) $ 2800 $ 100,000 $ 10,985,000 $ 11,087,800
TOTAL $ 7300 $ 1,080,000 $ 16,325,000 $ 17,412,300
Table 3.4_Investment gained (n=27)
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 11
3.2.3 Exhibitor and sponsor expenditure
Exhibitors and sponsors who came from outside the destination varied in the time they spent in the destination (Graph 3.8) with the
majority staying between four and six nights (78 per cent). Length of stay is comparable with the length of the congresses.
Graph 3.8_Number of nights spent in destination by exhibitor and sponsor attendees who come from outside the destination (n=27)
12 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
The question of exhibitor and sponsor expenditure (Table 3.5) was also not well answered, with only 25 of the 59 respondents
providing valid answers. Hence the data below should be treated with some caution. Expenditure does not include the cost of travel to
the destination.
The minimal data supplied confirms that congresses, such as the five surveyed, can be extremely lucrative to the host city and its
business community. Extrapolating the median total spend of $16,238 per respondent4 across all sponsors and exhibitors gives some
idea of the scale of this benefit. The data also confirm previous research that finds that the levels of expenditure and investment
received vary depending on the type of congress being held.
3.3 Delegates
Organising committee members, academic and practitioner delegates were asked a series of questions about the congress they had
attended, including:
• generalbenetsandoutcomesarisingfromthecongress
• individualbenetsandoutcomesgainedfromattendingthecongress
• benetsandoutcomestothehostdestination
• howdelegatesusedthebenetsandoutcomestheygained
• howdelegatessharedthebenetsandoutcomestheygained.
The next section presents the findings for each of these questions.
Minimum Maximum Median Ave/person
Number of nights stayed 1 9 5 5.2
Cost of accommodation (including pre-paid
accommodation and meals, food and drink) $150 $215,000 $2000 $2,489
Meals, food and drink not included in your
accommodation bill $200 $50,000 $500 $728
Conference registration fees $300 $11,000 $1438 $1768
Exhibition entry fees $500 $10,000 $4500 $798
Set up costs (cost of stand, equipment
hire, power, etc) $200 $70,000 $2500 $1643
Any marketing costs in the destination $ 10 0 $8000 $1500 $561
Salaries and wages paid over normal
salaries and wages for organisational staff $1,000 $50,000 $1600 $418
Freight costs $11 $6000 $800 $256
Transport costs (i.e. taxi fares, petrol,
vehicle repairs, car hire, etc) $10 0 $15,000 $400 $343
Other entertainment costs (shows,
movies, galleries etc, not connected with
the conference)
$60 $3000 $500 $185
Personal services (i.e. hairdressing,
laundry, medical) $10 0 $500 $300 $55
Any other costs (i.e films, gifts, books,
wine, souvenirs, clothing, toiletries, etc) $100 $2000 $200 $107
How many people (including yourself)
does this expenditure cover? 1 50 3 5.3
Table 3.5_Exhibitor and sponsor expenditure (n=25):
4Keeping in mind that this covers the organisational rather than individual expenditure.
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 13
3.3.1 General benefits and
outcomes arising
from the congresses
Respondents were asked if they
agreed or disagreed with each of 12
statements relating to congress benefits
and outcomes. The majority of the 12
statements were broadly agreed to
by respondents, with seven enjoying
agreement scores of more than 80 per
cent (Graph 3.9). These included “exposing
delegates to new insights, knowledge and
ideas” (97 per cent agreement), “fostering
networking by physically bringing people
together to share new knowledge and
ideas” (95 per cent), “focusing on the latest
research and its practical applications” (94
per cent), and “leading to the dissemination
of new knowledge, techniques, materials
and/or technology to the professional sector”
(93 per cent).
Conversely, only three statements
received less than 60 per cent agreement:
“acting as a catalyst for research
collaborations” (58 per cent agreement),
“resulting in the creation of business
relationships” (57 per cent) and “resulting
in research collaborations that have led
to the development of new products
and technologies” (41 per cent). The
lower agreements for research related
outcomes can be expected given that
academics comprised only 36 per cent of
all attendees.
Graph 3.9_
General benefits and outcomes
arising from the congress (n=1031)
14 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
General benefits and outcomes were broken down by congress
(Appendix 7). Agreement scores of >80 per cent are highlighted
in light blue, with those <60 per cent shown in orange. Results
are generally consistent between the five congresses. One
exception is “enabling the international community to focus its
attention on global issues and challenges”, with the Ultrasound
and Orthodontics expressing relatively low agreement, and the
remaining three indicating high levels of agreement. Likewise,
“acting as a catalyst for research collaborations” varied from
87 per cent for HUPO to 50 per cent for Ultrasound and
Orthodontics. This is, however, reflective of the higher level of
academic attendees at these two congresses.
Appendix 8 shows how results for this question varied by age,
gender, origin, length of employment and type of delegate and
presents the significant differences between each of these
categories. Table 3.6 summarises the significant differences
between gender, age, length of employment, delegate role and
origin for the general benefit and outcome variables.
The data indicates that:
• Females agree more than males that congresses build the
knowledge and capabilities of young people in the sector.
• Males agree more than females that the congress is
a catalyst for research collaborations that lead to the
development of new products and technologies.
• Thoseinthe50+ age group agree more than other
age groups that research collaborations lead to the
development of new products and technologies and are
less likely than other age groups to agree that a congress
focuses on the latest research and practical applications.
However, it must be noted that all response rates for this
question were high (see Appendix 8).
• Younger age groups in particular see congresses as
building the knowledge and capabilities of graduates
who enter the field and providing catalyst for research
collaborations.
Example comments by younger delegates:
“[the conference] was a good platform for me to
discuss my research with giants in the field. All in all,
it was a great opportunity for a young ophthalmologist
like me to have a good insight into current global
ophthalmological trends and concepts.”
“I gained a critical opportunity to discuss the
possible cooperation with a few individuals working
at Melbourne University towards my success to be
nominated for a PhD Degree which I will start as of
April 29, 2011. I am hoping that the visa process will
have been completed.”
• Academics agree more than practitioners that
congresses:
_ result in the generation of ideas that drive future
research agendas;
_ enable the international community to focus attention
on global issues and challenges;
_ act as a catalyst for research collaborations;
_ result in the creation of business relationships; and
_ result in research collaborations that lead to the
development of new products and technologies.
• International delegates agree more than domestic
delegates that congresses:
_ result in the generation of ideas that drive future
research agendas;
_ enable the international community to focus attention
on global issues and challenges;
_ act as a catalyst for research collaborations; and
_ result in research collaborations that lead to the
development of new products and technologies.
Example comments by delegates on these aspects of the
congresses include:
“Networking with orthodontists from a part of the
world I hadn’t been previously familiar with.”
“Have formed a number of new collaborations, some
of which are already productive.”
“Several collaborations were established. Key new
contacts were established.”
“As I am a member of the Foundation for Research
and Education, it was useful to collaborate with
national and international members on how to further
research financial support and member education in
Australia and New Zealand.”
“The venue and structure of the event fostered
various collaborations on intellectual and scientific
endeavours in clinical proteomics.”
“On the latest congress (HUPO 2010) we negotiated
a business collaboration with Agilent and Bruker
and also continued our collaboration with BioRad.
Moreover, we have got some new ideas in quantitative
biology and perspective of Human Proteome Initiative
which is the mainstream of our research focus.”
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 15
General benefits and
outcomes Gender Age range Length of
employment Delegate Origin
Focused on the latest
research and its practical
applications
No differences
50+ agree less
than those in other
age groups
No differences No differences No differences
Contributed to building the
knowledge and capabilities
of young people working in
the sector
Females agree
more than males No differences No differences No differences No differences
Contributed to building the
knowledge and capabilities
of graduates who enter the
field
No differences
35–49 year olds
agree more than
other age groups
No differences No differences No differences
Contributed to improving
the quality of education in
the field
Females agree
more than males No differences
Employed
> 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
< 5 years
No differences No differences
Led to networking that
resulted in the generation
of ideas which drive future
research agendas
No differences
50+ agree more
than other age
groups
No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates
agree more
than domestic
delegates
Enabled the international
community to focus its
attention on global issues
and challenges
No differences No differences No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
attendees
agree more
than domestic
attendees
Acted as a catalyst for
research collaborations
Males agree more
than females
18–34 year olds
agree more than
other age groups
No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates
agree more
than domestic
delegates
Resulted in the creation of
business relationships No differences No differences No differences No differences No differences
Resulted in research
collaborations that have led
to the development of new
products and technologies
Males agree more
than females
50+ agree with
this less than
those in other age
groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
attendees
agree more
than domestic
attendees
Table 3.6_Significant differences between attendee characteristics and general benefit and outcome variables
16 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
3.3.2 Individual benefits and outcomes
Delegates were asked what they gained personally from the
congress, via agreement or disagreement with a series of 11
prompted statements.
Five of the 11 “benefits gained” statements enjoyed >80 per cent
agreement by delegates. “Opportunities to share knowledge”
received the highest agreement (91 per cent), followed by
“new knowledge and ideas that have enhanced my professional
practice” (89 per cent), “affirmation of current research and/
or practice” (84 per cent) and “new contacts” and “global
perspective” (both 81 per cent) (Graph 3.10).
Only three of the prompted statements had agreement scores of
50 per cent or less: “opportunities for career advancement”
(50 per cent), “opportunities for research collaboration” (46 per
cent) and “opportunities for business collaboration” (45 per
cent). As one would expect, the research collaboration result is
significantly different between research delegates (62 per cent
agreement) and their practitioner colleagues (32 per cent).
Again, these results have been broken down by congress in
Table 3.7, right, with the results colour coded by agreement level.
Results were generally consistent between congresses. The main
exception was that HUPO delegates, with their higher proportion
of academics (see Appendix 9), naturally exhibited greater
benefits from the research-related outcomes. Appendix 9 shows
how results for this question varied by age, gender, origin, length
of employment and type of delegate and presents the significant
differences between each of these categories.
Graph 3.10_Individual benefits and outcomes gained from attending the congress (n=1031)
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 17
80+% agree 60–80% agree <60% agree
Table 3.7_Individual benefits and outcomes gained by congress attended (n=1025)
From attending this
congress I have
gained...
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
New knowledge
and ideas that
have enhanced
my professional
practice
94% 89% 85% 74 % 93%
Opportunities to
share knowledge 89% 89% 92% 91% 94%
Affirmation of my
current research
and/or practice
87% 79% 76% 90% 89%
New knowledge
and ideas that
have enhanced my
teaching
87% 68% 47% 49% 87%
A renewed sense of
purpose 81% 66% 69% 61% 76%
A global perspective 74% 74 % 88% 81% 84%
New contacts 72% 81% 87% 86% 82%
New knowledge
and ideas that
have enhanced my
research
49% 48% 50% 93% 65%
Opportunities for
career advancement 44% 44% 45% 57% 60%
Opportunities
for research
collaboration
40% 35% 43% 79% 49%
Opportunities
for business
collaboration
36% 42% 54% 33% 49%
Table 3.8 summarises the significant differences between gender,
age, length of employment, delegate role and origin for individual
benefit and outcome variables. The data indicates:
• Females agree more than males that their current
research and/or practice is affirmed, they have a renewed
sense of purpose, and have gained new knowledge and
ideas to enhance their teaching.
• Delegateswhohavebeenemployed for less than
five years agree more that congresses result in new
knowledge and ideas that enhance their research,
opportunities for career advancement and opportunities
for research collaboration. Delegates employed >5 years
agree more that congresses result in new knowledge and
ideas that enhance their professional practice.
• Academics agree more than practitioners that they have
made new contacts and realised opportunities for career
advancement and research collaboration.
• Practitioners agree more than academics that their
professional practice is enhanced by new knowledge and
ideas and they have a renewed sense of purpose as result
of attending the congress.
• International delegates agree more than domestic
delegates that congresses provide opportunities for career
advancement, research collaboration, to share knowledge,
make new contacts and gain new knowledge and ideas
that enhance their research.
KEY
18 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Table 3.8_Significant differences between attendee characteristics and individual benefit and outcome variables
Individual benefits
and outcomes
gained
Gender Age range Length of
employment Delegate Location
Opportunities to
share knowledge No differences No differences No differences No differences
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
New knowledge
and ideas that
have enhanced
my professional
practice
No differences No differences
Employed
> 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
< 5 years
Practitioners
agree more than
academics
No differences
Affirmation of my
current research
and/or practice
Females agree
more than males No differences No differences No differences No differences
New contacts No differences No differences No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
A global perspective No differences No differences No differences No differences No differences
A renewed sense of
purpose
Females agree
more than males No differences No differences
Practitioners
agree more than
academics
No differences
New knowledge
and ideas that
have enhanced my
teaching
Females agree
more than males
35–49 age group
agree more than
other age groups
No differences No differences No differences
New knowledge
and ideas that
have enhanced my
research
No differences
18–34 age group
agree more than
other age groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
No differences
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Opportunities for
career advancement No differences
18–34 age group
agree more than
other age groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Opportunities
for research
collaboration
Males agree more
than females
18–34 age group
agree more than
other age groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 19
Graph 3.11_
Please tell us about any other benefits and outcomes you may have gained from attending this congress? (Unprompted, n=305)
Examples of a range of instrumental benefits such as exposure to
new techniques, products and technologies to enhance practice,
are reported below:
“[I learned] new surgical techniques.”
“Work processes, method of data acquisition and processing
improved tremendously in my company due to the software
and skills I acquired from the conference.”
“[I gained] an awareness of the latest technologies and
analytical tools in proteomics research and applications.”
“Solved software issues with one of sponsors and fostered
international contacts with programmers would otherwise not
have been able to have access to.”
“I learned more on various case problems and the way to
solve those problems, I now know more about the latest
development in ortho/dental materials/products and the way
to source them.”
“Aspiring young scientists and students were both given
the chance to give their oral presentations on international
level, gaining technical support and direct feedback from
experienced researchers.”
“In-depth presentations by various speakers provided me with
new methods and techniques in hydrographic surveying and
allied areas.”
“My skills in the field have been sharpened.”
“I was updated with the latest technical issues, tools and
developments not yet available in our country while meeting
new friends and partners in the profession to keep abreast
with the continuous technological developments.”
Other individual benefits and outcomes
In an open-ended follow-up question, respondents were asked if
they had received any other individual benefits or outcomes from
attending their chosen congress. Some 305 delegates chose to
answer this question, and their coded (i.e. themed) responses are
shown in Graph 3.11, below.
The most common themes included “broadening my network of
international colleagues” (28 per cent), “better awareness and/
or appreciation of international business practices” (23 per cent)
and “enhanced teaching ideas” 22 per cent). Twelve per cent each
took the opportunity to comment that the congress had provided
a positive contribution to their career, while the same proportion
noted how attendance had raised their appreciation of Sydney
and/or Australia.
20 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
3.3.3 Benefits and outcomes to
the host destination
Survey respondents were asked to
state their agreement or disagreement
with 17 different statements relating to
the potential benefits that Sydney, as a
congress destination, may have realised.
A majority of respondents agreed with 12
of the 17 statements (Graph 3.12). This
ranged from 85 per cent agreeing that
their congress “facilitated networking
opportunities for local delegates from
the congress destination”, 82 per cent
concurring that it “exposed local delegates
in the congress destination to cutting-
edge research and world’s best practice”,
76 per cent stating that their congress
“enhanced the capacity of the professional
sector in the congress destination” to 74
per cent believing it “raised the profile
of participating local organisations and or
centres from the congress destination”
and others agreeing that it “enhanced the
reputation of the congress destination
as capable of driving social change and
action” and “raised awareness of broader
issues at the congress destination”.
Graph 3.12_Benefits and outcomes to the host destination (n=1031)
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 21
Appendix 10 indicates that results were largely consistent by
congress. Once again the more academically focused HUPO
provided an exception, with 85 per cent of its respondents
agreeing that it “provided research and networking opportunities
for local post-graduate students from the congress” (against 64
per cent overall).
Appendix 11 shows how results for this question varied by age,
gender, origin, length of employment and type of delegate and
presents the significant differences between each of these
categories. Table 3.9 summarises the significant differences
between gender, age, length of employment, delegate role and
origin for host destination benefit and outcome variables.
The data indicates:
• Males agree more than females that the awareness
of public and government sector-specific issues in the
congress destination are raised.
• Thoseaged50+ agree more than other age groups
that the congress enhances the capacity of the
academic sector in the congress destination, provides
research and networking opportunities for local
postgraduate research students from the congress
destination and increases the attractiveness of the
education sector in the congress destination for
academics and students who come from outside the
congress destination.
• Practitioners agree more than academics that the
congress showcases local talent from the congress
destination.
• Academic delegates agree more than practitioners
that the congress enhances the capacity of the
academic sector; provides research and networking
opportunities for local postgraduate research students;
increases the attractiveness of the education sector;
increases the reputation of the congress destination
as a driver of social change and action; provides
opportunities for local organisations, associations and/
or centres to access funding support and receives
positive international media coverage.
• International delegates agree more than domestic
delegates that the congress results in research and
networking opportunities for local postgraduate
research students; increases the attractiveness of the
education sector; raises awareness of broader issues;
raising both public and government awareness of
sector specific issues; generates positive local and
international media coverage; offers opportunities for
local organisations, associations and/or centres to
access funding support from government and/or the
private sector; and leads to expressions of support for
the sector from government representatives in the
congress destination.
Examples of benefits and outcomes expressed by
delegates include:
“The congress bought together over 1900 delegates
from more than 100 countries; a wonderful meeting of
like-minded people.”
“Australia was a constructive place to discuss global
issues.”
“[The congress has improved my] understanding of
new cultures.”
“[The congress provided] an opportunity for
collaboration with people from a different culture and
to practise foreign languages.”
“[The congress allowed me to compare] the style of
professional practice in Australia with Asia.”
“It was a great achievement for me to attend this
congress and learn many new things that will help my
country.”
“[It provided me with] enormous satisfaction that
over half the delegates came from developing nations
where the needs are greatest.”
“It has motivated me to attend further conferences
around the world as it provides a fantastic opportunity
to gain a global understanding of what is happening in
my specialty field.”
Benefits and outcomes
to the host destination Gender Age range Length of
employment Delegate Location
Showcased local talent
from the congress
destination
No differences No differences No differences
Practitioners
agree more than
academics
No differences
Enhanced the capacity of
the academic sector in
the congress destination
No differences
50+ agree more
than other age
groups
No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
No differences
Provided research and
networking opportunities
for local postgraduate
research students from
the congress destination
No differences
50+ agree more
than other age
groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Increased the
attractiveness of the
education sector in the
congress destination for
academics and students
outside the congress
destination
No differences
50+ agree more
than other age
groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Table 3.9_Significant differences between attendee characteristics and host destination benefits and outcomes
Continued on the next page
22 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Benefits and outcomes
to the host destination Gender Age range Length of
employment Delegate Location
Enhanced the reputation
of the congress
destination as capable of
driving social change and
action
No differences
18-34 age groups
agree more than
other age groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners.
No differences
Raised awareness of
broader issues at the
congress destination
No differences No differences No differences No differences
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Raised both public and
government awareness
of sector specific
issues in the congress
destination
Males agree
more than
females
No differences No differences No differences
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Received local media
coverage that reflected
positively on the
congress destination
No differences No differences No differences No differences
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Provided opportunities
for local organisations,
associations, and/or
centres from the
congress destination to
access funding support
from government and/or
the private sector
No differences
18-34 age groups
agree more than
other age groups
Employed
< 5 years agree
more than those in
employment for
> 5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Received international
media coverage that
reflected positively on
the congress destination
No differences No differences No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Resulted in expressions
of support for the
sector from government
representatives in the
congress destination
No differences
18-34 age groups
agree more than
other age groups
No differences No differences
International
delegates agree
more than domestic
delegates
Table 3.9 (continued)_Significant differences between attendee characteristics and host destination benefits and outcomes
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 23
Graph 3.13_
How delegates used the benefits and outcomes they gained (n=1073)
3.3.4 How delegates used the
benefits and outcomes
they gained
Delegates were asked to rate their
agreement or disagreement with how they
utilised nine different potential congress
benefits and outcomes. These are shown
in Graph 3.13, and broken down by
congress in Appendix 12.
Some 97 per cent of delegates agreed that
they had “shared (congress) information
with colleagues and peers”, while 85 per
cent had “applied new insights to (their)
professional practice”. Almost two-thirds
(64 per cent) had “shared information
gained with students”.
24 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Results were similar between congresses (Appendix 12), though
again, HUPO typically exhibited higher agreement scores for
the research-oriented statements. Appendix 13 summarises
the significant differences between gender, age, length of
employment, delegate role and origin to assess how individuals
used the benefits and outcomes.Table 3.10 summarises
the significant differences between gender, age, length of
employment, delegate role and origin for host destination benefit
and outcome variables.
The data indicates:
• Female delegates agree more than male delegates
that they share the information they gain with
students.
• 50+ agree more than other age groups that they share
the information they gain with students.
• 18-34 age group agree more than other age groups
that they refine existing research, apply new insights
to research programs and undertake new research
• Delegatesemployed < 5 years agree more than
those in employment for > 5 years that they refine
existing research and apply new insights to research
programs.
• Practitioners agree more than academics that they
apply new insights to professional practice and share
information gained with students.
• Academics agree more than practitioners that they
form or strengthen collaborations with researchers
and/or practitioners from the congress destination;
form new collaborations with international researchers
and/or practitioners; refine existing research; apply
new insights to research programs and undertake new
research.
• International delegates agree more than domestic
delegates that they form new collaborations with
international researchers and/or practitioners; refine
existing research; apply new insights to research
programs and undertake new research.
How individuals used
benefits and outcomes Gender Age range Length of
employment Delegate Location
Shared information gained
with colleagues and peers No differences No differences No differences No differences No differences
Applied new insights to
professional practice No differences No differences No differences
Practitioners
agree more than
academics
No differences
Shared information gained
with students
Females agree
more than males
50+ agree more
than other age
groups
No differences
Practitioners
agree more than
academics
No differences
Formed or strengthened
collaborations with
researchers and/or
practitioners from the
congress destination
No differences No differences No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
No differences
Formed new collaborations
with international
researchers and/or
practitioners
No differences No differences No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates
agree more
than domestic
delegates
Strengthened advocacy
and/or policy work No differences No differences No differences No differences No differences
Refined existing research No differences
18-34 age group
agree more than
other age groups
Employed < 5
years agree more
than those in
employment for >
5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates
agree more
than domestic
delegates
Applied new insights to
research programs No differences
18-34 age group
agree more than
other age groups
Employed < 5
years agree more
than those in
employment for >
5 years
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates
agree more
than domestic
delegates
Undertaken new research No differences
18-34 age group
agree more than
other age groups
No differences
Academics
agree more than
practitioners
International
delegates
agree more
than domestic
delegates
Table 3.10_Significant differences between attendee characteristics and how individuals used benefits and outcomes variables
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 25
Graph 3.14_How individuals shared information and knowledge gained from the congress (n=1031)
3.3.5 How delegates shared information and knowledge they gained
Respondents were asked how they had shared the information and knowledge they gained at their congress (Graph 3.14). Meetings
(72 per cent), presentations (52 per cent) and staff debriefings (51 per cent) were highest on the information transfer list, followed by
lectures (33 per cent), supervision (30 per cent) and seminars (28 per cent). At the other end of the scale, newsletters (6 per cent),
mass media (5 per cent) and trade journals (4 per cent) were the least popular methods of sharing information or insights gathered at
these congresses.
The results by congress (Appendix 14) and respondent characteristics (Appendix 15) indicate there are differences between
congresses. For example, supervision was a far more widely practised knowledge-sharing technique for Ultrasound delegates than
for those of other congresses; and practitioners are more likely to undertake a staff debriefing, whereas academics are more likely to
share information via presentations.
26 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Criticisms of Sydney as a congress destination were: it’s too expensive, the congress venue was too compact, and disappointment
with the food. While, the food and venue criticisms are small in number, they are a reminder of how important these variables can be
to the overall congress experience.
3.4 General questions
The survey concluded with all respondents being asked if they were aware of anyone relocating as a result from attending the congress
they had attended, and their overall perceptions of Sydney as a venue for global events and congresses.
Four per cent of respondents stated that they knew of people who had relocated to Sydney as a result of participating at their
congress. On first glance, this may not seem impressive. However, it represents some 40 respondents and, even excluding the
“unsures”, this extrapolates to at least 145 people who had moved to Sydney as a result of one of these five congresses5.
The majority of respondents (87 per cent) agreed with the proposition that the congress destination was suitable for hosting global,
world-class business events, congresses and meetings. Just 5 per cent disagreed, with the balance unsure.
Four hundred and twenty-five delegates commented as to why they agreed with this statement (Graph 3.15). More than half of these
(57 per cent) stated this was because Sydney and/or Australia was a great location for such meetings, while 34 per cent took the
opportunity to praise congress organisers for a job well done. Meanwhile, 20 per cent praised the congress venue itself.
Graph 3.15_Please comment briefly on your response (Unprompted)
5i.e. 4 per cent, less 2.9 per cent random sampling error, multiplied by 13,200 attendees.
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 27
3.4.1 Destination reputation
Delegate comments provide strong indications that the
congresses have enhanced Sydney’s reputation – showcasing
many aspects of the city. Examples included:
“Sydney was a global showcase for surveying best practice
and cutting-edge research and innovation. Delegates have
expressed very positive feedback on their experience immediately
afterwards to myself as Congress Director and our reputation as
a global city capable of world class events has been enhanced by
FIG 2010.”
“It is a metropolitan city which has an ideal framework for an
international congress and gathering and a conducive climate and
environment.”
“The convention was located conveniently in Darling Harbour
which was accessible by Monorail, tram and had lots of parking
nearby. It’s also close to the CBD where a great variety of food
was available. It was a great experience for the locals as well as
the international delegates.”
“I like the lifestyle over Sydney and also appreciate the high
achievements released in the domain of geomatics at the
Australian level.”
“The mental stimulation from being in the company of so many
eminent practitioners in such an open environment.”
“Sydney is a magnificent, world-class city. The facilities within 15
minutes of Darling Harbour are significant.”
“Sydney, where business, education and tourism meet in one place.”
“Being my first trip to Sydney, I was delighted to be located
central to all the attractions the city has to offer.”
“Sydney is a world-class city with many tourism attractions
and congress facilities. It is easy to combine official duties and
leisure.”
3.4.2 When the benefits and outcomes from the
congress occurred
Respondents were asked to indicate when they thought these
benefits and outcomes occurred. Importantly, the majority believe
that the benefits and outcomes are realised during the congress
and within 12 months following the conference (Graph 3.16).
Of delegates who attended the earliest congress (the 12th World
Congress of the Federation for Ultrasound Medicine and Biology
2009), 25 per cent believed that the benefits and outcomes
were occurring 1–3 years following the congress, while 20 per
cent considered they were still being realised, and 2-4 per cent
believed they will be realised 3–5 years after the conference. This
can be referred to as the long-tail of business event benefits and
outcome legacies. However, more needs to be known about the
long-tail of the benefits and outcomes to understand their full
impact.
Graph 3.16_When the benefits and outcomes from the congress occurred (n=988, multiple responses allowed)
28 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
3.5 Summary
Congress attendees are not a homogenous group. Significant
differences have been identified between: males and females;
younger age groups and older age groups; delegates with less
than five years experience in the field and those with greater
experience; academics and practitioners; and international and
domestic delegates.
For example,
• Delegateswhohavebeenemployedforlessthanveyears
are using congresses to gain new knowledge and ideas that
enhance their research, opportunities for career advancement
and opportunities for research collaboration, while delegates
employed for greater than five years gain new knowledge and
ideas that enhance their professional practises.
• Femaledelegatesareusingcongressestoafrmtheircurrent
research and/or practises, have a renewed sense of purpose
and are gaining new knowledge and ideas that enhance their
teaching.
• Maledelegatesareusingthecongressesasacatalystfor
research collaborations that lead to the development of new
products and technologies.
• Academicsareusingcongressestomakenewcontactsand
realising opportunities for career advancement and research
collaboration, while practitioners are using congresses to
enhance their professional practice, knowledge and ideas and
gaining a renewed sense of purpose.
• Internationaldelegatesareusingcongressestorealise
opportunities for career advancement, research collaboration,
share knowledge, make new contacts and gain new
knowledge and ideas that enhance their research.
Congresses are shared social contexts that take people away
from their established routines. Through this social context the
sharing of knowledge and creative ideas occur and common
meanings are developed through the interactions. It is not
surprising then that this research has found a direct connection
between the staging of business events and an extensive range
of benefits and outcomes beyond the tourism spend. These
benefits and outcomes can be considered as leaving legacies
in five different areas: intrinsic, practice, social, economic and
attitudinal (Table 3.11).
As indicated in Table 3.11, the effects of these benefits and
outcomes are not mutually exclusive – one benefit and outcome
may have multiple effects.
Intrinsic legacies are the opportunities, afforded by congresses
to delegates to develop their knowledge, skills and practises to
fulfill part of their potential to work within the chosen industry
sector. The ability to express, and share in a collaborative
environment their knowledge, skills and practises, to the extent
that they have already been developed, is an additional benefit.
Practice legacies result from the skills and knowledge that
delegates gain – such as learning new insights, surgical
techniques, sharing new ideas and identifying solutions to solving
problems – being directly integrated into their professional
practises and organizations.
Social legacies represent the camaraderie that develops around
the congress, the appeal of engaging with other like-minded
people, the relationships that are enhanced and developed and
the broader benefits that accrue to the communities in which the
congress is held. Business events develop a social space that is
important as it facilitates and reinforces social interaction and, in
turn, influences the effectiveness of collaborative learning.
Economic legacies are realised for three reasons. First, social
networks affect the flow and the quality of information. Moving
in different circles from one’s own group connects people to a
wider world. Therefore, any new acquaintances can be better
sources when we need to go beyond what our own group knows.
Secondly trust is built as people come to know and understand
others. As information is often subtle, nuanced and difficult
to verify, people will rely on people they know. Congresses
are intense periods during which social interaction is fostered,
resulting in benefits and outcomes that have both intangible
and tangible economic legacies, such as dissemination of new
knowledge, building knowledge and capabilities, improved
workforce practices, better education, new investments,
enhanced funding and better industry sector policies.
Attitudinal legacies arise from the reactions of delegates through
their experiences at the congress, and from governments,
the private sector and other individuals who become aware of
important issues that are communicated through the international
and local media.
Congresses are shared social
contexts that take people away from
their established routines. Through
this social context the sharing
of knowledge and creative ideas
occur and common meanings are
developed through the interactions.
28 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 29
General benefits and outcomes Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Exposed delegates to new insights, knowledge
and ideas • • •
Fostered networking to bring people together to
share new knowledge and ideas •
Focused on the latest research and its practical
applications •
Led to the dissemination of new knowledge,
techniques, materials and/or technology to the
professional sector
• •
Contributed to building the knowledge and
capabilities of young people working in the sector • • •
Contributed to building the knowledge and
capabilities of graduates who enter the field •
Contributed to improving the quality of education
in the field •
Led to networking that resulted in the generation
of ideas which drive future research agendas •
Enabled the international community to focus its
attention on global issues and challenges •
Acted as a catalyst for research collaborations • •
Resulted in the creation of business relationships •
Resulted in research collaborations that have
led to the development of new products and
technologies
•
Individual benefits and outcomes gained Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Opportunities to share knowledge • •
New knowledge and ideas that have enhanced my
professional practice • •
Affirmation of my current research and/or practice • •
New contacts •
A global perspective • •
A renewed sense of purpose • •
New knowledge and ideas that have enhanced
my teaching • •
New knowledge and ideas that have enhanced
my research • •
Opportunities for career advancement •
Opportunities for research collaboration •
Opportunities for business collaboration • •
Benefits and outcomes to the host destination Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Facilitated networking opportunities for local
delegates •
Exposed local delegates in the congress
destination to cutting edge research and world’s
best practice
•
Enhanced the capacity of the professional sector
in the congress destination • •
Showcased local talent from the congress
destination •
Raised the profile of participating local
organisations, associations, and/or centres from
the congress destination
•
Table 3.11_Benefit and outcome legacies arising from business events
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 29
Continued on the next page
30 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Benefits and outcomes to the host destination Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Resulted in the implementation of new
knowledge, techniques or materials into
professional practice in the congress destination
•
Enhanced the capacity of the academic sector in
the congress destination • •
Implementation of new knowledge, techniques
or materials into professional practice that have
improved outcomes for the community in the
congress destination
•••
Provided research and networking opportunities
for local postgraduate research students from the
congress destination
• •
Increased the attractiveness of the education
sector in the congress destination for academics
and students outside the congress destination
•
Enhanced the reputation of the congress
destination as capable of driving social change and
action
• •
Raised awareness of broader issues at the
congress destination • •
Raised both public and Government awareness of
sector specific issues in the congress destination •
Received local and international media coverage
which reflected positively on the congress
destination
•
Provided opportunities for local organisations,
associations, and/or centres from the congress
destination to access funding support from
Government and/or the private sector
•
Resulted in expressions of support for the sector
from Government representatives in the congress
destination
•
How individuals used benefits and outcomes Intrinsic Practice Social Economic Attitudinal
Shared information gained with colleagues and
peers •
Applied new insights to professional practice •
Shared information gained with students •
Formed or strengthened collaborations with
researchers and/or practitioners from the
congress destination
•
Formed new collaborations with international
researchers and/or practitioners •
Strengthened advocacy and/or policy work • •
Refined existing research •
Applied new insights to research programs •
Undertaken new research •
Table 3.11 (continued)_Benefit and outcome legacies arising from business events
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 31
Business events play a valuable role in
facilitating business investment. Exhibitors
and sponsors realised significant
investment opportunities receiving
investments that range from $1,500 to
>$10m. They also made a significant
economic contribution to the host
destination, spending on average $16,238
per respondent. Additionally, they report
realising business related opportunities
such as increased product exposure
and awareness, new leads, improved
organisational profile, access to target
markets and improving their brand.
The findings confirm that business
events deliver world’s best practice and
international knowledge to local sector
researchers and practitioners. Academics
incorporate this new knowledge into
educational offerings. Growing Australian
knowledge supports capacity building
within the industry sectors.
Business events have allowed the
dissemination of new knowledge,
techniques, materials, and technologies
in each of the sectors represented by
these congresses, providing Sydney/New
South Wales (NSW) based educators,
practitioners and researchers with
access to a network of international
colleagues. This networking has provided
local delegates with new business and
research collaborations, and will generate
innovation, ideas and research agendas for
many years to come.
Significantly, for the continued health and
growth of each of the sectors, attendance
at these business events has delivered
all of these benefits to emerging leaders
working in each of the sectors, including
Australian postgraduate research students.
International delegates are exposed
to local knowledge, research capacity,
sites and facilities, which increases the
attractiveness of Sydney’s education
sector. This growth in the education
sector has wider benefits for increasing
the future capacity of NSW in the various
sectors.
The events have contributed to the
growth of intercultural understandings
and international friendships, which can
improve Australia’s capacity for success in
global markets in business and education.
Sydney’s capacities are showcased
through the staging of international
business events, putting the destination
‘on the map’, fostering Sydney’s reputation
as a place of highly skilled, capable,
world-leading researchers. Successful
hosting of business events has enhanced
Sydney’s reputation as a business events
destination.
Many of the benefits and outcomes
are immediate, occurring during the
congress or within 12 months following
the conference. However, the study has
identified a ‘long-tail’ effect. The long tail
suggests that more needs to be known
about the benefits and outcomes that
occur more than a year after the congress
is held, to understand their full impacts.
Data presented in this report indicates
that business events can equip the local
sector workforce with skills, cutting-
edge knowledge, global networks and
collaborative projects to drive innovation.
A number of recommendations arise from
this research.
1. Leveraging benefits and
outcomes – There is scope for
convention bureaux, national
associations and event organisers
to better leverage the benefits and
outcomes of business events. The
knowledge contained in this report
can be used by stakeholders to set
objectives and plan congresses that
provide opportunities for a range
of attendee needs. For example,
local delegates can be prepared to
better leverage global collaborative
opportunities.
2. Innovation and product
development – Innovation lies at the
heart of every successful industry
sector. Successful innovation relies on
collaboration between researchers,
practitioners and investors. Congress
organisers can contribute to successful
innovation by improving the dialogue
between exhibitors and sponsors and
other business event delegates.
3. Educating national
associations – BESydney can use the
results to educate local and national
associations about the full range
of benefits of hosting congresses
in Sydney and NSW with an aim to
encourage an increase in the number
of major business events being held.
Congresses should be evaluated
not only for the financial return on
investment but also the beyond
tourism benefits. The development of
goal setting and evaluation templates
that reflect beyond tourism benefits
can assist national associations to
clarify business event objectives
and measure the full range of event
legacies.
4. Further research – This survey can
be used to monitor the ongoing
performance of business events in
Sydney. Repeating Stage 2 over regular
periods will facilitate comparisons,
identify changes and provide a
deeper understanding of the dynamic
processes that underlie the benefits
and outcomes that accrue from
business events. Such information will
be useful for a variety of stakeholders
including government, industry,
national and international associations,
sponsors, exhibitors and delegates.
Further research is required to better
understand the long tail of business
events legacies and the full extent of
their impact.
The research lends itself to a global
study that can compare and build the
international case and discourse on
the significance of business events
legacies beyond tourism benefits.
5. Planning future events – Business
event organisers and national
association representatives can use
the information contained in this report
in a variety of ways, from marketing
to goal setting and to leading change.
For example, promotional material
targeting international delegates might
focus on opportunities for career
advancement, research collaboration,
knowledge sharing, making new
contacts and gaining new knowledge
and ideas that enhance their research.
To enhance outcomes for local
delegates, organisers might develop
strategies to increase local delegate
awareness of the opportunities in
these same areas.
32 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
4_
Conclusion
This study sought to measure the
impacts of a broad range of ‘beyond
tourism spend’ benefits identified in
Stage 1 of the research – knowledge
expansion, networking, relationships
and collaboration, educational outcomes,
fundraising and future research capacity,
raising awareness and profiling,
showcasing and destination reputation.
Results from Stage 2 are strong and
conclusive. Not only has the study
confirmed that these benefits and
outcomes are being realised, but they can
be considered as having an effect in five
different ways: intrinsic, practice, social,
economic and attitudinal.
The benefits and outcomes mentioned
above have implications for the Australian
economy. Building human capital in
the form of knowledge competencies
in local sector employees has become
increasingly important. There is a growing
appreciation in the community that our
economic future lies within the knowledge
economy and that the extent to which
we tackle the challenges that this raises,
will determine our prosperity (Florida and
Kenney, 1991; Houghton and Sheehan,
2000; Australian Government, 2009; The
Australian, 2011).
Making innovation work requires a
workforce with sophisticated skills of all
kinds. Few organisations command all
the skills needed to innovate successfully
on their own. They must network and
collaborate – locally and globally (Australian
Government, 2009).
Business events can provide the platform
for Australia to operate at the cutting edge
of research and development. In a recent
speech entitled “Collaborating to create
Sydney’s knowledge-based future”, the
Dean of the UTS Business School, called
upon the economic community to “Invest
in capabilities and skills for innovation…
invest in collaboration, including meetings
and events” (Green, 2011). Business
events must be part of any strategy
for building Australia’s knowledge and
innovation capacities – the keys to success
in the global economy.
Strong results throughout this report
indicate that business events in New
South Wales are making significant
contributions to their various industry
sectors. Specific insights provided by the
findings contained within the report can
be leveraged by business event bureaus,
professional conference organisers and
national associations to enhance benefits
and outcomes from future business
events.
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 33
5_
Appendices
Appendix 1_How sampling error varies with sample and population size
34 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO
9th Annual World
Congress 2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
18 - 34 8% 21% 15% 40% 20%
35 - 49 42% 37% 28% 40% 44%
50+ 50% 42% 57% 20% 36%
Appendix 2_Age summary, by congress (n=1090)
Appendix 3_Breakdown by role at congress and respondent characteristics (n=1025)
Appendix 4_Domestic breakdown by place of residence and respondent characteristics (Australian residents, n=504)
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than
5 years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Other Domestic International
Member of
the organising
committee
5% 6% 5% 3% 4% 8% 4% 6% 0% 0% 50% 6% 4%
Delegate -
academic 37% 37% 36% 59% 36% 28% 53% 34% 100 % 0% 0% 26% 45%
Delegate -
practitioner 53% 52% 54% 30% 54% 61% 34% 56% 0% 10 0% 0% 62% 45%
Sponsor 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 7% 0% 1%
Exhibitor 5% 5% 5% 7% 5% 3% 9% 4% 0% 0% 44% 5% 4%
Grand
total % 100 % 10 0% 10 0% 10 0% 10 0% 100 % 100 % 100 % 100% 10 0% 10 0% 10 0% 100%
% within
Demographic 63% 37% 19% 38% 43% 16% 85% 37% 53% 11 % 47% 53%
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than
5 years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Other
NSW/ACT 56% 60% 52% 66% 51% 56% 68% 54% 60% 52% 73%
Victoria 16% 13% 19% 18 % 17% 14% 16% 16 % 16% 16% 13%
Queensland 14% 12% 15% 10 % 17% 13 % 7% 15% 13% 15% 7%
South Australia 6% 7% 6% 2% 6% 8% 3% 7% 5% 8% 2%
Western Australia 7% 6% 7% 4% 9% 6% 7% 7% 5% 8% 5%
Tasmania 2% 2% 1% 0% 1% 3% 0% 2% 2% 2% 0%
Grand total % 10 0% 10 0% 10 0% 100% 100% 100 % 10 0% 10 0% 10 0% 10 0% 10 0%
% within
Demographic 63% 37% 19% 38% 43% 16% 85% 37% 53% 11 %
KEY significant at the <.001
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 35
Appendix 5_Breakdown by country of origin and respondent characteristics (International residents, n=585)
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than
5 years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Other Domestic International
Other 19% 18% 20% 12% 24% 15 % 20% 18% 15% 21% 23% 0% 16%
USA 10% 12 % 7% 3% 10% 14% 8% 11 % 9% 10 % 16% 0% 11 %
New
Zealand 10% 7% 18% 4% 9% 14 % 7% 11% 4% 18 % 4% 0% 10 %
UK 7% 7% 6% 8% 3% 10 % 2% 7% 5% 8% 5% 0% 7%
India 4% 5% 1% 3% 5% 3% 3% 4% 6% 2% 2% 0% 4%
Indonesia 4% 2% 7% 6% 3% 4% 5% 4% 3% 5% 2% 0% 4%
Sweden 3% 4% 3% 6% 2% 4% 7% 3% 5% 2% 2% 0% 4%
Germany 3% 4% 1% 3% 3% 3% 4% 3% 5% 2% 4% 0% 3%
China 3% 2% 6% 7% 3% 1% 1% 3% 3% 2% 9% 0% 3%
Malaysia 3% 2% 6% 3% 5% 1% 1% 3% 4% 2% 2% 0% 3%
Denmark 3% 3% 1% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 4% 2% 2% 0% 3%
Canada 2% 2% 1% 4% 1% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 4% 0% 2%
Japan 2% 2% 1% 1% 3% 1% 1% 2% 2% 0% 11 % 0% 2%
Philippines 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 3% 0% 0% 2%
Taiwan 2% 2% 1% 3% 2% 2% 4% 2% 3% 0% 4% 0% 2%
Bangladesh 2% 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% 1% 2% 2% 2% 2% 0% 2%
Hong Kong 2% 2% 1% 2% 1% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2% 4% 0% 2%
South Korea 2% 2% 1% 2% 3% 1% 1% 2% 3% 1% 2% 0% 2%
Singapore 2% 2% 2% 6% 2% 0% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 0% 2%
Turkey 2% 2% 2% 4% 2% 1% 1% 2% 3% 1% 0% 0% 2%
Brazil 2% 1% 2% 6% 0% 1% 2% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 2%
Italy 2% 2% 1% 3% 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 0% 0% 2%
Finland 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 0% 3% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Nigeria 1% 1% 2% 0% 2% 1% 0% 2% 1% 2% 0% 0% 1%
Thailand 1% 1% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 0% 4% 0% 1%
Iran 1% 2% 0% 2% 1% 1% 2% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Netherlands 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 4% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 1%
France 1% 1% 0% 0% 1% 2% 0% 1% 1% 2% 0% 0% 1%
Norway 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 2% 1% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Switzerland 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% 2% 2% 1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Russia 1% 1% 1% 2% 0% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Belgium 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Grand total % 100 % 100% 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100% 100% 100% 0% 100 %
% within
Demographic 63% 37% 19% 38% 43% 16% 85% 37% 53% 11% 47% 53%
Appendix 6_Years worked in main occupation, by congress (n=1090)
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound in
Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO
9th Annual World
Congress 2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
Less than 2 years 2% 6% 5% 9% 3%
Greater than 2, less
than 5 years 4% 11 % 6% 31% 12 %
Greater than 5, less
than 10 years 15% 18% 12% 27% 18%
Greater than
10 years 79% 66% 77% 33% 67%
36 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Appendix 7_General benefits and outcomes gained, by congress (n=1031)
Continued on the next page
General benefits
and outcomes
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
% agree
Exposed delegates
to new insights,
knowledge and
ideas
98% 93% 98% 97% 97%
Fostered
networking by
bringing people
together to share
knowledge and
ideas
95% 93% 96% 98% 95%
Focused on the
latest research
and its practical
applications
94% 96% 93% 96% 92%
Led to the
dissemination of
new knowledge,
techniques,
materials and/or
technology to the
professional sector
96% 90% 91% 94% 94%
Contributed
to building the
knowledge and
capabilities of young
people working in
the sector
90% 81% 84% 87% 85%
Contributed
to building the
knowledge and
capabilities of
graduates who
enter the field
92% 85% 79% 82% 86%
Contributed to
improving the
quality of education
in the field
89% 85% 70% 61% 92%
Led to networking
that resulted in the
generation of ideas
that drive future
research agendas
68% 74 % 72% 86% 81%
Enabled the
international
community to focus
its attention on
global issues and
challenges
55% 49% 80% 79% 77%
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 37
Continued on the next page
Appendix 7 (continued)_General benefits and outcomes gained, by congress (n=1031)
Appendix 8_Significant differences for general benefits and outcomes by respondent characteristics (n=973)
General benefits
and outcomes
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
% agree
Acted as a catalyst
for research
collaborations
50% 50% 56% 87% 61%
Resulted in the
creation of business
relationships
49% 52% 62% 54% 63%
Resulted in research
collaborations that
have led to the
development of
new products and
technologies
28% 35% 37% 57% 50%
KEY 80+% agree 60-80% agree <60% agree
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Location
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than 5
years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Exposed delegates to new
insights, knowledge and
ideas
97% 96% 98% 98% 97% 95% 99% 96% 97% 97% 97% 96%
Fostered networking by
physically bringing people
together to share new
knowledge and ideas
95% 94% 96% 94% 94% 96% 92% 95% 94% 96% 96% 94%
Focused on the latest
research and its practical
applications
94% 93% 95% 96% 95% 91% 97% 93% 94% 94% 93% 95%
Led to the dissemination
of new knowledge,
techniques, materials
and/or technology to the
professional sector
93% 92% 94% 90% 95% 92% 94% 93% 91% 94% 94% 92%
Contributed to building the
knowledge and capabilities
of young people working in
the sector
85% 84% 86% 83% 85% 85% 86% 85% 83% 86% 86% 84%
Contributed to building the
knowledge and capabilities
of graduates who enter
the field
84% 82% 88% 81% 86% 84% 81% 85% 83% 85% 85% 84%
Contributed to improving
the quality of education in
the field
82% 78% 87% 74 % 85% 82% 77% 82% 78% 84% 85% 79%
Led to networking that
resulted in the generation
of ideas that drive future
research agendas
75% 75% 76% 78% 81% 68% 77% 75% 81% 71% 70% 79%
Enabled the international
community to focus its
attention on global issues
and challenges
68% 67% 69% 72% 67% 67% 74 % 67% 74 % 63% 63% 72%
38 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Location
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than 5
years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Acted as a catalyst for
research collaborations 58% 61% 53% 72% 54% 55% 66% 56% 69% 49% 49% 65%
Resulted in the creation of
business relationships 57% 56% 58% 56% 61% 53% 57% 57% 53% 60% 58% 55%
Resulted in research
collaborations that have led
to the development of new
products and technologies
40% 41% 38% 54% 42% 32% 49% 38% 49% 33% 33% 44%
% within Demographic 63% 38% 19% 39% 42% 15% 85% 39% 56% 47% 53%
Appendix 8 (continued)_Significant differences for general benefits and outcomes by respondent characteristics (n=973)
Appendix 9_Significant differences for individual benefits and outcomes gained by respondent characteristics (n=1031)
KEY significant at the <.05 significant at the <.001
(N.B. These results
for delegates only)
KEY significant at the <.05 significant at the <.001
(N.B. These results
for delegates only)
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than
5 years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Opportunities to share
knowledge 91% 90% 92% 92% 90% 92% 92% 91% 94% 89% 88% 93%
New knowledge and ideas
that have enhanced my
professional practice
89% 88% 91% 85% 90% 89% 83% 90% 82% 94% 91% 87%
Affirmation of my current
research and/or practice 84% 81% 89% 87% 85% 83% 81% 85% 86% 83% 82% 86%
New contacts 81% 83% 78% 83% 80% 81% 84% 80% 85% 78% 75% 86%
A global perspective 81% 79% 83% 85% 81% 79% 85% 80% 81% 80% 78% 83%
A renewed sense of
purpose 72% 68% 78% 75% 72% 70% 71% 72% 68% 74 % 74 % 70%
New knowledge and ideas
that have enhanced my
teaching
70% 66% 77% 70% 74 % 66% 67% 71% 72% 69% 71% 69%
New knowledge and ideas
that have enhanced my
research
58% 56% 60% 77% 60% 47% 77% 54% 76 % 44% 46% 67%
Opportunities for career
advancement 50% 48% 52% 68% 53% 39% 65% 47% 55% 45% 44% 53%
Opportunities for research
collaboration 45% 46% 43% 63% 44% 38% 56% 43% 62% 33% 34% 53%
Opportunities for business
collaboration 45% 46% 42% 45% 42% 47% 41% 45% 41% 47% 45% 44%
% within Demographic 63% 38% 19% 39% 42% 15% 85% 39% 56% 47% 53%
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 39
Appendix 10_Breakdown of benefits and outcomes to the host destination, by congress (n=1031)
Benefits to
congress
destination
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
% agree
Facilitated
networking
opportunities for
local delegates
from the congress
destination
83% 81% 89% 88% 86%
Exposed local
delegates in
the congress
destination to
cutting edge
research and
world’s best
practice
88% 77% 81% 87% 83%
Enhanced the
capacity of the
professional sector
in the congress
destination
74 % 75% 74 % 63% 85%
Showcased
local talent from
the congress
destination
80% 70% 75% 73% 78%
Raised the profile
of participating
local organisations,
associations, and/
or centres from
the congress
destination
72% 69% 77% 74 % 75%
Resulted in the
implementation of
new knowledge,
techniques or
materials into
professional
practice in
the congress
destination
71% 74 % 66% 66% 80%
Enhanced the
capacity of the
academic sector
in the congress
destination
63% 65% 58% 71% 80%
Continued on the next page
40 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Benefits to
congress
destination
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
% agree
Resulted in the
implementation of
new knowledge,
techniques or
materials into
professional
practice that have
improved outcomes
for the community
in the congress
destination
69% 66% 58% 60% 74 %
Provided research
and networking
opportunities for
local postgraduate
research students
from the congress
destination
55% 65% 57% 85% 68%
Increased the
attractiveness of the
education sector
in the congress
destination for
academics and
students outside
the congress
destination
57% 61% 49% 68% 66%
Enhanced the
reputation of
the congress
destination as
capable of driving
social change and
action
48% 50% 62% 58% 62%
Raised awareness
of broader issues
at the congress
destination
43% 49% 65% 54% 63%
Raised both public
and government
awareness of sector
specific issues
in the congress
destination
32% 31% 68% 52% 46%
Received local
media coverage that
reflected positively
on the congress
destination
34% 36% 46% 57% 47%
Appendix 10 (continued)_Breakdown of benefits and outcomes to the host destination, by congress (n=1031)
Continued on the next page
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 41
KEY 80+% agree 60-80% agree <60% agree
Benefits to
congress
destination
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound
in Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
% agree
Provided
opportunities for
local organisations,
associations, and/
or centres from
the congress
destination to
access funding
support from
government and/or
the private sector
34% 39% 42% 46% 51%
Received
international media
coverage which
reflected positively
on the congress
destination
31% 40% 40% 48% 43%
Resulted in
expressions
of support for
the sector from
government
representatives
in the congress
destination
19% 26% 49% 46% 35%
Appendix 10 (continued)_Breakdown of benefits and outcomes to the host destination, by congress (n=1031)
Continued on the next page
Appendix 11_Significant differences for benefits and outcomes to the host destination by respondent characteristics (n=973)
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than 5
years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Facilitated networking
opportunities for local
delegates from the
congress destination
85% 85% 86% 87% 84% 86% 86% 85% 86% 85% 86% 84%
Exposed local delegates in
the congress destination to
cutting edge research and
world’s best practice
82% 81% 85% 87% 81% 82% 82% 83% 80% 84% 86% 80%
Enhanced the capacity of
the professional sector in
the congress destination
76% 75% 77% 78% 76 % 75% 76% 76% 74 % 77% 75% 75%
Showcased local talent
from the congress
destination
75% 74 % 77% 72% 72% 78% 69% 76% 70% 78% 77% 72%
42 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than 5
years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Raised the profile
of participating local
organisations, associations,
and/or centres from the
congress destination
73% 75% 70% 75% 69% 76 % 74 % 73% 73% 73% 72% 74 %
Resulted in the
implementation of new
knowledge, techniques or
materials into professional
practice in the congress
destination
72% 71% 74 % 75% 73% 70% 71% 72% 72% 72% 72% 72%
Enhanced the capacity of
the academic sector in the
congress destination
68% 67% 69% 75% 71% 61% 69% 67% 76% 61% 65% 68%
Resulted in the
implementation of new
knowledge, techniques or
materials into professional
practice that have
improved outcomes for the
community in the congress
destination
66% 64% 69% 65% 68% 65% 62% 67% 65% 66% 67% 65%
Provided research and
networking opportunities
for local postgraduate
research students from the
congress destination
64% 63% 65% 79% 66% 55% 75% 62% 72% 58% 59% 67%
Increased the
attractiveness of the
education sector in the
congress destination for
academics and students
outside the congress
destination
60% 59% 62% 71% 65% 51% 71% 58% 64% 57% 55% 64%
Enhanced the reputation of
the congress destination
as capable of driving social
change and action
57% 57% 55% 68% 57% 51% 66% 55% 61% 52% 49% 62%
Raised awareness of
broader issues at the
congress destination
55% 56% 54% 59% 53% 56% 56% 55% 58% 52% 49% 59%
Raised both public and
government awareness of
sector specific issues in
the congress destination
45% 48% 40% 51% 43% 45% 45% 45% 48% 43% 41% 49%
Received local media
coverage which reflected
positively on the congress
destination
42% 45% 38% 44% 39% 45% 41% 43% 46% 40% 36% 48%
Provided opportunities
for local organisations,
associations, and/or
centres from the congress
destination to access
funding support from
government and/or the
private sector
42% 42% 43% 55% 43% 36% 51% 41% 47% 38% 36% 47%
Received international
media coverage which
reflected positively on the
congress destination
39% 41% 37% 42% 37% 41% 36% 40% 42% 37% 29% 47%
Resulted in expressions
of support for the
sector from government
representatives in the
congress destination
34% 36% 30% 43% 33% 30% 40% 33% 41% 29% 27% 39%
% within demographic 63% 38% 19 % 39% 42% 15% 85% 39% 56% 47% 53%
Appendix 11_(continued)
Significant differences for benefits and outcomes to the host destination by respondent characteristics (n=973)
KEY significant at the <.05 significant at the <.001
(N.B. These results
for delegates only)
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 43
Appendix 12_Breakdown of how individuals used the benefits and outcomes gained from each congress, by congress (n=1025)
Outcomes
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation for
Ultrasound in
Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO 9th Annual
World Congress
2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
% agree
Shared information
gained with
colleagues and
peers
95% 98% 97% 99% 97%
Applied new
insights to
professional
practice
89% 86% 83% 63% 90%
Shared information
gained with
students
79% 58% 50% 76% 68%
Strengthened
advocacy and/or
policy work
52% 47% 53% 34% 63%
Formed or
strengthened
collaborations with
researchers and/
or practitioners
from the congress
destination
49% 56% 59% 64% 62%
Refined existing
research 40% 40% 51% 85% 55%
Applied new
insights to research
programs
40% 39% 43% 81% 56%
Formed new
collaborations
with international
researchers and/or
practitioners
36% 52% 59% 60% 58%
Undertaken new
research 31% 30% 33% 62% 41%
KEY 80+% agree 60-80% agree <60% agree
44 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
Appendix 13_Significant differences for how individuals used the benefits and outcomes they gained by respondent characteristics (n=988)
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than 5
years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Shared information gained
with colleagues and peers 98% 97% 98% 98% 98% 97% 99% 97% 97% 98% 97% 98%
Applied new insights to
professional practice 85% 83% 88% 84% 87% 84% 83% 85% 75% 92% 86% 84%
Shared information gained
with students 64% 60% 70% 69% 68% 58% 65% 64% 70% 59% 64% 64%
Formed or strengthened
collaborations with
researchers and/or
practitioners from the
congress destination
58% 59% 57% 66% 56% 56% 64% 57% 64% 53% 55% 60%
Formed new collaborations
with international
researchers and/or
practitioners
53% 55% 49% 61% 52% 50% 53% 53% 64% 45% 40% 62%
Strengthened advocacy
and/or policy work 52% 49% 57% 51% 56% 49% 49% 53% 52% 51% 51% 52%
Refined existing research 51% 51% 50% 71% 53% 40% 68% 48% 71% 36% 38% 61%
Applied new insights to
research programs 49% 49% 47% 68% 48% 41% 62% 46% 67% 35% 36% 59%
Undertaken new research 37% 37% 37% 55% 37% 29% 43% 36% 49% 28% 27% 44%
% within Demographic 63% 38% 19% 39% 42% 15% 85% 39% 56% 47% 53%
KEY significant at the <.05 significant at the <.001
(N.B. These results
for delegates only)
Appendix 14_How individuals shared information and knowledge gained, by congress (n=1031, multiple responses allowed)
12th World
Congress of the
World Federation
for Ultrasound in
Medicine and
Biology 2009
7th International
Orthodontics
Congress 2010
FIG Congress 2010
HUPO
9th Annual World
Congress 2010
Asia Pacific
Academy of
Ophthalmology
2011
Meetings 70% 73% 83% 76% 64%
Staff debriefing 64% 50% 54% 42% 46%
Presentations 56% 44% 61% 65% 46%
Supervision 48% 18% 34% 31% 23%
Lectures 35% 43% 20% 32% 35%
Tutorials 35% 18% 8% 9% 23%
Learning resources 19% 11 % 14% 8% 13%
Seminars 16% 35% 33% 40% 23%
Academic journals 12% 14% 19% 15% 14%
Newsletters 8% 13% 24% 6% 12%
Trade journals 4% 6% 8% 4% 4%
Mass media 3% 6% 6% 6% 8%
Other 0% 5% 6% 4% 4%
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 45
Appendix 15_
How individuals shared information and knowledge gained from attending the congress by
respondent characteristics (n=973, multiple response allowed)
Gender Age range Length of employment Delegate Origin
Total Male Female 18 - 34 35 - 49 50+ Less than 5
years
More than
5 years Academic Practitioner Domestic International
Meetings 72% 75% 67% 75% 69% 73% 69% 73% 73% 70% 66% 77%
Presentations 52% 55% 48% 58% 51% 51% 56% 52% 63% 44% 41% 62%
Staff debriefing 51% 48% 57% 36% 54% 56% 33% 55% 38% 61% 62% 43%
Lectures 33% 36% 28% 30% 34% 32% 28% 34% 43% 25% 22% 41%
Supervision 30% 30% 29% 23% 28% 35% 20% 32% 24% 33% 38% 23%
Seminars 28% 31% 22% 32% 24% 29% 33% 27% 36% 22% 18 % 37%
Tutorials 19% 17% 23% 17% 19 % 20% 17% 20% 17% 20% 21% 17%
Academic journals 15% 16 % 12 % 12% 14% 16% 11 % 15% 21% 10 % 9% 19%
Learning resources 13% 12 % 15 % 12% 14% 13% 11 % 13% 15% 11% 11 % 14%
Newsletters 12% 14% 10% 8% 11 % 16% 9% 13 % 12% 12% 10% 14 %
Mass media 6% 6% 5% 5% 6% 6% 3% 6% 5% 6% 2% 8%
Trade journals 5% 5% 4% 2% 4% 7% 3% 5% 4% 5% 4% 5%
Other 4% 3% 4% 2% 3% 5% 3% 4% 3% 4% 4% 3%
% within Demographic 63% 38% 19% 39% 42% 15 % 85% 39% 56% 47% 53%
46 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
6_
References
Measuring the social legacies of business events 2011 47
Australian Government. 2009. ‘Powering Innovation: An Innovation Agenda for the 21stCentury’, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
Business Events Council of Australia. 2009a. ‘Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) Pre-Budget Submission to the Federal
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48 Business Events Sydney_Beyond Tourism Benefits
6_
Notes
Front cover image: Robert Wallace; Destination NSW
Page VIII image: University of Sydney
Page 10 image: Hamilton Lund; Destination NSW
Page 11 image: Business Events Sydney
Page 13 image: Epic Conference
Page 14-15 image: Sally Mayman; Destination NSW
Page 18 image: Dreamtime Conference
Page 20 image: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
Page 22 image: Hamilton Lund; Destination NSW
Page 23 image: University of Sydney
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