Brisbane alliance delivers trifecta of conference wins
The Brisbane Convention Bureau has partnered with The University of Queensland (UQ) to secure a trifecta of conferences worth over $2.1 million for the city’s economy.
Combined, the three conferences won with UQ’s School of Languages and Cultures are expected to attract over 800 national and international delegates across 11 event days.
Brisbane will host the 9th International Conference on Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication (INPRA) in June 2020, the 6th Biennial Colloquium of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) in November 2021, and the 6th International Conference on Conversation Analysis (ICCA) in July 2022.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said business events delivered many benefits for Brisbane, with those won by the Bureau and partners last financial year worth over $96m in economic impact.
“Every business event that flows into Brisbane supports our tourism and hospitality businesses including hotels, restaurants, service providers and retailers,” Cr Quirk said.
“These conferences will bring together scholars and researchers from around the world, boosting our local academic and research capabilities, and raising Brisbane’s profile as a destination of choice for business and leisure.”
Brisbane Convention Bureau General Manager Juliet Alabaster said partnering with academics and industry professionals to attract conferences to Brisbane was a key strategy of the Bureau.
“Through our expertise in event bidding and staging, we help world-class institutions such as UQ to attract high-calibre conferences that build Brisbane’s knowledge economy and support local industries,” Ms Alabaster said.
“That is one reason why we launched the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant, which is so far supporting seven local researchers and professionals to attend leading international conferences to help us and our partners attract future rotations to Brisbane.”
Professor of Linguistics and Head of the School of Languages and Cultures, Michael Haugh, said the conference wins were a great coup for UQ and Brisbane.
“Hosting these three conferences will raise the school’s profile in teaching and research, particularly as the two international conferences have historically been held in Europe and North America,” Prof Haugh said.
“I’m delighted with the support offered by the Brisbane Convention Bureau to secure these conferences and bring the world’s top minds in the field to Brisbane.”