All About Adelaide

South Australia’s elegant capital, Adelaide, is a perfect destination for business events – and the statistics prove that more and more convention organisers are discovering that fact.

More than 38 per cent of visitors to Adelaide are business travellers, and these days they are welcomed at the city’s brand new $260 million airport terminal, which opened in October.

Adelaide records more than a million business visits a year, generating over 5.5 million nights for the city’s meetings industry. Laid out on a one square mile CBD, Adelaide boasts 4,000 hotel rooms, all within easy strolling distance of a host of restaurants, shops and cultural attractions, as well as the Adelaide Convention Centre.

In late 2005, Adelaide was judged the fourth best city in the world and first in Australia for business travel, by leading international business magazine The Economist. Adelaide ranked fourth in the magazine’s 127 city index of the best and worst destinations for business travel, ahead of all other Australian cities.

Cities were judged on cost, infrastructure, culture and environment, stability and healthcare. Factors such as airport distances, the quality of hotels, climate, transport and conference facilities were also taken into account.

Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority chief executive, Martin Winter, says the fourth place ranking confirmed Adelaide’s strong reputation with business travellers as “the perfect meetings city”.
“Adelaide’s world-class convention facilities and hotels, great affordability and accessibility have always been very positively received by business travellers, however it’s great to get another perspective from such a highly regarded business authority,” says Winter.

“In how many other major cities can you arrive at the airport, check into a 5 star hotel within half an hour, be adjacent to a fabulous convention centre and just 30 minutes from beautiful beaches and wineries?
“These factors, combined with the professionalism of our meetings industry, our internationally famous wine and food experiences and great recreational facilities, make Adelaide one of the easiest and most desirable places in the world to do business,” says Winter.

According to Winter, the new airport terminal and growth in international and domestic flights into Adelaide would further benefit the business travel sector.



Among other developments, Holiday Inn Adelaide has recently invested close to $500,000 in a major refurbishment, as well as an upgrade of its conferencing facilities. To complement its interior refurbishment, the hotel now also boasts Adelaide’s most up-to-date technological facilities, including a state-of-the-art C-Bus lighting system.
The hotel’s experienced, professional team includes the technical and creative services of in-house partner, Staging Connections.

>> Conference & meeting venues in Adelaide

Adelaide’s other great advantage is its proximity to a host of tourist destinations. It’s a short drive to the Barossa Valley and other premier wine regions, and the natural wonders and abundant native wildlife of Kangaroo Island are just a short flight or ferry ride away. The awe-inspiring expanse of the Flinders Ranges is only a few hours drive north, or travellers can explore the beauty of the nearby Adelaide Hills.