WHAT ELSE COULD YOU CALL IT but a golden age after Sydney’s latest event win, the 22,000-strong Rotary International Convention for 2014?
STORY BY BRAD FOSTER

If there’s one thing about Sydney it’s the fact that it keeps on getting better. The latest announcement by the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) is that Sydney and New South Wales have secured more than $350 million worth of conference business in under nine months. And, with three months still remaining (at the time of the announcement), the result is already set to eclipse the previous annual record of $291 million set in 2002/3.

In making the announcement, SCVB managing director, Jon Hutchison, said the bureau had already won bids for 33 major events, anticipated to attract in excess of 245,000 delegates. “In bidding for these events we’ve achieved a success rate of more than 76 per cent, which is an enviable strike rate for any city,” he said. The new record was set following confirmation that Sydney has been selected as the host city for the 2014 Rotary International Convention, which will bring 22,000 delegates to Sydney and inject an estimated $63.8 million into the local economy.

“Sydney originally bid for the 2012 Rotary International Convention, but lost last November after a tough battle with rival city Bangkok,” Mr Hutchison said. “The Rotary International Board has now decided Sydney’s 2012 bid was so impressive we deserved to stage the event as well, so awarded us the 2014 event without calling for interest from other cities.” Sydney’s bid was made jointly by three local districts of Rotary representing 200 clubs, supported by the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau and the New South Wales Major Events Board.

Rotary International past directors John Carrick and Barry Thompson, who led the unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Rotary convention, said they were delighted with the news from the most recent meeting of the RI Board of Directors. “Rotary International senior staff and members of the Board of Directors were clearly impressed by the quality of the 2012 convention bid and this 2014 prize is appropriate recognition of the outstanding work of the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau,” Mr Carrick said.

“Our senior convention staff at Rotary headquarters in Chicago have gone on record as saying the excellence of the Sydney bid document will provide a benchmark for all future convention aspirants.” Mr Hutchison said the Rotary International Convention was one of the world’s largest annual international conventions, attracting tens of thousands of delegates from all corners of the world. “And being a vocation-based organisation, Rotary’s members include leading business people. Having such high level visitors can also lead to business and investment opportunities for Sydney and Australia.”

Sydney’s success in bringing the Rotary International Convention to Australia follows other recent giant wins including the 2008 World Youth Day, which will bring 200,000 young people and inject an estimated AUD$196 million into the local economy.

give your delegates an adrenalin rush

IN NEW ZEALAND there’s an activity to get delegate hearts pumping, and Sydney now offers a few delights of its own.

New Zealanders are probably aware of the Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb, which takes participants on a bird’s eye view of the city and harbour, but may not know of the latest and greatest tour, Skywalk at Sydney Tower. Launched in late 2005 Skywalk offers visitors the chance to walk atop the city skyline as they make their way outside and around the roof of Sydney Tower’s golden turret, 268 metres above the city streets.

Skywalk offers a great way to blow away those conference cobwebs or to reward employees with unmatched views of one of the most beautiful cities in the world from a height more than double that of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Thrill-seekers will get a buzz from stepping out onto suspended platforms with glass floor panels for an eye-popping view of the city below their feet or even looking down onto low-lying clouds from the top of Sydney’s tallest building.

The Skywalk experience lasts 95-minutes and operates daily from 9am to 10pm, making it a perfect addition to any itinerary.