South Australia’s visitor economy has benefited from a standout lineup of major business events held at Adelaide Convention Centre, generating a record $314 million for the state.
Over the past 12 months, Adelaide Convention Centre has hosted 125 business events, including 78 major national and international conferences and exhibitions.
Collectively, these events have brought more than 62,255 interstate and international visitors to Adelaide, generating 162,478 room nights for local hotels.
Recent highlights include:
- Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) 2026 – Australia’s largest tourism trade event. ATE26 set a new benchmark in Adelaide as the largest in the event’s history, welcoming 2,700 delegates, including 730 international buyers and travel agents from 32 countries.
- Australian Energy Producers 2026 Conference & Exhibition – Australia’s premier annual energy event, attracted 1,000 delegates.
- Hort Connections 2026 – One of the largest horticulture events in the Southern Hemisphere, this year’s event attracted the largest number of exhibitors in its history, with 432 booths and almost 4,000 delegates to Adelaide. It also benefited from the engagement of industry delegates from regional South Australia, adding valuable local insight.
Looking ahead, forward bookings indicate Adelaide Convention Centre will achieve another strong result I 2026/27 with 79 major business events already confirmed at the Centre for the year ahead.
LambEx2026, a key event for Australia’s red meat and sheep industry, will bring 1,100 delegates to Adelaide in July, whilst the Australian Medical Students’ Association National Conference in August will attract 1,000 of the next generation of medical professionals.
Inter-Noise 2026, a leading international business event on noise control engineering and acoustics, takes place in August, attracting 940 delegates and the Wounds Australia Conference 2026, focused on advances in wound prevention, treatment and clinical practice, will also come in August.
Other key business events coming to South Australia in upcoming months include the 18th National Rural Health Conference 2026, Healthia Conference 2026, Reconciliation Australia – RAP Conference 2026, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Annual GP Conference and the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) Annual Conference 2026, and the 50th Australian Labour Party (ALP) National Conference.
As put by Emily Bourke
South Australia’s reputation as one of the world’s leading business events destinations continues to grow and the flow-on effect for the state’s economy is far-reaching.
When people come to Adelaide for a business event, they don’t just go to the event, it means bookings for local hotels and restaurants, it means business for local cafes, shops and transport companies.
As part of the Australian Tourism Exchange, there were over 80 tours taking visitors out to our regions showcasing our unique tourism offerings, including to Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln, Coffin Bay, the Coorong, the Flinders Ranges, the Barossa Valley and many more.
As put by Damien Kitto, Business Events Adelaide CEO
Importantly, we are continuing to see strong strategic alignment between Adelaide’s business events offering and South Australia’s economic strengths, which reinforces the city’s position as a world-class destination for major national and international conferences.
The results mean Business Events Adelaide continues to deliver high-value business events that generate immediate economic benefit and longer-term opportunities for members.
Securing business events during the winter period delivers important value for our members, creating room nights outside of peak seasonal demand and supporting more consistent year-round activity.
As put by Martin Radcliffe, Chief Executive Officer – Adelaide Venue Management, operators of Adelaide Convention Centre
Adelaide continues to earn strong endorsement from event organisers and delegates, who recognise the city’s accessibility, quality infrastructure, sustainability credentials and genuinely welcoming experience.
Business events are a powerful driver of economic, professional and social value for our state.
Every event we secure enhances South Australia’s appeal to investors and brings global expertise that strengthens our key industry sectors.
This sustained success is delivering immediate benefits to our visitor economy, while also reinforcing South Australia’s position for long-term growth and opportunity.
