Canberra by Comparison - Canberra Convention by Comparison FINAL.pdfbusiness events, international summits and their associated ‘build-up and side events’. Canberra is a rapidly

Canberra by Comparison

reportNovember 2011

the capital’s ability to host the G20 and other major international events

Canberra Convention Bureau


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CANBERRA BY COMPARISON, NOVEMBER 2011

Comparing CanberraIn preparation for this report, the Canberra Convention Bureau has investigated

the capabilities necessary for cities to host major international events such as the

G20. In doing so, much information has been collated and included at the end of

this report in appendices.

The following table compares Canberra’s core logistical capabilities with those of

Cannes (G20 2011) and Los Cabos (G20 2012):

Cannes (G20

2011)

Los Cabos (G20

2012)

Canberra (G20

2014)

Population 73,000 238,000 360,000

Airport International International International

Summit venue Palais des Festivals

et des Congrès:

accommodating

up to 20,000

delegates, 80,000

m²

Purpose

built venue:

accommodating

6,000 delegates,

60,700 m²

National

Convention

Centre:

accommodating

2,000 delegates,

8,600 m²

Hotel rooms 8,000 13,000 5,250 (4,800

reported by ABS)

Geography Coastal Peninsula Landlocked

City access Air, car, bus, boat Air, rail, car, bus,

boat

Air, rail, car, bus

G20 total

attendees

8,500 7,000 plus

(estimate)

7,000-10,000

(estimate)

reaching Canberra’s full potentialCanberra is a unique city in Australia and the world. It is a planned capital,

surrounded by nature, and built for the purpose of housing federal parliament,

national institutions, and government departments. It offers world-class

entertainment, accommodation, restaurants and architecture and can boast all the

features and attributes of the great capital cities of the world.

As such, Canberra must not be overlooked as a potential host of high-level

business events, international summits and their associated ‘build-up and side

events’.

Canberra is a rapidly growing city – a mature city – which is on the cusp of having

the logistical capabilities to host major international summits and conferences. As

the nation’s capital, Canberra must be able to respond to large-scale national and

international opportunities as they arise.

Canberra is a small city when compared to some of the major capital cities that

have hosted large-scale summits, but is larger than both Cannes (73,000 people,

G20 2011) and Los Cabos (238,000 people, G20 2012). Its relatively small size and

landlocked location are advantageous when considering issues of security and

disruption to normal city operations.

By hosting the G20, or being involved in its build-up and side events, Canberra

would reap the short and long term advantages including economic, cultural,

tourism and city esteem that are derived from hosting such major events.

These benefits are critical to the city’s reputation as a world city, and to Australians’

admiration for their capital.


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Capabilities of CanberraAs the capital city of Australia, Canberra has the personnel, expertise and

infrastructure to host international events, to the elevated standard that is

expected.

Canberra is a regular host to heads of state. The city has recently hosted visits

from Queen Elizabeth II and US President Barack Obama which have required

heightened security, lockdowns and strategic collegiality between multiple

agencies and governments to ensure a smooth visit with minimal disruption.

However, to be considered as a host for major summits, such as the G20,

investment in infrastructure would be required to enlarge the city’s capacity.

Until that is achieved, Canberra should look to host summit build-up and side

events by way of increasing the city’s profile and working towards a full event

hosting role.

By choosing build-up and side events that suit the city’s strengths, for example

in the areas of government, research and learning, culture, leadership and

environmental sustainability, Canberra can gain significant exposure and leverage

many of the legacy benefits that come from hosting the main event itself. Also,

Prime Minister Gillard’s stated theme for the 2014 G20 being ‘health of the global

economy, financial regulation, trade, jobs and clean energy’ provides further

assistance in identifying linkages in Canberra regarding these subject areas.

The psychology of Canberra is right for these events. The city has a desire to live

up to its ceremonial role as the capital of Australia. Canberrans are engaged with

their city and have the will to make the necessary adjustments to achieve the

high level of delivery. Hosting important events plays to Canberra’s strengths as a

meeting place and residents see it as a natural fit.

Canberra statisticsPopulation: 360,000

Visitation

Domestic

» 1.49 million domestic daytrip visitors

» daytrip visitor expenditure $231m

» 1.72 million domestic overnight visitors

» 4.62 million visitor nights

» overnight visitor expenditure $875m

International

» 161,359 international visitors

» 3.64 million visitor nights

» expenditure $ 351 million (2% of Australian total) (year ending June 2011)

Business

» 522,000 visitors (staying 1.5 million visitor nights)

» Visitor expenditure: $266 million (year ending June 2011)

(Source: Tourism Research Australia National and International Visitor Survey

Reports, July 2011)


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Transport

air transport

» By 2014 Canberra will have 3.5million domestic travellers

» 60 flights a day to Australia’s capital cities

» By March 2013, Canberra airport will offer daily services to New Zealand

(alternating between Auckland and Wellington)

» By June 2013, Canberra will connect 4 days/week to Singapore (or possibly

daily)

» Canberra airport is capable of landing 747/A380 aircraft and storing the

private aircraft of heads of state

ground transport

» Taxi services are currently growing from 347 to 380 with further fleet

expansion in 2012

» Bus and coach services include 428 public buses (ACTION), 119 local private

buses, up to 270 private buses available from nearby interstate operators

» National and interstate bus services operated privately (Greyhound, Murrays)

» Hire car facilities include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty, along with

a number of smaller operators

» Chauffeur driven hire cars include 25 to 30 vehicles

» COMCAR fleet offers approximately 150 vehicles to provide transportation

support for important international visits, meetings and events Australia-wide

(recently for CHOGM 2011)

» Train services run to Canberra from Sydney and the surrounding region

Hotel capacity

Total room capacity: 5,250

Of these, 31 are meeting venues with accommodation (mostly hotels) with 4,180

rooms and between 1 and 16 meeting rooms with between 40 and 1,500 seats. A

breakdown of hotel types and room components as at November 2011 is detailed

in Appendix 2.

Venue capacity

National Convention Centre

The National Convention Centre Canberra is a purpose-built conference and

event venue adjoining Crowne Plaza Canberra Hotel and a range of hotels and

serviced apartments in close proximity.

» Total capacity: 8,600 m2, 9,779 seats

» Exhibition hall: 2,000 m2, 2,000 seats

» Ballroom: 658 m2, 500 seats

» Royal Theatre: dividable auditorium from 750 to 2,460 seats

» Other meeting rooms: 4 theatrettes, 5 meeting rooms, 8 other rooms, from

20 to 368 seats

» The maximum capacity for hosting a single conference type of event (multi-

faceted) is around 2,000

additional Canberra venues

31 venues with between 1 and 37 meeting rooms and between 60 and 5,200

seats.


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Security and public safety

ACT Policing: Staff (2010-2011): 635 male, 311 female (total 946).

Special security measures

During major events (e.g. US President’s visit) ACT Government made a

declaration under the Major Event Security Act 2000 to give ACT Policing

additional powers for the duration of these events.

Other government agencies (eg defence) have also supported international events

hosted in Canberra.

public safety

Canberra is considered a safe destination by business event organisers.

Most criminal offences have diminished in 2010-2011 from 2009-2010: between

-4% and as much as -42%.

Road toll for year to date is just 33.3% of last year’s toll, the lowest since 2000.

Canberra’s appealCanberra is a cosmopolitan, international city that is attractive, safe and popular

with visitors. The city offers visitors a variety of world-class attractions and events

throughout the year.

attractions

21 major attractions, of which 16 are ‘National’ underlining Canberra’s status as

the national capital and sharing the essence of Australia’s culture, democracy,

history and way of life.

A full list of both national and other attractions can be found in Appendix 3.

events

A busy events calendar with internationally renowned festivals and celebrations

including Floriade, Multicultural Festival, National Folk Festival, International Music

Festival, International Film Festival, Enlighten, Skyfire, Wine Festival, Australia Day

and Canberra Day.

The city also plays host to a constant stream of business and sporting events with

national and international standing.

Wineries

The Canberra region is home to more than 30 boutique cellar doors and 140

vineyards, offering cool-climate wines with diversity in variety and style.

entertainment

A casino, a major cinema theatre, a performing arts theatre, traditional pubs,

nightclubs, stylish cocktail lounges, clubs and bars in the CBD. Other cinemas,

theatres, bars, etc. are located in the suburbs.


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Shopping

A variety of shopping options, ranging from luxury boutiques, shopping centres

and department stores to bargain homewares, street markets and local designers.

Large modern indoor shopping mall ‘Canberra Centre’ as well as outdoor retail

precinct in the CBD.

Dining

More than 300 restaurants (13 award winning in 2011), cafes and pubs reflecting

the national capital’s cultural diversity and superb local produce.

Research and Learning Institutes group (RaLIg) and THINK

CaNBeRRa

A collection of 14 world-renowned research and learning institutes, grouped as

RALIG, operates under the Canberra Convention Bureau ‘THINK CANBERRA’

concept and includes The Australian National University, Australian Academy of

Science, National Library of Australia and more.

RALIG is an invaluable resource to any business event held in the capital. See

Appendix 10 for complete list of RALIG institutes.

Other

Canberra offers visitors an enormous choice of activities and attractions.

However, its proximity to the NSW South Coast, Snowy Mountains and Sydney,

means that other experiences outside of the capital are not far away.

towards increasing capacityIn order to fulfil its role as the national capital, Canberra must host major

meetings of national and international importance.

Canberra currently has the will and expertise to host the G20 summit; however,

based on past G20 summits it would appear Canberra currently does not have

the capacity.

To host an event on the scale of the G20, Canberra must build the necessary

functionality into the city in a strategic way so as to complement the existing

investment in our asset base and leverage parliament and the cultural and

research institutes.

To achieve the necessary capacity the suggested priorities for the city are:

» The development of a world-class meeting and conference centre that

can host high quality meetings in the round to complement the facilities at

Parliament House – such as the proposed Australia Forum

» An increase in high volume internationally branded (upscale) hotels with a

higher than normal ratio of suites for high level visits

» An increase to the ceremonial capacity of The Lodge and Government

House to host major ceremonial functions

» Enhanced internal transport systems to complement the airport development

and the potential for high speed rail

» To establish stronger links with Sydney to provide top up services when

required

These improvements to infrastructure capacity in the capital would enhance

Canberra’s competitiveness in bidding for major events such as the G20 or

CHOGM.


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Impact and legacy of high-level business events‘It is no coincidence that vibrant, sophisticated and influential cities around the

world are characterised by a thriving meeting and conference sector’ (Cameron

2008)

The hosting of major international events in Canberra benefits the city and

nation in more ways than just visitor dollars. It is also about the legacy and

profile created by these events for the city. The network building, innovation

opportunities and shared knowledge experiences are arguably more important

than the event itself.

Hosting major events provides the opportunity to showcase to the world what

Canberra does well. This is achieved through the personal experiences of

delegates and their associates as well as via international media coverage, the

benefit of which is immeasurable but no doubt colossal.

Greater international awareness provides an impetus for the attraction of highly-

skilled, highly-educated people to Canberra for employment and opportunities.

This would improve Canberra’s already enviable reputation as a clever city – a city

of knowledge, culture and influence – and boost the nation’s pride in its capital.

ConclusionCanberra is a unique city in Australia and the world, and its place as the nation’s

capital would be enhanced by hosting major international events such as the

G20 Summit. The city already boasts many of the facilities and capabilities

required to host such an event; however, based on past events an increase in

capacity is required.

The benefit to Canberra and the nation that would result from hosting the G20

Summit is exponential. The network building, innovation opportunities and

shared knowledge experiences are arguably more important than the event itself.

Delegates deliver more to the economy than just money. They deliver ideas,

knowledge, connections and innovation, each of which encourages more of the

same.

Until Canberra is fully capable of hosting major international events, it should

look to host summit build-up and side events to increase the city’s profile and

work towards a full event hosting role.

Canberra is a city built with the purpose of top level meetings, and therefore it

is a natural fit for the city to host such events. Canberrans would welcome the

opportunity to take their city to the world stage and showcase its excellence, as

evidenced during recent high level international visits.


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List of appendices

1. G20 Canberra logistic capacities

2. Canberra venues capacities and accommodation room components

3. List of Canberra attractions

4. G20 2011 Cannes and Los Cabos logistic requirements

5. G20 2011 program and summit themes

6. G20 delegate information

7. G20 build-up and side events

8. G20 budget information

9. Earlier G8 - G20 logistics and impact information

10. Research and Learning Institutes Group (RALIG)

11. Presentation Guide Cannes

12. Report resources


The Canberra Convention Bureau offers knowledge and expertise in connecting

various entities of the city together to strengthen any conference or summit

experience. The Bureau has close ties with the major venues, attractions and

institutes of the capital and the surrounding region, which would greatly benefit

event organisers.

The Bureau’s capabilities extend beyond the borders of the city and can assist

event organisers with event arrangements or technical tours and trips to

complement the event.

Canberra Convention Bureau acknowledges the Economic Development

Directorate for its collaboration on this report.

www.canberraconvention.com.au

[email protected]

+61 2 6247 7500

Canberra by Comparison - Canberra Convention by Comparison FINAL.pdfbusiness events, international summits and their associated ‘build-up and side events’. Canberra is a rapidly

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