Business Events Venues Survey

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW
The business events industry operates venues to support conferences, seminars, workshops, colloquia, conventions, exhibitions, and other events (such as incentives and business lunches/dinners). Such events are designed to enhance the development of the industries and associations which host them and to provide a means of sharing knowledge and information.
Business events have significant economic impact in their own right and are sought after by private and government agencies in the cities or regions in which they are held. They generate significant economic activity which would not otherwise occur in the cities and regions in which they are held: these include direct inputs such as registration fees, accommodation, meals and beverages, transport, entertainment, shopping, and in the process employment is created.
In 1999 the Bureau of Tourism Research completed a study of the Australian meetings and exhibitions industry sector which suggested that basic statistics on the structure and operations of the events industry were not available. The BTR study provided some basis upon which to estimate the economic activity of the events venue industry, however it revealed significant gaps in the information available on the industry. This Business Events Venues Survey attempts to fill some of those gaps.

PURPOSE
The survey collects data which will provide information on the types of events held, the financial operations of the industry in terms of income and expenditure and the capacity and use of events venues. This will inform major stakeholders including industry associations (e.g. the Business Events Council of Australia, Meetings Industry Association of Australia, and Exhibition and Event Association of Australia) , other ABS statistical collection areas, government agencies and the business establishments operating in the industry. It will also provide information (such as comparative size of operations and profitability) to inform decisions made by business establishments who wish to enter the industry.

SCOPE
The scope of the collection includes all businesses operating in 2000-2001 within Australia which provided venue facilities and services in support of business events. Venues included within the scope of the collection must meet the following criteria:

• able to provide for venue facilities for 500 or more delegates or attendees
• in both plenary (whole of conference) and multi-location concurrent (ie "break-out") sessions
• whose main activity is business events (as opposed to social or entertainment)

Conceptual framework
Not applicable

Main outputs
Business establishments which provide facilities and services in support of business events (conferences, meetings, exhibitions).

Counts of the following:

• number of establishments providing venues and other facilities for business events
• employment
• capacity and usage including space (area) of venues, type and number of events held, number of delegates/attendees

• income and expenses
• operating profit before tax, operating profit margin, industry value added
• selected operating ratios, eg: labour costs per employee, venue hire to total income, venue hire income per sq. metre, attendees per event

Classifications
Standard reference classifications are not applicable to this collection. Questions used on the survey questionnaire (where applicable) comply with ABS economic survey standards

Other concepts (summary)
The following other key terms and concepts are applicable to this collection:

Types of events:

• Meetings, conferences and conventions: All off site gatherings, held in commercial venue space, which consist of more than 15 people. This would also involve congresses, seminars, workshops, symposiums, and associated gatherings that bring together people for a common purpose.
• Exhibitions - An event that brings together suppliers of products, equipment, and services in an environment where they can display their products and services.
• Other events - This includes weddings, graduations, parties etc.

Comments and/or Other Regions
Not applicable

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Adhoc

Frequency comments
The collection will be conducted once as a one-off survey, with no current intention to repeat it. The collection will be conducted by means of a mail-out questionnaire and after processing the results will be released in standard ABS products. The collection reference period is 2000-2001 and the release of final results is expected in June 2002.

COLLECTION HISTORY
The survey is a limited scope census of all business events venues. It will be collected under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. The survey frame was developed with the assistance of the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) which is the peak consultative body for the industry. Included within the scope of the collection will be venues which meet the following criteria:

• able to provide for venue facilities for 500 or more delegates or attendees
• in both plenary (whole of conference) and multi-location concurrent sessions
• whose predominant activity is business events (as opposed to social or entertainment)

• the number of establishments providing venues and other facilities for business events
• employment
• income and expenses
• operating profit and other business ratios
• capacity and usage including space (area) of venues, type and number of events held, number of delegates/attendees,
• State data
• selected ratios including labour costs, venue income by size of venue, attendees per event