Business Events Adelaide has won the global defence business event Maritime, Air, Space Technologies (MAST 24) for Adelaide.
In doing so, Business Events Adelaide has ensured Adelaide is the first city in the southern hemisphere to host MAST 24 in its 17-year history.
The three-day event will run from 19 – 21 November 2024 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, expecting over 1000 global delegates. MAST 24 is hoped to bring a successful economic tail in a sector critical to South Australia’s economic growth.
On winning the bid for MAST 24, Damien Kitto, CEO of Business Events Adelaide, says: “it cannot ever be ignored that, what business events deliver (that is vastly different from tourism), is first a much higher daily spend from their delegates.”
Kitto added: “There is no other defence ecosystem in Australia like the ‘20 minutes city’ of Adelaide where you can meet SME innovators, primes, manufacturers, government officials and military leaders, in such close proximity. Our combination of events (at MAST) will speed that process up – all under one roof.”
The support from Tourism Australia’s business events bid fund assisted Adelaide to be globally competitive to secure MAST 24.
Business Events Adelaide has committed to securing more international events, especially those which have a link to the State’s areas of economic focus.
In the past few years Adelaide has seen strong development. According to the State, It is home to innovation precincts which boast subject matter experts and researchers in Biomed, AI, Space, AgTech, Energy and Defence.
“Our ethos is quality with always an economic growth focus,” Kitto said. “This is being described as Adelaide’s time, and Business Events Adelaide has a vital role to play in the economy’s future.”
