The Hunter Valley will benefit from a boost in overnight visitors next year when the region plays host to the twelfth Wine Bloggers Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley; the first time the event has been held outside of North America.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald MLC said the conference will showcase not only NSW, but also Australia’s oldest wine region.
“I am pleased that we’ll be welcoming up to 300 international delegates to the Hunter Valley next year to demonstrate our business event capabilities while highlighting our array of world-class food and wine,” Mr MacDonald said.
“The conference will be attended by wine bloggers and media from the USA, Europe, China and New Zealand, who are expected to share their Hunter Valley experiences with a combined social media audience of more than 24 million.
“Securing this event means more heads on hotel beds, diners in restaurants and visitors to our tourist attractions, all fuelling the Hunter economy, fantastic news for our local tourism and hospitality industry.”
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said this is a huge win for regional NSW given the Wine Bloggers Conference hasn’t been held outside of North America since its inaugural event in 2008.
“In a competitive bid process against other Australian capital cities, the Hunter Valley has shown it has what it takes to host an event with international appeal. In fact, regional NSW has everything the big cities have to offer, and so much more,” Mr Marshall said.
“The NSW Government is determined to put the spotlight on regional NSW because we know more visitors to our regions has vital flow-on effects to local accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes, shops and attractions.”
Chief Executive of Zephyr Conferences Allan Wright said, \"When we were looking for a conference location in Australia, the Hunter Valley and NSW really stood out. The beauty of the area, the quality of the wine, the conference facilities, and the access to international markets all make a fantastic choice for us.\"
The 2019 Wine Bloggers Conference will be organised by Zephyr Conferences and is supported by the NSW Government. Wine makers in NSW are welcome to participate in the conference, for further information go to https://winebloggersconference.org.
In 2017, the NSW Government announced a $6 million Regional Conferencing Strategy and Action Plan aimed at attracting more business event visitors into rural and regional NSW. For more information on conferencing in regional NSW, visit www.meetinnsw.com.au.