Leaders at Business Events Sydney and ICC Sydney share a practical framework
Editor’s note: This summary of the webinar transcript was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
For planners accustomed to sourcing meetings within North America, an international destination can seem more daunting. In a recent Smart Meetings webinar, Rahul Shah, director, client engagement – North America at Business Events Sydney, and Helen Mantellato, senior manager, business development – international & exhibitions at ICC Sydney, offered a practical framework for starting with the business case and determining whether an international program can deliver enough value to justify the investment.
Using Sydney as an example, the speakers explored how planners can evaluate everything from travel time and total cost to venue capabilities, delegate wellbeing, destination support and return on investment.
Start With the Purpose, Not the Destination
The first step, Shah emphasizes, is to define what the program needs to accomplish before considering airfare or hotel rates.
For a corporate or incentive program, that could mean rewarding top performers, strengthening organizational culture, entering a new market or bringing global teams together. Planners should consider the business objective, audience, where attendees are traveling from, what motivates them and what the organization expects to gain from bringing them together.
“The international sourcing succeeds when the destination is part of the strategy and not just in the backdrop,” Shah says.
That same principle can strengthen the internal business case. Instead of focusing exclusively on attendance numbers or budget, planners can identify measurable outcomes such as new business opportunities, stronger client relationships, employee recognition and retention, knowledge transfer or sponsor engagement.
Executives, Shah notes, want to understand “what’s changed because people came together.”
Involve Partners and Stakeholders Early
International programs require coordination, making early collaboration particularly important.
Shah recommends involving convention and visitor bureaus, venues and destination management partners early in the process, while also bringing finance, legal, security and executive stakeholders into the conversation. The earlier those groups are involved, the more opportunities planners have to address visa requirements, risk, budget and operational considerations before decisions are locked in.
Lead time matters, too. While Shah says some international association events plan three to five years out or longer, corporate and incentive programs may operate on shorter timelines. Even so, both panelists emphasize that starting earlier can provide more choice, reduce planning pressure and potentially improve access to preferred dates and room blocks.
Calculate the Total Cost
International sourcing also requires looking beyond the initial airfare and room rate.
Taxes, tipping practices, transportation, visas, currency exchange, arrival and recovery time and other program expenses can all affect the total cost of delivery. Mantellato notes that Australian pricing includes GST, while Shah encourages planners to examine what is included in quoted rates rather than making direct comparisons based only on headline numbers.
Destination funding may also be part of the equation. Shah explains that Business Events Sydney offers the Sydney Meetings Fund for qualifying programs with 75 or more delegates, with additional opportunities available for certain larger association events and programs aligned with priority industry sectors.
The broader lesson? Ask convention bureaus what support is available before finalizing the budget.
Look at What the Venue Can Absorb
Venue capabilities can influence both cost and risk. Mantellato describes ICC Sydney as an integrated venue with in-house catering, AV, event management, security and other operational services.
For planners, that model can reduce the number of outside vendors, contracts and logistical handoffs required. It can also reduce freight and create a more centralized communication structure.
When evaluating an international venue, planners should ask what is handled in-house, what must be outsourced and how those decisions affect the budget, timeline and risk profile.
Design for the Attendee, Not Just the Agenda
Long-haul travel makes program design especially important. Shah recommends building realistic arrival and recovery time into the agenda rather than sending attendees directly into programming after an international flight.
The panelists also encourage planners to think about well-being beyond traditional wellness programming. In Sydney, walkable waterfront areas, parks, cultural attractions and outdoor activities can become part of the attendee experience without requiring elaborate transportation.
Mantellato points to ICC Sydney’s location near Darling Harbour, pedestrian-friendly surroundings, outdoor spaces and access to activities as ways planners can incorporate movement, nature and downtime into an agenda.
Make the Destination Part of the Business Case
Ultimately, an international meeting needs to offer more than an attractive backdrop. It needs to contribute to the reason the organization is gathering in the first place.
For planners evaluating an international destination, Shah and Mantellato suggest that planning teams ask: What is the objective? What will it cost in total? What risks need to be addressed? Who needs to be involved? What can the destination and venue contribute? And what will attendees and the organization gain from being there?
If those answers connect, the distance may become less of a barrier—and the destination may become part of the solution.
