What is the Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority?

The Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority has been entrusted with the responsibility of promoting South Australia's convention industry for more than 30 years. Established in 1972 as the Adelaide Convention Bureau, ACTA has developed a reputation for being a results-driven organisation that delivers tangible benefits for its members. 

Our role is to market South Australia as a leading convention, incentive travel and exhibition destination. We are a private, non-profit organisation that is funded through our stakeholders - our members, State and Local Government. 

As a result of our efforts, millions of dollars are injected into the South Australian economy each year. Over the past 10 years, ACTA has delivered nearly 1 million delegate nights to its members. In 2004/2005 the economic impact was in excess of $49 million, with a further $140 million worth of business scheduled to 2009. 


Adelaide, South Australia - a destination of simple choice

The tourism industry, including the Business Tourism sector, is a multi-billion dollar industry for Australia. South Australia is reaping the benefits of this industry, with the tourism industry injecting over $3.1 billion into the State's economy each year.

South Australia is performing well in Business Tourism, with latest figures indicating that it captures 12% of the Australian international meetings market and 17% of the national meetings market. 

More and more visitors are discovering the wide range of experiences that South Australia has to offer, including our premium wine regions, authentic natural experiences and world-class festivals and events. Recent developments, such as the expansion of the Adelaide Convention Centre, have enabled South Australia to compete for much larger business events and this, combined with our reputation as being a value-for-money and friendly destination, positions the state well for the future.


How we do it

ACTA's proactive approach to marketing Adelaide means we have a high success rate. 

Our team maintains an extensive database of association and corporate bodies, tracking their meeting history and converting sales leads by direct communication with decision-makers. We identify priority markets in Australia and overseas and encourage decision-makers in those regions to hold their meetings in South Australia.

Other activities include sales calls, a Business Ambassadors program and attendance at trade shows throughout the world. We also work with Business Tourism operators to develop incentives and packages to encourage conference organisers to choose South Australia, and work with South Australian-based organisations who want to attract their national or international parent bodies to stage their next conference in SA.