The Inside Word
Asia-Pacific Cities Summit, Brisbane 2023 – Racing to the Games
In a post-COVID world, in-person events have changed enormously, and it takes something special and unique for the masses to flock in one place. Pulling said masses from a raft of international cities and regions requires something even more significant.
The Asia-Pacific Cities Summit and Mayor’s Forum 2023, held in Brisbane from October 11-13, nailed the brief, and the SAS Group was in the thick of it with our new division, SAS32.
The biennial event, held only every 4 years in Brisbane, is the Brisbane City Council’s (BCC) signature event for driving economic growth for the city, Southeast Queensland, Australia and the wider APAC region, providing a platform for international networks to foster new business. From local to regional to international areas, there were 134 mayoral delegations in attendance representing a huge cross section of the APAC region.
Our team on the ground at APCS –SAS32 Principal Claire Lavers, SAS Group Director Malcolm Cole and Senior Consultant Allanah Muckert – met with a range of innovative thinkers, discussing how delegations and businesses can get connected at the grassroots level of our growing city.
As we race to the 35th Olympic and 19th Paralympic Games to be held in Brisbane in 2032, the agenda of the APC Summit was extremely pertinent for those attending the event. A rich program of solution-based ideas and progressive new initiatives gave way to some of the best thought-leaders, disruptors and city-scape creators over the 3 days, leading the conversation about what future cities will and need to look like.
2032 is a golden opportunity for Brisbane, Queensland and Australia to show the global community the incredible level of opportunity available in our backyard. For businesses wanting to take the full advantage of this once-in-a-generation occasion, the APC Summit was an important launch pad to start conversations and make connections for an established presence in Brisbane in the lead up to the Games.
As a prominent public affairs agency, our team at SAS is often at the forefront of progress and opportunity at high level events, but the APC Summit opened new doors for all involved and our eyes to the fast-growing and innovative businesses that will line the streets come 2032.
As the range of business on show at the Asia Pacific Cities Summit showed us last week, there is no limit to creative ingenuity when it comes to finding a commercial foothold in a city like Brisbane at the precipice of exponential growth. From sustainable deep-sea technology, mind blowing cyber-security systems to electrified mobility and locally made brews, the businesses shaping the future of SEQ are truly amongst the best and brightest in the world.
The Games have triggered projects and opportunities for the businesses wanting to be a part of the 2032 legacy. Our new division – SAS32 – is here to help those businesses get connected on the ground and be a part of the success story coming at us in the next nine years. Whether organisations are already established in Brisbane or looking to create a footprint for the first time from interstate or international regions, our specialist team at SAS32 will work to make your vision for business in Brisbane achievable.