1. Marriott International will debut its Element brand in Australia with the signing of Element Melbourne Richmond.

2. The Northern Territory Convention Bureau will launch the inaugural mega-familiarisation Unconventional NT Showcase in Darwin from 10-13 August 2017.

3. New Zealand is punching above its weight in terms of hosting conferences & incentives, with the latest International Congress & Convention Association’s data for the year showing the Kiwi nation rose four places in the world listings in 2016.

4. Fifteen Australian business events products and destinations have joined Tourism Australia (TA) at IMEX Frankfurt to update buyers globally.

5. W Brisbane marks the re-entry of W Hotels into Australia, bringing 312 guestrooms and 1100sqm of event space to Brisbane’s CBD.

6. The State Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW has said growth in overnight visitation to NSW is stimulating an accommodation boom across the State.

7. The Langham Auckland will soon be rebranded as Cordis, Auckland following a major refurbishment.

8. Event management software provider Centium Software will demonstrate its Exhibitor Lead Management technology at CINZ Meetings in Auckland this month.

9. International Convention Centre Sydney’s (ICC Sydney) culinary philosophy is already driving economic development and delivering health and environmental benefits, according to a study from University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

10. Madrid becomes 12th member of BestCities Global Alliance - Madrid hosts more than 14,000 meetings and events per year, attracting more than one million delegates annually.

11. Business events are helping to boost New Zealand’s tourism economy during off-peak seasons, according to new statistics.