Brisbane to showcase Australia’s leading role in quality health care delivery

28 Mar. 2018|Media Release

 Quality and safety in the health care sector worldwide will come under scrutiny at an international conference announced for Brisbane this week.

Brisbane and the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) have won the right to host 1500 of the world’s leading health care experts at the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) International Conference in 2021.

ISQua, a global organisation working alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), is involved in the accreditation of health care facilities worldwide.

Through their annual international conference, ISQua drives improvement and advancement in the quality and safety of health care through education, knowledge sharing and benchmarking.

Australia is considered a world leader in the provision of high quality health care and accreditation. With increased demand in accountability for quality in health care across the globe, the 2021 Conference is expected to attract a diverse mix of allied health leaders with the majority coming from Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia.

Brisbane’s key convention partners, Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Marketing, led by the team at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, worked with Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited Group of companies (AGPAL), to secure the conference for Queensland.

The four day event which will deliver more than $3.6 million directly into the local Queensland economy was last held in Australia 19 years ago.

Queensland Minister for Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones said securing the conference was another win for business and event tourism in Queensland.

“This international conference presents an opportunity to showcase Brisbane and the surrounding regions to some of the brightest and most influential minds in the global health sector,” Ms Jones said.

“Business events of this calibre deliver huge economic benefits for the state and attract tens of thousands of visitors to Queensland each year.”

Dr Stephen Clark, Group CEO, of the not-for-profit AGPAL, Australian hosts for the 2021 Conference, and an ISQua Board Member, says the event will attract significant interest given the calibre of the conference program and wonderful attractions Queensland has to offer.

“As a member of the ISQua Board and Chair of the Accreditation Council, I am particularly proud that Brisbane has secured the global conference for 2021. Australia has a well- recognised reputation for the delivery of safe, quality health care so this major conference will allow us to showcase our successes as well as learn from the myriad or presenters from all regions of the world.”

BCEC General Manager, Bob O‘Keeffe said the Centre’s location in the heart of Brisbane’s knowledge corridor surrounded by universities, hospitals and research centres and its strategic partnerships with the local scientific community made it the ideal venue for the conference.

“Securing this much sought after scientific conference is affirmation of both Brisbane and the Centre’s reputation for hosting major international events. These events have enormous benefit in fostering international collaboration, driving investment and delivering research outcomes.”

Brisbane Convention Bureau General Manager Juliet Alabaster said hosting ISQua shows more people are recognising Brisbane as an ideal business event destination, thanks largely to our world-class infrastructure, venues, accommodation and leisure offerings.

“Brisbane is the complete destination package, and we’re ramping up our focus on attracting more business events such as ISQua by offering all the sophistication and style of larger destinations, accompanied by the warm hospitality the city is renowned for.”