Western Sydney Business Events Forum Positions the Region for Global Growth
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
19th Feb
Western Sydney’s tourism and business events sector
gathered today for the Western Sydney Business Events Forum, hosted by the Western
Sydney Tourism Taskforce (WSTTF) at the William Inglis Hotel. The Forum brought together
senior leaders from hotels, event venues, clubs, and local government to advance strategies for
attracting more business events to the region and to shape the next phase of Western Sydney’s
visitor and events economy.
The forum features keynote presentations, the launch of new regional research, a panel
discussion, and a guided venue tour. Speakers include:
Fazila Farhad, Chair Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce
Mayor Ned Mannoun, Liverpool City Council
Amanda Lampe, CEO, BE Sydney
Michaela Chan, Executive Board Member, WSTTF (Research Launch Lead)
Matt Leavey, Chief Commercial Officer, Panthers Group
Sam Fakih, General Manager, Novotel Cabramatta / Cabravale Club Resort
Arthur Inglis, Deputy Chair, William Inglis and Son Ltd
Varun Sareen, Regional Sales Director, Cvent Australia
The panel discussed the importance of packaging events with compelling local experiences and
highlighted the clear advantages of hosting events in Western Sydney — including easier
parking, convenient hotel options, and strong cost-effectiveness and ROI compared with holding events in the CBD.
Fazila Farhad- (Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce) emphasized:
“With the Western Sydney International Airport set to open in 2026, the region is entering one of
the most significant periods of transformation in its history. The forum aims to unify industry
stakeholders, drive new collaboration pathways, and strengthen Western Sydney’s positioning as a premier business-events destination. Business events are a major generator of economic
activity, bringing investment, new industries, and global attention to Western Sydney. Delegates
contribute to local employment, hospitality demand, and long-term economic uplift. With a delegate capacity of fifty-seven thousand in the region as per our research paper we are launching today, we surely need more business events coming our way”
Mayor Ned Mannoun (Liverpool City Council) touched upon the importance of the WSI
Airport opening and highlighted the importance of branding and positioning the region as a
major destination with some large tourism assets already in the Liverpool LGA.A copy of our
research paper launched was formally presented to the Mayor by WSTTF
Amanda Lampe (Business Event Sydney) highlighted the importance of preparing Western
Sydney for event readiness and leveraging the region’s diversity to deliver exceptional delegate
experiences. She noted that BE Sydney is actively exploring opportunities to attract more events to the region in line with emerging market needs.
Launch of the Research Paper: Greater Western Sydney Unlocked
WSTTF formally announced the launch of its first research paper Greater Western Sydney
Unlocked, the first in-depth analysis of thirteen Greater Sydney LGA’s with no of hotel
rooms, delegate capacity, connectivity to both Sydney Airports and a Tourism Landscape. A
presentation was given to the audience highlighting the reports analytical findings of the region.
About Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce
The Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce is the region’s peak independent, industry-led
organisation dedicated to advancing & advocating for Western Sydney as a premier local and
international destination.
Board of Western Sydney Tourism with the Panel
From left to right (seated): Varun Sareen, Matt Leavey, Amanda Lampe, Sam Fakih, Arthur Inglis- Standing from left:
Tom Wang, Brent Hilbrink Watson, Michaela Chan, Belinda Thomson, Fazila Farhad, Christie Wang, Tony Chiefari
Media Contact
Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce NSW Inc
Email: join@wstourism.com.au
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