World Conference on Lung Cancer, 2013
This achievement for Sydney demonstrated that a united conference planning, industry, government and stakeholder approach could and would pay dividends.
BESydney’s Chief Executive Officer Jon Hutchison said key identities from all areas of cancer policy, prevention, treatment and research were brought together to form the successful bid team.
New South Wales (NSW) Premier Morris Iemma also lent his support to the campaign for the World Conference on Lung Cancer and met with key decision-makers from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) when they visited Sydney in April 2008 to inspect the facilities.
A number of other organisations supported the bid, including the Australian Lung Foundation, Events New South Wales, the Sydney Cancer Centre, Cancer Research Australia and the Cancer Council of Australia. The conference is supported by the Cancer Institute of NSW.
Back in 2000, BESydney contacted then Director of the Sydney Cancer Centre Professor Jim Bishop to discuss leading a bid to hold the conference in Sydney. Professor Bishop declined but in 2004, BESydney made contact with the Australian Lung Foundation, and relationships, strategies and support were put in place to enable a future bid. By 2007, BESydney had built a local committee of professionals to launch the official bid.
The team sent a document and video presentation (produced by the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre) to the IASLC in December 2007, inviting delegates to Sydney. Business Events Sydney developed a bid logo and professional templates to support the documentation, and in April 2008, Sydney hosted seven members of the international committee for a site tour.
The bid win for the 2013 World Conference on Lung Cancer was announced in June 2008.
