Thanks to a raft of mainstream media hoo-ha, security fears, and plenty of political rhetoric Sydneysiders will be given a long weekend (Friday, September 7) when President George W Bush and some of his political counterparts from around the globe descend on the harbour city for the APEC Summit.

And despite claims that mobile phone systems will be shut down, roads will be closed (perhaps even the Harbour Bridge), train stations will be shut, and parts of the city blocked off from the general public, it’s all good news according to the managing director of the Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jon Hutchison.

As well as claims that the city will be thrown into chaos from some sectors of politics (helped along by some sensational newspaper and media reporting), there have been many who are claiming that the cost of hosting such an event clearly outweighs the benefits that it will bring to the city, New South Wales and Australia generally. But according to Mr Hutchison, that is not the case.

“It will be difficult to get around some parts of the city, particularly The Rocks area and Circular Quay, but the incremental value to the city is something that cannot be measured,” he said.
“With the level of people attending and the huge media contingent the profile Sydney will get globally will be huge. And exposing these individuals to our economy, our industries, will have ongoing significant value to Australia for years to come.

“An event should not just be measured on the amount of money spent in restaurants and shops during the event. It should be measured on the long-term benefits that an event of this kind will bring.”
But even claims by many Sydney retail groups that they will lose incredible amounts of business may not even ring true when the event arrives. Along with the 21 world leaders attending the APEC meeting there are many hundreds of additional delegates, and what is expected to be a media contingent of more than 1000 – all who require hotel rooms, food and daily essential items. Like any business tourist these people will be wanting to experience what the destination has to offer when and where they can, and many will undoubtedly be wanting to take back a memento or two of their time in Sydney.

Lock down
Latest reports say that three Sydney railway stations will be closed for three days of the meeting – St James, Museum and Circular Quay. Media reports that this will cause major disruptions to commuter traffic are hardly true. These stations, perhaps with the exception of Circular Quay Station, are not major commuter hubs, and are close enough to Wynyard Station to allow those who do usually alight or hop on trains at these stops to simply change their travelling habits for a few days.
The Sydney Opera House, Government House and the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, as the key APEC venues, will have restricted access. But these venues are clearly not located in major thoroughfares of the CBD and will therefore have very little impact on traffic flow or city-worker travel.
“Sydney is a big place and has operated very successfully with other high profile events and major conferences,” Mr Hutchison said.
“Sydney is a world city and as such should have the ability to work through any areas of concern to ensure the smooth-running success of the program.”

Being prepared
As any good event organiser understands the key to any successful meeting or event is planning. With the high level of world leaders expected to attend APEC in Sydney in September security is at the forefront of pre-planning by the Federal Government, State Government and key departments. The horror traffic snarls experienced when the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner arrived in Sydney in February 2007 have been put down to poor planning by relevant bodies who never imagined the high level of interest by the general public on seeing the cruise ship during its brief stay. No doubt every scenario and contingency is being examined for APEC.

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