For the first time in its 28-year history, the Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS) and Mayors’ Forum will be hosted by international business hub, Expo City Dubai.
Established by Brisbane City Council in 1996, the event is hosted biennially between Brisbane and an international location.
“The award-winning Asia Pacific Cities Summit is one of the largest and most diverse gatherings of industry leaders in the world and we couldn’t be prouder that it started in Brisbane,” said Brisbane Deputy Mayor, Krista Adams.
“With Dubai being less than eight hours flying time for more than two thirds of the world’s population, it’s the perfect place to expand the reach of this industry leading event and connect Brisbane with the world.
“We are thrilled to bring this homegrown event to a global stage, and continue to create opportunities for our economy to get even better.”
Previous international hosts include Seattle (2001), Chongqing (2005), Incheon (2009), Kaohsiung (2013) and Daejeon (2017).
The event boasts an alumnus of over 600 cities and is largely regarded as a hallmark event for the Asia Pacific region.
The purpose of the event is to drive economic growth for Brisbane, with flow on effects for South East Queensland, Australia and the wider region.
Brisbane is Australia’s closest major port to East Asia and continues to see a growth in international influence, with exports projected to increase by 41% between 2021 and 2031.
The announcement follows the success of 2023APCS, which attracted almost 1,200 delegates from 171 cities, including 118 mayors and deputy mayors and 140 young professionals.
The event also included 180 speakers and 78 exhibitors across three days of city shaping discussions at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, where $2.3 billion of immediate city projects were presented to delegates for consideration.
2025APCS will be held in the state-of-the-art Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai.
Expo City Dubai has hosted global events like Expo 2020 Dubai in 2021 and the largest-ever climate action conference, the United Nations 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in 2023.
“Expo City Dubai is proud to have been selected from a competitive bid of global cities to host the 2025 Asia Pacific Cities Summit.A unique place to work and live, close to the new Al Maktoum International Airport and the Dubai Exhibition Centre, we are a hub for city and business leaders interested in collaborating for sustainable growth,” said Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority.
“We draw upon a decade of key insights and lived experience, from the successful World Exhibition that was Expo 2020 Dubai, delivered with 192 nations, to our urban development journey that has seen us transform into a city of opportunity, knowledge creation and exchange.”
For more information visit apcsummit.org or Brisbane.qld.gov.au and search ‘Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum’.
