The Toowoomba Region is set to showcase its architecture and town planning achievements to around 250 industry leaders in an upcoming three-day state-wide conference.
At its March meeting, Toowoomba Region Council endorsed a sponsorship request from the Planning Institute of Australia Queensland (PIA Qld) to host the 2025 PIA Queensland Conference at the heritage listed Empire Theatre (pictured) in late August.
The PIA Qld conference is an annual event for built environment professionals, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and town planning practitioners, to explore the latest innovations, trends and challenges facing urban and regional planning.
This year’s conference, to be held from 27-29 August, will include study tours which showcase the Toowoomba Region’s diverse planning accomplishments. The conference will also highlight the Region as a diverse and progressive environment, a preferable choice for future investment opportunities.
Portfolio and spokesperson for Planning and Development, Councillor Tim McMahon said the conference was a great opportunity to demonstrate to planning industry leaders how much the Toowoomba region has grown and why developers should recognise its potential as a great location for future projects.
“Town planners are strong influencers in the business and development sectors, so we are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to have so many of them visit our Region and be exposed to what we can offer,” Cr McMahon said.
Mayor, Geoff McDonald, agreed, stating the conference will benefit the local community in more ways than one.
“Hosting the PIA Qld conference is also guaranteed to benefit our community by making a significant contribution to our local economy through both direct spending, and the flow-on effects as money circulates through the local economy,” said Mayor McDonald.
Based on event impact summary modelling, the conference is expected to inject more than $1.6 million into the Region’s economy, with accommodation and hospitality businesses most likely to benefit from the potential hundreds of overnight visitors.
The forecast economic reward is estimated to be approximately 94 times Council’s original financial investment.
The sponsorship agreement includes Council providing a financial contribution of $19,000 to PIA Qld, which will be put towards covering the venue’s hire and audio-visual costs.
“I’m excited to think about the positive flow on effects this event will have on our economy as more visitors come to our Region. I’m also excited about the development opportunities our community may gain because of our involvement with PIA Qld,” said Mayor McDonald.
The Toowoomba Region previously hosted a PIA Qld state conference in 2013 with over 220 attendees.
Past PIA Qld conference locations include Mackay, Gold Coast and K’gari- Fraser Island.
