South Australia has been named Best Event State at the 2025 Australian Event Awards and Symposium ceremony which was held in Coffs Harbour in New South Wales on Wednesday October 15.
The Australian Event Awards is the only national awards program to recognise great events and achievements not only in their field or sector, but amongst the best across the entire Australian events industry, fostering continued excellence, innovation and unity.
The Awards program is the only opportunity for Australian event professionals to compete directly right across the nation and across all facets of the industry to establish which are Australia's best events and event-related goods, services and innovations. Alongside the Awards, the Symposium aims to drive industry growth and development, and to ensure Australia remains on the leading edge of the events space worldwide.
The 'Best Event State' award is a national honour, that recognises the state or territory where the largest number of high-quality events have occurred.
South Australia was well represented among finalists at last night's awards ceremony in Coffs Harbour, with the Santos Tour Down Under and Adelaide Fringe among national event nominees and local businesses including Big Fish Events Group and Novatech Creative Event Technology winning their respective categories.
The high-profile Awards program and conference is guided by ongoing industry consultation and continues to answer the need for cohesiveness across the entire Australian industry, developing and reinforcing industry identity and assisting Australian operators in cross-development of opportunities between events and event disciplines.
The Awards are all-inclusive, being open to all Australian events, event managers and support service providers regardless of:
- event type or audience
- event size or attendance
- event location or association membership
The Australian Event Awards foster continued excellence, innovation and unity across the nation's events industry. All Australian events, event managers and support service providers are eligible to enter.
Visit eventawards.com.au for more information.
As put by Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison
South Australia has once again proven we are the best events state in Australia.
Although, it is no surprise to us that South Australia has earned such fantastic national recognition, this win shows the strength of our events and festivals all year round.
From world-class festivals and major sporting events to community celebrations and multicultural showcases, our state knows how to put on a great event.
We know how important these celebrations are to the state's visitor economy – from the internationally recognised Santos Tour Down Under and LIV Golf Adelaide to the buzz of AFL Gather Round, world-class art exhibitions, and a variety of regional drawcards.
Our blockbuster events calendar continues to grow, showcasing South Australia at its best and supporting local jobs in the process.
There's still so much to enjoy this year – Harvest Rock, the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant, and the bp Adelaide Grand Final are among highlights – and plenty more to come in 2026 including the Adelaide International, the Ashes, the opera spectacular AIDA, WOMADelaide and blockbuster events such as the Santos Tour Down Under, LIV Golf and Gather Round.
Generous hospitality and simple pleasures are true South Australian signatures, and events provide a powerful way to share those qualities.
