Melbourne Magic
Canberra
Abu Dhabi
Snowy Mountains
Melbourne Magic
A group of Sydney-based incentive planners hosted by Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau visited a range of venues, from a burlesque lair in Kensington to the MCG member's room, and even a quaint lavender farm in the heart of Daylesford. Bonnie Cleaver tagged along…
There could hardly be a more startling way to start the day early in Melbourne than entering the fantastical world of No. 12, an old woolshed in Kensington that has been converted into a space for theatre and dining.
Run by Peter Rowland Catering & Events, the theatrical background of artistic director William May is evident in the baroque-style interiors, filled with sculptures, statues, gilded mirrors, rich fabrics and candles. The main foyer can be used for pre-dinner drinks or an intimate dinner, flowing on to the Pavillion, which lends itself to a cocktail reception or product launch. Large golden doors open into the White World, an expansive room with 360deg. white screens on which anything can be projected.
“We manage the theming of events right down to entertainment and decorations,” says client relationship executive Nadio Todaro. “The Pavillion's laneway entrance can be filled with fire eaters, food stalls and street performers, for example. Theming can even be continued into the bathroom – one event had a belly dancer in the men's room and a Tom Cruise impersonator in the women's.”
By contrast, Victoria’s State Library has several event areas ranging from the 19th -century elegance of Queen's Hall to the scholarly atmosphere and high ceilings of the Dome, which can fit up to 520 people cocktail-style. For banquets, guests in the Dome sit at library tables, transformed with tablecloths and decorations. For more intimacy there is the Cowen Gallery, a red rotunda with portraits of prominent Victorians gazing down from the walls.
Next up, the Regent Theatre has a show-biz atmosphere with its gold-textured walls, bronze chandeliers and water feature, with space for 200 for a pre-dinner reception. Bigger events (up to 500) can flow through to the Plaza Ballroom, a Spanish rococo-style space with a stage.
Before lunching at Restaurant Allegro, the group inspected the five-star Westin with its luxurious baths and double-nozzle drenching showers plus the Westin-branded Heavenly Bed. An entire floor is dedicated to meetings, seven rooms offering floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking City Square .
The first afternoon delight was the neo-gothic Chapter House, built in 1891 in the style of the great banquet halls of Europe . The sandstone walls, cathedral glass windows and Tasmanian black wood floors provide a striking setting for 180 people in long or round banquet tables, or 200 for cocktails.
A short stroll away, the group next visited Atrium in Federation Square. The covered outdoors galleria-like structure of angled glass, steel and zinc is popular for corporate award ceremonies, launches and cocktail parties. Within the complex is the BMW Edge amphitheatre and delegates can dine at the Zinc@Federation Square event centre.
At the Members Dining Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, groups seated at round tables have city skyline views on one side and an overview of the hallowed turf on the other side. The room, which can seat 550 banquet-style, has wood paneling and a stone-topped bar. The MCG has a range of meeting rooms and bars, and tailored group experiences can be arranged including tours of the turf or visits to the change rooms.
Before staying the night at Crown Towers (which has won the Victorian Tourism Award for Luxury Accommodation for three consecutive years), the group visited the hotel's Day Spa with its 25m lap pool, steam room, gym and beauty salon with 16 treatment rooms and private pampering suites.
Crown Towers had just finished a $2 million facelift of the Palladium Ballroom, which can seat up to 2500 people or be subdivided. There are also three River rooms and four Garden rooms. A special feature is the Crystal Club, a private lounge for suite guests offering sweeping city views through three-storey windows.
Next door, the Crown Promenade is more of a residential conference hotel. “Crown Promenade attracts a lot of conference delegates, and groups often stay and have their meetings at Promenade then head across to Towers for gala events or dinners,” says associate director of conference and incentive sales, Nicole Hempseed.
Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne’s only purpose-built hotel convention and conference venue, features high-speed wireless internet access and networking, web-casting and video-conferencing with full technical support.
After the whirlwind day in the city, it was time to head out to rural Victoria. Ninety minutes in the bus took the group to the towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, stunning with their autumn leaves.
Daylesford, with its Swiss/Italian heritage, has the highest concentration of natural therapists in the Southern Hemisphere, according to Hepburn Shire Council tourism and recreation manager Geoff Ryan. “Time-poor city people come here to be pampered at spas, to enjoy boutique wine and local produce.”
First port of call was the Shizuka Ryokan (“inn of tranquility”), an authentic Japanese guest-house and spa retreat that make a novel venue for small corporate groups for retreats or workshops while rejuvenating. The six guest rooms feature futon bedding, rice-paper sliding screens and decorative alcoves, with tatami straw matting and hand-made pillows. There is a double-sized spa and Japanese garden for each guestroom, along with in-house spa and massage treatments.
By contrast, The Convent is a hilltop gallery crammed with traditional and contemporary art - sculpture, painting, pottery, jewellery and textiles by local artisans. The venue was bought from the Presentation Sisters by artist/businesswoman Tina Banitska 15 years ago. There are two glass-fronted event areas with views over the gardens and the Daylesford hills.
“A lot of incentive groups come here, typically of 80 to 170 people," says Banitska. “The Convent provides a wonderful backdrop for themed events.”
Also filled with artworks, this time by owner Alan Wolf-Tusker, is the Lake House on the shores of Lake Daylesford . The retreat has 33 homestead-style rooms, and conferences can be held at the gabled Terrace Room. Floor-to-ceiling windows fold back to provide access to a cocktail bar and lounge area, and the foyer opens out on to a terrace facing the forest, mountains and lake. The 40-seater weekend-only restaurant was voted Australia’s Best Food & Wine Experience last year in The Australian’s Travel & Leisure Awards.
Group activities include pizza evenings, winery tours and scavenger hunts around the lake. “We recently organised a Culinary Olympics for Mazda's top sales execs," says corporate sales manager Sian Boston. "Each group had to prepare a gourmet meal which was then judged by our head chef."
Lake House has a 10,000-bottle wine cellar and a new Salus Spa with hydrotherapy treatments drawing on the region's mineral springs.
“You'd never think that a small country centre could have an amazing gourmet restaurant and wine cellar, and modern conference and events rooms," was the reaction of participant George Bedirian, general manager of the Australian Incentive Travel Company.
After lunch, the group moved on to sample the work of wine-maker-cum-dentist Graham Ellender at Ellender Estate. The vineyard offers a range of activities for groups of up to 50, such as structured tasting, wine-lending workshops, bread baking, gourmet picnics and wine literature classes.
Nearby Lavandula lavender farm featured stone buildings, a legacy of Swiss Italian immigrants during the 1850s. Owner Carol White says the property is versatile, hosting several festivals a year, including a Lavender Festival in January for 15,000 people.
"We get quite a few corporate groups like Honda and Alpha Romeo, where we might have a lunch profiling the food of one region in Italy , prepared on-site by our chefs,” says White. “We recently had an alfresco Italian feast for 120 Mazda staff, with three opera singers standing against the backlit lavender.”
Last up was Cricket Willow, 10km north of Daylesford, the only place in the world where visitors can watch a cricket bat being made “from bud to bat”. It is bursting with cricket memorabilia, and groups can hold a cricket match. A meetings room can seat up to 80 guests, with room for another 80 on the veranda.
Before heading home, the group was hosted in the lodges at Peppers Spring Retreat.
- Melbourne Convention & Visitor's Bureau, www.mcvb.com.au
- Peter Rowland Events & Catering (No. 12, Chapter House), www.peterrowland.com.au
- State Library of Victoria , www.slv.vic.gov.au
- Regent Theatre and Ballroom, www.marinertheatres.com.au
- The Westin Melbourne, www.westin.com.au
- Federation Square , www.fedsquare.com
- Melbourne Cricket Ground, www.epicure.com.au
- Crown Towers , www.crowntowers.com.au
- Crown Promenade, www.crownpromenadehotel.com.au
- Shizuka Ryokan, www.shizuka.com.au
- The Convent, www.theconvent.com.au
- Lake House , www.lakehouse.com.au
- Ellender Estate, www.ellenderwines.com
- Lavandula, www.lavandula.com.au
- Cricket Willow , www.cricketwillow.com.au
- Peppers Spring Retreat, www.thesprings.com.au
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Assignment Canberra
What goes on around the corridors of power in the nation's capital? CIM special agent Alex Yeomans put on her trench coat and fedora and went to investigate…
Capital experience
My mission was marked "Top Secret". The envelope came from the Canberra Convention Bureau, and I was assigned to tag along with a famil group.
What did a town full of politicians have to offer a conference group? I thought this would be a tough call, but I was wrong…
While the bureau calls its annual famil Top Secret, they're quick to say that what Canberra has to offer is no secret. I had three days to figure that out. Three days, I feared, that would drag. But I was far from bored. There's so much to do and see in Canberra that three days hardly seemed enough. And as for Canberra’s idea of "peak-hour" traffic, that's a laugh. Getting around the capital is child's play. It's not far between hotels and venues, so for conference groups it's easy, quick and affordable.
When it comes to venues, don't let the names fool you: The National Gallery of Australia, New and Old Parliament House, the National Museum of Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian War Memorial may sound kinda fusty, but they do offer plenty of opportunities for extra-special events.
Then there's the pollies. Believe it or not, they're a major draw card. It's not always easy to gain access to politicians, but the bureau can arrange it. This is great for industry associations – they can march on parliament to voice concerns or lobby a case, and if they're having a conference in Canberra it can include a session with a politician. Just ask the bureau.
While we're talking about the powerful, the bureau can even arrange for groups to infiltrate the Press Club, the hallowed fourth estate, the home of journalists who have their fingers on the pulse of the nation.
Talking about estates, my first night in Canberra was like a home away from home - the new All Suites Clifton Gardens. These self-contained apartments let you cater to your own needs with their fully equipped kitchens full of shiny appliances, their uber-cool leather lounge suites and rocking chairs, and, get this, heated bathroom floors. You don't get cold feet in Canberra.
Day one kicked off, respectably enough, with lunch – in the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Australia. While squinting at the art through my shades, I found myself being distracted by the amazing array of food being put our way.
Feeling as full as a KGB dossier, I went on a reccy with the others through the gallery. I gathered quite a bit of into. For example, the main foyer can hold up to 600 guests for cocktails and 150 for a sit-down dinner. The figures for the exhibition foyer are 400 and 250.
If you think politicians are a special breed, you should see the National Zoo & Aquarium. There I discovered the largest collection of big cats in the country - and there were plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with them. Events can be held on the "cat walk" or surrounded by bears, and delegates can meet a cheetah, lunch with a giraffe, have a bear lick honey from their hand or feed a tiger. It's a wild place.
A little tamer was a site inspection of the Crowne Plaza, followed by dinner at the National Convention Centre.
Our group was in for a bit of a surprise when taking a look at the Australian Institute of Sport. A curtain dropped – and there was a table all set up for lunch. Some of the athletes even dropped by for a bite with us. Then to burn off some calories we went kicking soccer balls, playing volleyball and even taking a run on the "skeleton". That's like a luge, only you go down the track head-first.
That all works up an appetite, so we went to investigate Poachers Pantry with its amazing range of smoked foods, including kangaroo, washing down our snacks with wine.
So here's the inside gem on Canberra – you need to be a bit hungry, because they like to make sure you are well fed. After all, we went straight from the Pantry to the University House dining hall for dinner. Well, it just looked like Hogwarts (remember the Harry Potter movies?). To round out the Harry Potter theme, we were given hot mulled wine in tankards while being entertained by a magician. Magic indeed.
After all that, I'm filing a report that there's nothing really top secret about Canberra. Rather, it's no secret that it's tops.
Canberra Convention Bureau, www.canberraconvention.com.au
National Zoo & Aquarium, www.zooquarium.com.au
Crowne Plaza Canberra, www.crowneplazacanberra.com
Rydges Lakeside, www.rydges.com
AIS, www.ais.org.au
Cockington Green, www.cockingtongreen.com.au
Poachers Pantry, www.poacherspantry.com.au
University House, www.anu.edu.au/unihouse
National Museum of Australia , www.nma.gov.au
Australian War Memorial, www.awm.gov.au
Hyatt Hotel Canberra, www.hyatt.com.au
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Abu Dhabi
Think big. Think new. Think exciting. All that applies to a fresh C&I destination on the international stage - Abu Dhabi. Alexandra Yeomans went to investigate…
Tiny nation, bold approach
If anything, the United Arab Emirates ' latest venue, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), will redefine the word "mammoth".
An unusual U shape, it will have 57,000sq.m. of exhibition floor allowing for interlinking walls, a massive 21,000sq.m. visitor concourse and 75,000sq.m. of multi-purpose halls.
With a soaring tower curving above the centre and looking out to sea as an architectural focal point, the conference venues will be equally impressive: up to 12,000 delegates can be accommodated in more than 30 high-spec. meeting rooms and there will be several banquet areas.
With the first phase of the project to be completed next month, the centre will host the International Defence Exhibition & Conference in February.
Both the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and project developer, the Abu Shabi National Exhibitions Company, are confident the complex will not only attract more C&I business to the rapidly expanding region, but also help boost the tiny nation's profile across all visitor categories.
"Quality exhibitions will play an important role in creating international awareness of Abu Dhabi, as well as in attracting investment, new industry and business tourism," says ADNEC chairman, Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nayhan. "It is essential we have a world-class venue to host these events."
Close to major hotel developments, a short distance from Abu Dhabi Airport and 35 minutes' drive from Jebel Ali, Dubai, the area around the centre will offer a variety of hotel accommodation, serviced apartments for 2000 people, 17 office towers, a marina development and a retail zone with more than 100 shops.
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's business tourism/C&I manager Gillian Taylor says that with several hotels coming on line in the next few years to join a strong line-up of existing properties, Abu Dhabi is well placed to cater for large international groups.
"The next few years are set to be hugely exciting for the C&I market with such prestigious names as Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Shangri La and Fairmont coming into the market. Room availability in the capital is set to increase from 8000 rooms to 25,000 by 2015.
"We already have such world-class hotels as the Emirates Palace, the region's best Arabian-style hotel with more than 100 domes. Other C&I properties include the InterContinental, which is undergoing major remodelling and refurbishment for a November opening, and the Beach Rotana, which has the largest pillar less ballroom in Abu Dhabi . The Sheraton, Hilton, Le Royal Meridien and Millennium are all five-star properties with excellent meeting venues, and most have their own beach."
Travel times between major hotels and ADNEC is between 10 and 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, recreational amenities are also being re-developed, most notably Saadiyat Island, 500m offshore from the capital and half the size of the Bermuda. It is set to be transformed with 29 new hotels, two golf courses and eight iconic "string-of-pearl" architectural landmarks.
Taylor says Abu Dhabi has much to offer the C&I sector.
"How about having a meeting in a tent or majils? Meeting Arab-style may give your delegates a new way of looking at things - a prompt brainstorming with a difference. Or for a conference opening with a difference; how about a dignified formal welcome by a ruling sheikh? And as much of the emirate is made up of the infamous Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter), you will find sand dunes and stunning oases – fabulous for pre- and post-conference touring. Why not try dune-bashing in a four-wheel drive or sand-skiing followed by a traditional feast in a Bedouin desert campsite?
"For a partner program, Al Ain is an oasis town with a wealth of archaeological sites dating back 5000 years. It has fantastic markets and a fabulous heritage museum and ancient forts. Shopping and dining options are superb. There is a modern shopping centre with international brands at great value through to traditional Arabian markets where carpets are the speciality and bargaining is a must."
For planners concerned that religious and cultural differences may raise issues during an events program, Taylor says that not only is Abu Dhabi one of the safest places in the world, it is also respectful of other faiths and viewpoints.
"The UAE is a Muslim country, but other faiths are respected and non-Muslims wishing to practise their faith are free to do so," she says.
"Although there are no strict dress restrictions in Abu Dhabi , visitors are advised to wear loose-fitting conservative clothing in public and outdoor. Too much exposed skin is considered not to be polite, although it is totally acceptable in the pool or at the beach.
“Abu Dhabi offers a rich night life with a variety of restaurants, bars and night clubs, usually inside the hotels. The consumption of alcohol is restricted to these places."
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Ultimate test
Now long after it opens, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre will have its ultimate test when it stages the Middle East’s largest specialised exhibition for the meetings and incentives industry next year.
The inaugural Gulf Incentives, Business Travel & Meeting Exhibition (GIBTM) is scheduled for March 27 to 29, and will bring together C&I suppliers and buyers from around the world.
Abu Dhabi sees the event not only as a significant coup for the new centre, but also as a means of announcing how serious it is about attracting more international events business.
"GIBTM will be a highly important event for Abu Dhabi on several levels," says Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority chairman Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan. "It will attract a large and influential segment of the international travel trade, providing a first-hand experience of the destination and its attractions.
"It will also underline our commitment to attracting world-class exhibitions and conferences, and provide a showcase for the state-of-the-art facilities at ADNEC."
Organised by UK-based Reed Travel Exhibitions, GIBTM will have among its exhibitors national tourist organisations, convention bureaux, hotels and hotel groups, destination management companies and specialist service providers representing destinations in the Gulf region, South and South-East Asia, Europe and North Africa.
A key feature will be a hosted buyer program, designed to ensure quality appointments for exhibitors.
Reed Travel Exhibitions chairman Tom Nutley says he sees tremendous potential for meetings and exhibitions growth throughout the Gulf region.
"The region is really taking off in terms of its meetings business. There has been some far-sighted investment in key infrastructure, especially in meeting space, airports and hotels, and I suspect we'll see significant increases in demand over the coming years in all meetings-related segments - corporate, association and inter-governmental; meetings, incentive travel and exhibitions."
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's business tourism and C&I manager Gillian Taylor is equally enthusiastic about the region's potential.
"The sheer fact that Reed Travel Exhibitions has confirmed GIBTM '07 taking place at ADNEC makes a statement in itself, but the larger message is that this influential event heightens the profile of the centre and presents a robust, well-arranged platform for business and professional expertise in Abu Dhabi.
"The support of such events as GIBTM, which is a world-class networking event, is certain to establish Abu Dhabi as a central destination for global business."
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Snowy Mountains
Mountain getaway
Set on 150 acres of natural bush land in the Snowy Mountains high country, Novotel Lake Crackenback Resort is planning to extend its appeal to the conference and incentive market by increasing its accommodation and conferencing facilities.
Business development officer, Nolen Oayda, says that over the next three to four years, Lake Crackenback Resort will be boosting its bed count from 250 up to 650, through a series of new freehold chalets.
The new chalets, 77 in total, will be rented out by owners for most of the year, and will feature professionally-decorated interiors with open fire places, under-floor heating, spa and sauna, entertainment systems and automatic blinds.
The versatile chalet design (dual key) means two separate dwelling spaces are made available, suitable for group visits. A common entrance leads into a single apartment or a two bedroom apartment which can be joined to become one house.
The Resort is also planning to extend its current conference facilities and spaces, changing the layout of their waterside restaurant to fit 150 people.
Plans are underway for a new conference site to be built on the property that will be larger in size than the existing Courtyard and Veranda rooms, which fit 140 people theatre-style. Negotiations are also underway with a nearby ski resort for the use of their hill-top lodge for functions and events, in what will be Australia 's highest altitude conference area.
“The focus is to draw larger groups by creating extra infrastructure, a shopping village, another restaurant and conference space, while still keeping that village atmosphere that the Snowy Mountains is famous for,” says Oyada.
Located 15 minutes from Perisher, Blue Cow and Thredbo ski slopes, the resort makes a good incentive venue during winter ski season, where team-building activities like mini Olympics can be organised. A courtesy bus conveys delegates to the Skitube Alpine Railway for a 10 minute ride to Perisher Blue, with a door-to-door service available to Thredbo.
During summer, the resort has outdoor activities including Kosciusko alpine guided walks, fly-fishing, archery, tennis, golf, horse riding, canoeing and paddle boating.
Day packages include meeting room equipment and the use of a conference room, morning, afternoon tea and lunch at $58 per delegate. 24-hour residential packages include accommodation in the self-contained lakeside apartments with access to recreational facilities, buffet breakfast, working lunch and morning and afternoon tea. This package is priced at $215 per delegate per day for twin share, or $290 for single share, until the end of June.
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