CIM July Issue

Print Post Approved PP231335/00018

07 13 JULY

Community minded

Why CSR matters

Mixing business with pleasure

Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth

Leveraging off major events Official Australian publication for the PCO Association

Waterfront wonder

CAB Audited Circulation 16,662 March 2013 – Readership 58,317 monthly Nielsen Media Research

c&i briefing Centre from this year right through to the year 2020.

Three Club Melbourne Ambassadors were officially recognised for their contributions to the fields of design and medicine in the Queen’s Birthday 2013 Honours List announced last month. The honourees were Dr Ken Cato, Professor Garry Jennings and Professor Euan Wallace.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott (pictured centre) has recently visited Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, in Tropical North Queensland, to inspect the progress on the park’s $12 million redevelopment, which includes it meetings and events facilities.

“Tjapukai demonstrates that it’s more than possible to turn our Indigenous heritage into an economic opportunity and that is at the heart of our vision for Northern Australia,” he said. Tjapukai is currently pushing for a national Indigenous museum to be built at the park in addition to the current redevelopment.

AEG Ogden’s director of convention centres Geoff Donaghy has become the first Asia-Pacific region representative to be elected president of the International Association of Congress Centres at its annual meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. A board member for the past eight years and vicepresident for the past six, Donaghy succeeds outgoing president, Edgar Hirt from Hamburg, Germany. Donaghy is also set to assume the role of chief executive of the new $1 billion International Convention Centre Sydney project at Darling Harbour which commences construction in December.

The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux has announced that Emelia Vimalasiri from Canberra Convention Bureau is the winner of the 2013 Destination Marketing Association International prize, which supports the professional development of a young Australian convention bureau staff member. Vimalasiri will travel to the Destination Marketing Association International convention in Florida this month.

DMS Destination Marketing Services has celebrated its 21st birthday this month. Managing director Leila Bishara (formerly Fiedler) started the representation company in 1992; since then she has steadily grown the portfolio of DMCs and hotels to incorporate more than 60 destinations worldwide.

Financial Index Australia has won the opportunity to have Mantra Hotels & Resorts Ambassador and Australian tennis legend Pat Rafter

speak at their company conference, to be held at Mantra Mooloolaba Beach in October. The prize was awarded following Mantra’s recent competition whereby conferences booked by April at any of the Group’s 23 conference properties entered a draw.

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre’s director of sales – exhibitions, Helen Mantellato, has been awarded an Order of Merit in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Olympic movement over the past 20 years. The honour acknowledges Mantellato’s work in helping the Olympic movement stage a range of fundraising dinners at the Centre since 1993, the year that Sydney won its bid for the 2000 Olympic Games.

South African Tourism, organisers of business events trade show Meetings Africa, have big plans for the show in 2014, which will expand on the theme of “Advancing Africa Together”. “We saw a surge in interest at Meetings Africa 2013, both in terms of new exhibitors and new buyers and we expect this growth to be sustained next year,” said South African Tourism chief executive Thulani Nzima. Meetings Africa 2014 takes place from February 24-26 in Gauteng.

Brisbane’s leading home show exhibitions, the Courier Mail Home Show and the Sunday Mail Home Show & Outdoor Living Expo, are returning to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Exhibitions and Events Australia, owners of the shows which regularly attract in excess of 20,000 visitors, has secured dates at the

2 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

RACV Royal Pines Resort and RACV Noosa Resort have been awarded Bronze Certification by Earth Check, the world’s leading sustainable environmental benchmarking and certification program. Royal Pines is the first golf course resort in the Pacific region that is EarthCheck Benchmarked Bronze to be awarded the certification. According to John Morris, general manager of RACV Queensland Resorts, “more and more conference organisers are choosing venues with a strong track record in sustainability”.

Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific has won the Tourism, Hospitality and Events Award in the recent Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards, which take place each month from May to October. The award recognised Wyndham’s contribution to the Gold Coast tourism and events industry.

European business events expo EIBTM 2013 has launched a sustainable exhibitor support campaign to provide exhibitors with a series of tips and advice to ensure that they adopt a sustainable approach to their participation at the show, which will take place in Fira Gran Via, Barcelona from the November 19-21, 2013.

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has been voted number one in the Top 10 Convention Venues in Australia by Management Today Magazine – the national journal of the Australian

Institute of Management. This is the second successive year that BCEC has been named Australia’s top convention venue by the publication.

Some of the most innovative conference organisers in the technology and entertainment industries will meet in Berlin in June 2014 at the next TEDxSummit. More than 500 TEDx organisers and creatives from more than 100 countries will gather at the event. “TEDxSummit is an important opportunity to gather our incredible community of TEDx organisers who bring TED’s mission of ideas worth spreading to their local communities every day,” said Lara Stein, director of TEDx and TED Prize.

The Darwin Convention Centre has celebrated its fifth anniversary with a program of activities that honoured individuals and organisations within and beyond the Centre who have helped to impact the past five years. A series of cocktail functions will be held throughout the year to thank clients, the local community, and government and business partners.“We have spread the warmth of Northern Territory hospitality to 360,000 visitors and 1000 events over five years,’’ said the Centre’s general manager, Malu Barrios.

Things are looking up in the US meetings market, according to the second edition of the IBTM Global Meetings Industry Research for the Americas, which was launched at last month’s AIBTM tradeshow in Chicago. Key findings from the research highlighted that the average number of events organised by event planners in the region increased to 25 compared to 20 last year. In addition to this, 44 per cent of American buyers confirmed that they expect their volume of events to increase in the next 12 months and over 50 per cent predict an increase in their attendance.

Big Stick Adventures recently organised a high-end incentive trip for a New Zealand group, with participants driving some of the world’s leading sports cars including an Aston Martin, Lotus and Lamborghini along Victoria’s world-famous Great Ocean Road. “Whether you are a motor enthusiast or not, driving a Ferrari along the Great Ocean Road is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that impresses everyone,” said Big Stick owner Brett Hollis. “Conde Nast Traveller voted this the best coastal drive on the planet, so when you add stops at stunning locations, visits to wineries, food producers and more it provides a world class incentive that’s hard to match.”

Interim exhibition centre at contents Glebe Island to move ahead 04 08 10 12

Industry news

14 15 16 18 20

In the air

22 24 26 28 30 34 36 38 39

Vivid Sydney

Early site work on an interim exhibition centre at Glebe Island in Sydney will begin this month, following confirmation from Infrastructure NSW that contracts to create the facility have been agreed upon.

The interim facilities are needed to service Sydney’s exhibition and events industry while new facilities are built at Darling Harbour, and will open for the industry’s 2014 season, which starts in February next year.

According to Infrastructure NSW project director Tim Parker, the new Sydney Exhibition Centre at Glebe Island will offer pavilion-style fully-serviced exhibition space of 20,000sqm; options for an additional 5000sqm for temporary expansion for larger public exhibitions and trade shows; event-related food and beverage facilities, such as pop-up cafes and restaurants; and back of house facilities including a loadingdock, storage and waste management.

Involved in the construction will be Lend Lease as managing contractor; leading international events company GL Events, who will supply

the hard-walled exhibition structure; and Pacific Pontoons, who will build a temporary ferry wharf at Glebe Island.

International operator AEG Ogden will operate the interim facilities. With AEG Ogden also set to operate the new facilities at Darling Harbour when they open at the end of 2016, it is expected that there will be a smooth transition from Glebe Island to the new facilities once complete.

New Zealand news

International news Cover story — Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth Technology ABEE Keep America Meeting Corporate social responsibility Albury-Wodonga Team building Brisbane Incentives Venue update PCO Association notes Meeting people Calendar

Making the announcement Parker thanked the exhibition industry for its patience while Infrastructure NSW worked to provide the interim facilities at Glebe Island.

Vivid Sydney

“Infrastructure NSW has been working closely with the industry representatives as part of a shared commitment to get the facility up and running,” Mr Parker said.

There are currently more than 120 events holding space at the interim facility, and AEG Ogden would continue discussions with exhibition organisers to finalise arrangements.

22

Lasting legacy I

Photo: Verve Portraits.

was lucky enough to attend the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre’s 25th anniversary dinner earlier this month, an event which saw a who’s who of the business events industry descend on the Centre to celebrate its many achievements over the years.

Publisher’s word

With the Centre set to close in December, you might imagine that the mood would have been sombre but in fact, everyone from chief executive Ton van Amerongen down was remarkably positive and upbeat. The Centre may be closing but its contribution to the growth of Sydney’s (and Australia’s) business events industry

over the last quarter of a century is undeniable, and so is the legacy it will leave the city: a reputation for holding successful events, staged with integrity, flair and professionalism.

Here’s to a successful final six months.

Alexandra Yeomans, Publisher

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 3

industry news

Funding boost for Canberra Convention Bureau The ACT Government has announced both the renewal of the Canberra Convention Bureau’s three year ongoing base funding and an additional $400,000 over two years to encourage more business visitors to Canberra.

Sydney from the air.

“It is vital to the future of South Australia’s health and medical research capabilities that we continue to host and attract national and international conferences to Adelaide, and this is why SAHMRI’s strategic partnership with the Adelaide Convention Centre is so important”.

“We commend the ACT Government for the announcement of this funding as it will enable the Bureau to continue its valuable contribution to the growth of the Canberra economy by encouraging organisations to choose Canberra as their conference destination” said Robyn Hendry, chief executive of the Canberra Convention Bureau.

The Bureau will reach its growth target of $41.5 million in confirmed business secured during the financial year, putting it on track with its five-year strategic plan of 25 per cent growth to $45.6 million by 2015.

“On the back of a successful Centenary year the additional funding will enable us to maintain momentum into the future,” she said.

Green light for Crown casino in Sydney James Packer’s proposal for a casino at Barangaroo has been given the green light to proceed to the next stage.

The New South Wales Government has announced that Crown’s proposal for a second casino in Sydney could proceed to “stage three”, but that it was not a licence to build it yet.

The decision followed a rival $1.1 billion proposal by Echo Entertainment Group, the owner of the current sole casino licence holder in Sydney, The Star, which included infrastructure upgrades in Pyrmont and the right to remain the sole casino in Sydney for another 15 years.

A desire to introduce more competition into the sector, as well as economic benefits to the state, were given as reasons behind the decision, according to businessman David Murray, whose report was used by the parliamentary committee to reach their decision.

Crown chairman James Packer said that he was delighted that Crown’s proposal would proceed to the next level.

“Sydney is one of the world’s great cities; it deserves one of the world’s great hotels,” he said. “I want this building to be instantly recognisable around the world and feature on postcards

services and physical hosting requirements.

Conference embraces delegate program

and memorabilia promoting Sydney. That’s how you attract international tourists, create jobs and put Sydney on the map.”

Event Awards call for entries This year’s Australian Event Awards is now open for entries at www. eventawards.com.au. The annual awards aim to recognise the achievements of Australians in the events industry who have demonstrated significant accomplishments in their field.

With categories including the CIM Magazine Best Meeting or Conference, Best Exhibition, Best Venue, Best Export and Young Achiever of the Year, the Australian Event Awards are the only national program that encompasses each industry sector.

“The awards are a real honour reserved for the best of the best in each category,” said Event Awards project manager Chris Twyman.

“It’s easy to enter, but hard to win!”

SAHMRI alliance pays dividends for SA The Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) is to host two major health conferences after partnering with the $200 million South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) which officially opens its doors later this year.

The centre will welcome the 2014 Annual Scientific Congress of the International Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (ISCP), which is expected to attract more than 1000 delegates from across the world and inject around $1.7 million into the South Australian economy when it comes to Adelaide in September 2014.

4 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

In 2016 the Centre will host the International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer following a successful bid by the Adelaide Convention Bureau in conjunction with SA Cancer Service’s Professor Dorothy Keefe.

The four-day event is expected to bring in around $5.7 million to the South Australian economy with 1500 of the world’s top supportive care researchers and practitioners, along with patients and advocates, expected to attend.

ACC chief executive Alec Gilbert said the ISCP win is “an example of the benefits brought about by co-locating organisations in the Riverbank Precinct”.

“Having SAHMRI as a neighbour allows us to bid strategically for major health and medical conferences, particularly those aligned to SAHMRI’s seven key research themes, including Heart Health,” he said.

“SAHMRI will be the host and develop the scientific program for the Congress, while the Centre will look after all the event logistics,

The Cairns Delegate Advantage Program has been enthusiastically supported by conference organisers who have praised the initiative as an example of the city working together to welcome conference delegates.

Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef director Rosie Douglas said the program was recently used by the 1100 delegates at the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Conference at the Cairns Convention Centre.

“Cairns businesses who are members of Tourism Tropical North Queensland or the Cairns Chamber of Commerce can sign up for the free program and offer a valueadd or discount of their choice to delegates attending conferences in the city,” she said.

Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Conference organiser Sharyn Low said the program offered fantastic value for conference delegates.

“The other benefit is that it saves our delegates time, as they can go to the listing and choose from a range of quality products without having to spend time researching,” she said.

“It’s great to see a city working

An artist impression of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

WHERE YOUR STAY MEETS YOUR LIFE

5-star hotels and resorts in the business of pleasure.

Pullman is now Australia’s largest 5-star brand. Along with our first Pullman at Sydney Olympic Park, we’re now open on Sydney Harbour, the iconic Hyde Park as well as in Cairns, Brisbane and Melbourne. In addition, Pullman resorts and spas have made the leisure destinations of Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Margaret River’s Bunker Bay even more desirable. With its unique Co-Meeting initiative, Pullman is the leading choice for your next conference, meeting or event.

PULLMANHOTELS.COM • ACCORHOTELS.COM MORE THAN 70 HOTELS IN 22 COUNTRIES: SydNEy • MELbOURNE • bRISbANE • CAIRNS • PORT dOUgLAS • PALM COvE • bUNkER bAy AUCkLANd • LONdON • PARIS • bERLIN • bARCELONA • bANgkOk • bALI • SHANgHAI • bEIjINg

well together to welcome conference delegates.”

CeBIT in Sydney for another three years The New South Wales Government has secured CeBIT Australia, the Asia-Pacific arm of the world’s largest trade fair, in Sydney for 2014-16.

CeBIT Australia is the largest

business technology event in the Asia-Pacific, attracting more than 30,000 attendees from more than 45 countries each year and generating around $30 million in direct and flow-on value to the NSW economy.

“CeBIT Australia is a magnet for the best tech talent the world has to offer, and keeping the event in Sydney helps maintain the state’s reputation as one of

Amway India gives Melbourne the thumbs up A survey of Amway India Leadership Seminar 2012 delegates, conducted by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB), has given Melbourne the thumbs up as an incentive travel destination with 91 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction with the conference facilities, and more than 95 per cent feeling welcome and safe in the city.

The event, held in December 2012, saw just under 4000 delegates descend on Melbourne – the largest Indian incentive group ever hosted in Australia. The seven-day itinerary included a business session at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, a visit to Sovereign Hill, exclusive access to Phillip Island Nature Parks, and a gala dinner at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Of the 3891 delegates who attended the Seminar, over 2200 were asked to fill in a survey on their experience in Victoria, with

a 47 per cent response rate.

The survey results also revealed the substantial impact the Seminar had on the local economy; 85 per cent of respondents stated they went shopping, while 60 per cent dined out at restaurants. On average, each respondent spent $941 on activities such as retail, dining and attractions.

MCB chief executive Karen Bolinger, said the survey results presented a strong case for the value of business events to tourism and the economy.

“The results of the Amway India Leadership Seminar survey provides solid evidence of the flow on effects business events have on the wider community, such as local businesses,” Bolinger said.

Melbourne will showcase its incentive offering later this year when it hosts Dreamtime 2013.

the Asia Pacific’s leading hubs for technology, productivity and innovation,” said NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell.

Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said the government wanted to ensure Sydney “remains a beacon for growth and innovation in the digital economy in the Asia Pacific”.

“CeBIT is one of many events that will be utilising venues across the city while the new world-class facilities at Darling Harbour are being developed,” he said.

“This is a great endorsement for Sydney and our ability to deliver world-class events, despite the changes to our hosting spaces.”

PCO Association looks at bulk buying The Professional Conference Organisers (PCO) Association is examining possibilities to consolidate member booking requirements at hotels and venues in each state and territory in order to negotiate greater opportunities through “bulk” buying.

Preliminary research by the PCO Association has identified annual hotel and venue conference bookings valued in excess of $150 million are made each year by its members, with the bulk of the individual bookings negotiated on a one-off basis.

Business consultant Richard Woodward has been engaged to facilitate the owner/managers special interest groups (SIG) meeting at the PCO Conference in Melbourne in November, where the final recommendations on the implementation of the proposal will be made following the SIG and extensive discussions with members and venues.

According to the PCO Association, the proposal will help the conference venue sector identify peak demand periods and overall strength of the market early in the yearly booking cycle and give venues an opportunity to examine yield management strategies based on their level of success in winning conference blocks.

Darling Harbour designs revised Designs for the proposed International Convention Centre Sydney have been revised to address public concerns expressed during the recent submission process.

Watch the video in the CIM iPad app.

6 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

The Darling Harbour Live consortium, led by developer Lend Lease, has submitted the revisions to the Department

of Planning for consideration before the December 2013 start date for construction.

The refinements include a redesign of the building’s facade, in a bid to reduce the visual impact of the theatre and the exhibition centre, moving a car park entrance to address traffic flow concerns and improved connectivity throughout the precinct.

The exhibition centre’s outdoor Event Deck has also been realigned, and its hours of operation have been reduced in response to concerns about noise.

However, Malcolm Macintyre, chief executive of Darling Harbour Live, said that they were “very pleased” with the level of support it had received.

“We have listened, addressed key questions in relation to the visual impacts, activation of the precinct and the scale and mass of the buildings, and refined the project design where appropriate.”

New name for Gold Coast bureau The Gold Coast Convention Bureau has been rebranded Gold Coast Business Events.

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter said the name change reflected the division’s role in the evolution of the Gold Coast as a leading business events destination.

“Gold Coast Business Events will continue to offer its best-practice bidding, support, and development services to the global business tourism sector,” he said.

“The department will also enhance its work in the positioning and promotion of the Gold Coast as destination of choice for the high-yield business tourism sector, and the name change better reflects that comprehensive sales, service, and marketing scope.”

Incorporating Luxury Travel

The 21st IT&CMA and 16th CTW Asia-Pacific 1 - 3 October 2013

Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld Bangkok, Thailand

“

It is definitely worth while being an exhibitor at IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific.

2012 Event Highlights

”

Tammy Piatti of OPTIMUM Thailand

“many new exhibitors

An excellent event! Appreciated the opportunity to meet with and learn about new venues that we can consider for our future events.

Unparalled Business Generation

More than 85% of exhibitors expect orders of up to USD 750,000 in value per order, 6 to 12 months after the event.

“

Am very satisfied with the numerous new contacts I made at the event as well as new ideas and knowledge on destinations gained.

Top Quality Exhibition Showcase As rated by 90% of buyers

”

Agnieszka Kaminska, Project Manager of Impuls Travel, Poland

“

High Quality Business Appointments

I’ve attended a lot of industry events and this is the best among them.

As rated by 80% of buyers

”

Gabe Dakwa, Travel Manager of Agilent Technologies, USA

Fresh Buying Power Each Year

“

A truly great experience with loads of networking, allowing me to connect with industry peers and discover insights of representing countries.

With 63% new buyers in 2012

Over 90% of Delegates* Are Likely To Recommend This Event To Industry Peers And Return For Next Year’s Event!

”

Leena Andrews, APAC Travel Manager of Juniper, India

Learn How Destinations, Individuals and Organisations Have Benefited From Being A Part of The Event

*Across Buyer, Corporate Travel Manager and Media Categories

Register Online

”

Michal Barszap, President/CEO of ITS Tours, Meetings & Incentives, USA

Read Our Commemorative Book, 20... To Be Continued, Online

Exhibitors (MICE, Corporate Travel & Luxury Travel) | Buyers (MICE & Luxury Travel) | Corporate Travel Managers | Media | Conference Delegates

Hosting Programme for Buyers, Corporate Travel Managers and Media Available

www.itcma.com | www.corporatetravelworld.com Organised By

Endorsing and Supporting Associations

Media Affiliates

Supported By

Host Country

Industry Partner

Official Media

Official Airline

Official Venue

nz n ews

Meetings generates big business The NZICC is intended to deliver convention facilities for 3500 convention delegates as well as hosting multiple concurrent events.

The facility will include at least 8600sqm of exhibition space, a dedicated plenary facility to host up to 3500 delegates and 3500sqm of dedicated meeting/breakout spaces.

Based on current anticipated timelines and subject to the passing of enabling legislation, the new centre will be completed by September 2017.

The announcement has been welcomed by Tourism New Zealand acting chief executive Justin Watson and chair Kerry Prendergast.

Meetings, New Zealand’s largest business tourism industry expo, has wrapped up for another year.

The two-day event was held at SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre from June 26 - 27, attracting 185 hosted buyers from Australia, China, South East Asia and North America and 400 local day buyers, as well as a record 180 suppliers.

Hosted buyers were treated to a full-day famil in Auckland before the event, hosted by Auckland Convention Bureau, with buyers and exhibitors also gathering for social events which showcased two of Auckland’s hottest venues, the Museum of Transport’s Aviation Display Hall and Shed 10 on Queens Wharf.

Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) chief executive Alan Trotter said the event has generated significant new business leads and a number of firm bookings.

Last year’s Meetings resulted in NZ$32 million worth of new business leads.

‘Momentous time’ for NZ’s convention industry It’s a momentous time for New Zealand’s business events industry, according to Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) chief executive Alan Trotter, with plans for new convention centres in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown well underway.

“If I was a betting man I would say that by 201920 we will have all three of those facilities up and running, with a total capacity increase of around 6000 delegates,” he said, speaking at the opening of Meetings 2013 in Auckland.

While the increased capacity will “throw out challenges in terms of filling them and making them sustainable”, Trotter believes that the industry working together with a “New Zealand Incorporated” approach will grow New Zealand’s share of the international meetings market.

“Lead times are anything between three and seven years so 2019 sounds a long time, but in terms of how the market works it’s not,” he said. “As soon as these projects are confirmed the industry needs to get out there marketing because they need to be full and they need to hit the ground running.”

With further announcements expected on the Watch the video in the CIM iPad app.

Auckland and Christchurch centres imminently, and “great commmunity will to get Queenstown over the line”, Trotter says the timing of the three projects is “just one of those things”.

“The discussion with SkyCity [about the Auckland’s Internationational Convention Centre] has been going on for around four years and no one could foresee that the Christchurch convention centre would be demolished in the February 2011 earthquake,” he said.

“We strongly support the agreement to establish a world class international convention centre in New Zealand,” said Prendergast.

“Convention centres anchor growth strategies for cities by providing for international and domestic business tourism. An appropriately sized convention centre in Auckland will underpin the city’s visitor growth aspirations.”

Rydges to manage new Christchurch hotel

“The new convention centres will also drive greater hotel investment and benefit the wider tourism industry.”

Rydges Hotels & Resorts have been appointed to manage the new Latimer Hotel in Christchurch. The hotel will be the first hotel to be built in the city since the earthquakes of 2011 and is scheduled to open its doors on October 1, 2013.

Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development chief executive Brett O’Reilly confirmed a high degree of confidence from investors in Auckland as a result of the international convention centre announcement.

The Hotel will be branded Rydges Latimer Christchurch and feature 138 guest rooms and extensive banquet facilities with a capacity to cater for up to 360 people, making it the largest hotel function space in Christchurch.

“Four new hotel developments are planned in the next three years and we expect to see several more,” he said.

“We are excited to be involved in this project which will not only provide Christchurch with a brand new hotel product but also send a positive message in regard to the re-development of the city and the strong future ahead for tourism and commerce in the region.” said Norman Arundel, general manager of Rydges Hotels & Resorts.

SkyCity signs International Convention Centre agreement SkyCity Entertainment Group has announced that it has signed the full project and licensing agreement with the New Zealand Government to design, build, own and operate the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).

Robert McGufficke will take on the role of general manager for the hotel. He was previously general manager for Rydges Christchurch prior to the 2011 earthquakes.

The agreement formalises the terms set out in the heads of agreement signed on May 12, 2013, for SkyCity to design, build and fit-out the NZICC. In return for this NZ$402 million investment, the Government will extend SkyCity’s Auckland casino licence and has agreed to a package of regulatory concessions.

The agreement also includes significant additional host responsibility measures to be introduced at SkyCity Auckland.

New venue for Meetings 2014

“The full NZICC agreement is a significant milestone in the development of this longawaited and vital piece of national tourism infrastructure,” said SkyCity Entertainment Group chief executive Nigel Morrison.

“The number of exhibitors wanting to display at Meetings grows each year and we just need

“The NZICC will deliver significant economic growth, jobs, high value international tourism and become a catalyst for further tourism and entertainment development in the ‘Victoria’ precinct and the Auckland CBD.”

8 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

Following on from a successful event last month, New Zealand business events expo Meetings will be moving to Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds next year.

For the past two years Auckland’s SkyCity Convention Centre has hosted Meetings, however the show has outgrown the venue, according to Conference and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) chief executive Alan Trotter.

New Zealand to take on ‘the likes of Melbourne’ more exhibition space if we’re cater to that demand,” he said.

Meetings event manager Jeanette Stanton said SkyCity Convention Centre has been a fantastic venue, with six Meetings held there since 2005.

“We’ve loved having Meetings there, but the move to the ASB Showgrounds will allow us to expand and do things a bit differently,” she said. “We’re very excited about the possibilities it opens up.”

Meetings 2014 will be held from June 18-19, 2014.

Tourism education conference heads to Auckland Auckland has secured the rights to host a major tourism education conference which is expected to attract 400 mostly international academics and inject more than NZ$750,000 into the Auckland economy, according to Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development general manager destination and marketing Rachael Carroll.

Auckland was selected ahead of cities in Taiwan and India to stage the Asia-Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education in June 2015.

Making the announcement at the recent Meetings trade show, Carroll said that the conference was particularly important to Auckland because “tourism and hospitality are vital to Auckland’s economy”.

“Tourism generates more than $3 billion into the Auckland economy and employs more than one in 10 Aucklanders,” she said. “We are certain

Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) will focus on its destination marketing in the business events sector to compete with Australia, thanks to an additional NZ$34 million in government funding over the next four years, according to Justin Watson, acting chief executive of TNZ (pictured).

“This additional funding takes us up to the next level,” Watson said, speaking on the final day of the Meetings expo in Auckland. “We are up against strong competition from Australia, especially the likes of Melbourne. We’re looking at how New Zealand can differentiate itself and take on the Australian states.”

While many New Zealand operators are already very active in Australia, which remains the “number one for market for New Zealand”, Watson said that no one is focusing on destination marketing.

“Tourism New Zealand will work on filling that that many of our local educators will get right behind this conference.”

Meeting the Olympic dream An inspiring new option has been added to the InterContinental Wellington Insider Collection for meeting delegates, with the addition of 2012 Olympic Games torch bearer Jason Eade.

The hotel’s chief concierge, Eade was one of only two New Zealanders selected to be part of the torch bearing team running through England in the lead up to the Olympic Games

gap and promoting New Zealand as a compelling place to visit,” he said.

The tourism organisation will invest NZ$7 million in international business events in both 2014 and 2015, increasing to NZ$10 million in 2016 and 2017. The four year strategy will see TNZ work closely with Conventions and Incentives New Zealand and private industry partners to prospect for and deliver leads, support industry bids to attract new international conferences to New Zealand, and help ensure those conferences are successful.

Watch the video in the CIM iPad app. last year, due to his personal story.

Before moving into hospitality in the early 2000s, Eade was a top boxer and Olympic medal contender until losing a leg in a motorcycle accident. Changing his focus, Eade went on to retrain in wheelchair basketball and tennis as well as golf, once again coming out on top of the sporting arena.

The InterContinental Meetings Insider Collection is designed to offer delegates a collection of experiences, insider speakers, and community involvement programs unique to that hotels.

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 9

international news

New business events expo for Africa Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) has announced the launch of IBTM Africa.

The 2014 event will take place at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC) complex in the West Ballroom from April 28 - 30 and will be part of Africa Travel Week.

markets for the continent, but it will also have a proportion of buyers from the emerging markets.”

IBTM Africa will be one of three co-located events at the CTICC that form Africa Travel Week, which also includes ILTM Africa (International Luxury Travel Market) and WTM Africa (World Travel Market).

Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) is aiming to secure 45 bid wins for 2013 and maintain its 80 per cent bid success rate from the 2012 financial year.

The inaugural show will target the inbound and outbound meetings, events, incentives and business travel sectors of sub-Sahara Africa, including key North African destinations and source markets.

The event is expected to attract 50 exhibitors in its first year.

“Africa holds enormous potential for the MICE industry,” said Craig Moyes, RTE portfolio director, meetings and events portfolio. “Only last month, the World Bank predicted that subSaharan Africa’s economic growth should accelerate to more than 5 per cent over the next three years, far outpacing the global average with increased investment, high commodity prices and a pick-up in the global economy driving this expected growth surge. Our business model for IBTM Africa will reflect the main traditional inbound

Sarawak looks to raise the bar

SCB has to date won hosting rights for 22 international conferences which are expected to welcome 7411 delegates to Sarawak from 2013 to 2019, including the 9th ASEAN Hakka Convention 2013 Miri, with an anticipated 1000 delegates, and the 55th ICCA General Assembly 2016 Kuching, with 700 delegates.

“Sarawak is rapidly gaining in popularity as an international meetings destination,” said SCB managing director Mike Cannon.

“We have had a significant amount of returning clients who are continuously bidding for new events to Sarawak.”

Suntec Singapore reopens Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre (Suntec Singapore) has reopened for business with a private

dinner on June 3, 2013, marking the closing of the 8th Special Olympics Singapore National Games.

Attended by more than 800 guests and athletes, the evening was a resounding success with spirited performances as well as a special appearance from Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Lawrence Wong. ”Our first event could not have gone better,” said Arun Madhok, chief executive of Suntec Singapore. It is very rewarding to see people enjoying themselves the way they are tonight. We have been working very hard over the past year for this moment and it is a great feeling to welcome visitors to our new Centre.”

Other events held in the Centre’s first week were The Liver Symposium, APASL, which comprised of a conference for 3500 delegates and an exhibition across 4000sqm, and a consumer show, the Singapore Book Fair.

Recent survey proves IT&CMA’s worth A recent survey of 2012 buyers who attended IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific in Bangkok has revealed that close to 70 per cent have confirmed purchases with exhibitors within six months of the event, where the total value of all

purchases made so far is estimated at more than $49 million. More sales are expected to close in the next six months, which could bring the figure to more than $131 million.

Delegates can expect several changes to this year’s show that will further increase opportunities to do business at the show, including a new online diary facility that enables delegates to book up to 100 per cent of their business appointments before their arrival in Bangkok. The existing prescheduled appointments facility will computer-match up to 60 per cent of exhibitor-buyer meeting requests and 40 per cent of the remaining appointments can be scheduled via the online diary facility.

Exhibitors can expect to see a more diversified buyer profile that includes a significantly higher percentage of association executives and corporate professionals.

“Associations and corporates are important segments of the MICE buying industry,” said Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media. “Our collaboration with MCI Group to launch a dedicated education-led Association Day and Performance Improvement Forum enables the show to cater to a larger proportion of these professionals respectively.”

Kyoto’s cultural grant scheme expanded Kyoto Convention Bureau and the City of Kyoto have once again teamed up to support business events which take place in the city by offering a subsidy towards their use of the region’s cultural heritage.

The cultural grant has been offered to event organisers for the last two years and encourages meeting planners to incorporate traditional cultural activities into their events such as taiko drumming (pictured), koto harp, tea ceremonies and kimono dressing performances.

More recently the scheme is being expanded to cover the giving of Kyoto handicraft such as hand cut gold and silver bookmarks, tableware from the Kiyomizu kilns, traditional candles or magic chopsticks to delegates participating in events being held in the city.

10 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

Qatar National Convention Centre.

Association Day and the Performance Improvement Forum, which take place on October 2-3, 2013, provide an opportunity for both association executives and corporate professionals to network with peers, share issues and concerns they have in their own organisations, and to pick up best practices from industry experts.

Ireland’s PM endorses Conference Ambassador Programme Ireland has begun a major international push to attract more conferences, enlisting the endorsement of Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Meet in Ireland, the brand used to promote the conference sector through Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, has released a new online video promotion featuring the Prime Minister.

Through the campaign the Meet in Ireland team hopes to remind international organisers that the Conference Ambassador Programme provides the first point of contact for any international organisers, with a dedicated team on hand to assist in making introductions and providing practical assistance within the destination.

“Since the start of the programme in 2009, our dedicated research team has identified and motivated 447 ‘Conference Ambassadors’ to bid for future conferences with the potential to bring in conferences worth €430 million [$610 million] to the Irish economy,” said John Concannon, director of marketing with Fáilte Ireland. “So far, our Ambassadors have already netted conferences worth €138 million [$196 million] in confirmed business.”

QNCC named ‘best events venue’ in Middle East Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) has been named the “Best Events Venue” at the Middle East Event Awards 2013 in Dubai.

QNCC general manager Adam Mather-Brown said the award was a “major achievement” for a venue that is only in its second year in operation.

“We applaud Qatar Foundation’s visionary leadership in developing QNCC to be one of the world’s most sophisticated convention and exhibition centres,” he said.

“It is a phenomenal product and the award exemplifies the nation’s vision towards becoming a world class meetings’ destination.”

Shanghai committee created The Shanghai MICE Consultant Committee (SMCC) has been launched in Shanghai at a conference attended by about 50 people, including representatives from 35 companies operating in Shanghai’s meetings sector.

The new committee is a platform for exchanges, communication and mutual help intended to enhance the professionalism and value of the local industry.

At the recent conference, a board of directors was elected and a constitution agreed upon.

Zheng Bei, the chairman of the first board of directors, said that SMCC will set out clear development objectives and work plans, establish a good members service system, become Shanghai’s best networking platform, and actively promote the development of the industry in the city.

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IMEX America celebrates industry award IMEX America was recently honoured at the Trade Show Executive Fastest 50 Awards & Summit in Chicago, for its year-on-year growth.

Having previously been declared one of the honorees in the “Fastest 50 Class of 2012” list, as defined by Trade Show Executive, the show was pronounced a Grand Award winner for “Highest Growth in Exhibitor Numbers”.

Organisers of the show, which will be held in Las Vegas from October 13-15, 2013, are expecting the third edition of the show to deliver even further growth, with the number of hosted buyers, exhibiting companies and also new exhibitors are all on target to exceed those set in 2012.

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www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 11

cover sto r y

The Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre opposite Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth is available for events.

View slideshow in the CIM iPad app.

Waterfront wonder The newly refurbished Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth Scarborough is capitalising on its beachfront location with a stunning array of new meeting options set to make it Perth’s most eagerly anticipated conference centre.

Perth’s iconic beachside hotel has completed a multi-million dollar transformation re-launching as Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth. As part of the landmark redevelopment, the hotel has unveiled 26 brand new event spaces making it Western Australia’s largest beachside conference and event venue.

With facilities for events from six to 1200 attendees, Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth’s diverse suite of spaces cater for a range of functions from day meetings and workshops, to large scale conferences, gala dinners, balls and cocktail functions.

Playing on its stunning waterfront location, the hotel’s new event spaces have been named after Western Australian natural waterways and coastal points. The only exception is the Grand Ballroom which caters for up to 680 delegates with contemporary styling and state of the art technology.

The Preston Room is the hotel’s second ballroom catering for events up to 500 theatre-style, while the Mentelle Room with floor to ceiling windows and adjoining Mentelle Deck boast views across the Indian Ocean, providing a spectacular backdrop for events.

On the mezzanine level a series of 14 flexible meeting rooms, including five new mixed use

rooms with views to Rottnest Island, cater for groups from six to 100 and are perfect for smaller groups with competitive packages available.

But what sets Rendezvous Grand Hotel Perth apart is its unique outdoor venues. The Observation Deck on the 24th floor has unrivalled views overlooking 32km of Perth’s coastline and is the perfect rooftop location for chic cocktail parties, while the poolside deck offers another sun-kissed location.

The hotel has also recently added the Scarborough Beach Foreshore, including the Amphitheatre and adjacent parklands, to its event offering. Directly on the beach these flexible spaces offer unlimited opportunity for event planners – think sunset cocktail functions, amazing bare-foot balls and extravagant gala events under a beach-side marquee.

Executive chef and Australian Hotels Association Chef of the Year nominee Matt Lonne heads up the kitchen team offering contemporary menu options using locally sourced produce. Offsite catering facilities allow the team to cater for events within the immediate area including the Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre, as well as local businesses and community centres such as the Surf Life Saving Club.

Based on site, Audio Visual Dynamics provide

From left: Lobby Bar, Deluxe Room and Grand Ballroom.

12 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

state of the art audio visual solutions for the hotel’s expansive conference and event facilities.

The new event spaces are just part of a total transformation of this iconic hotel. Guests are welcomed into a brand new lobby area and the beachside exterior of the hotel has been restyled with floor to ceiling windows that capture the stunning outlook.

Taking design inspiration from Western Australia’s coastal lifestyle, all 336 accommodation rooms and suites have been stylishly refurbished and there is a new Club Lounge on the 25th floor exclusively for guests staying in the premium Club Rooms and Suites.

New dining venues include Straits Cafe, the hotel’s signature dining experience, serving modern Australian cuisine set against uninterrupted ocean views and the Lobby Bar, a sophisticated lounge bar with a modern tapas menu complemented by a comprehensive wine and cocktail list.

The entire Esplanade Street frontage of the hotel is currently being redeveloped into 13 separate tenancies that will form the Rendezvous Esplanade, a vibrant dining and entertainment precinct. Opening later this year, the development is set to revitalise the Scarborough precinct.

in the ai r

Jetstar launches in-flight magazine app Jetstar has launched a free app for its in-flight lifestyle magazine. Jetstar Magazine features celebrity interviews, travel stories and lifestyle content, and is available to download for iPads or android tablets, and will soon be available for iPhone.

“The Jetstar Magazine app bridges the gap for those who want to be in the know with all travel and lifestyle tips and trends yet might not fly every month,” said Jetstar Group chief commercial officer David Koczkar.

Tourism Australia partners with Air NZ Tourism Australia and Air New Zealand will invest AU$6 million in joint marketing activity over a three year period to promote tourism to Australia in key overseas markets.

Under the agreement the two parties will each contribute AU$3 million towards co-operative marketing initiatives such as advertising, PR, events and trade engagement, aimed at attracting

more international visitors from three of Australia’s largest and most valuable inbound markets – New Zealand, North America and China.

“This new deal provides a strong platform from which to further grow inbound tourism from all three of these key inbound markets,” said Tourism Australia’s managing director, Andrew McEvoy.

“Aviation partnerships such as these remain key to Australian tourism achieving its long-term ‘Tourism 2020’ goals.”

Scoot’s Sydney route celebrated Destination NSW chief executive Sandra Chipchase has congratulated budget airline Scoot on its first anniversary of flying into Sydney from Singapore.

Chipchase said Scoot had chosen Sydney for its worldwide inaugural flight on June 5, 2012, and that NSW has enjoyed significant visitor growth from Singapore as a result.

“Singapore is a key international

source market for NSW with more than 113,000 overnight visitors to year-end March 2013, which is an increase of 30 per cent,” Chipchase said.

“I congratulate Scoot on its firstyear anniversary and look forward to our continuing collaboration.”

Virgin too tempting Air New Zealand has entered into an agreement to acquire a further 3 per cent of the shares of Virgin Australia, taking its interest to 22.99 per cent.

Air New Zealand said it is not seeking a position on the board or has any intention of obtaining control of Virgin Australia, but that it was simply a vote of confidence in the carrier and the strategy it is pursuing under the leadership of chief executive John Borghetti.

Air New Zealand wins at Skytrax Awards Air New Zealand’s Premium Economy Class has taken top honours at the 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards, winning

all three Premium Economy categories.

The airline took home the awards for “Best Premium Economy Class”, “Best Premium Economy Class Seat” and “Best Premium Economy Class Onboard Catering” for its Premium Economy cabin on board its Boeing 777-300 fleet.

“To be recognised in all three categories at these awards is a huge achievement and testament to our staff who work hard to consistently deliver a premium customer experience,” said Calum Laming (pictured far right), Air New Zealand’s general manager customer experience.

Team building. More fun in the

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14 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

tec h no lo g y

Think global To cater for the growing demand in hybrid events AV1 Media can now provide live and on-demand webcasting using world-leading technology.

instructions and within minutes they are able to video conference with their colleague from their Windows PC, Mac or iPad.

Launching the new service at ODE Management’s recent DARE Speaker Showcase at Doltone House Hyde Park, AV1 Media demonstrated how live events can be broadcast to a global audience.

“As business users realise the advantages of high quality video conferencing within their organisations they want to have the same great experience with their external colleagues and partners” says Simon Downey, CEO of FaceToFace Communications.

“Our sophisticated technology is the size of a briefcase,” said managing director Keith Wootton.

“And it’s a briefcase full of amazing features. It records events in a pre-determined format for on-demand use or live webcast.

“It streams to all types of devices including PC, Mac, tablets and smartphones. Viewers can be watching from an office in Sydney or on an iPhone in the New York subway.”

Features include customised hosted sites to match client and/or event branding; live synchronising of presentation slides and presenter footage; ability to distribute content live; ability to upload content for payper-view; multi-device viewing capabilities; and detailed viewer tracking and analytics.

Production manager Rob King says the company understands “the frustrations that event planners have faced with webcasting in the past”.

“Our priority is to make it easier,” he said. “We can synchronise presentations and footage on the go. There is no need to upload PowerPoint or keynote slides ahead of time.”

Video conferencing service delivers free guest licenses As part of their vision to deliver high quality video conferencing to the business market StarLeaf and FacetoFace Communications will offer free “Guest Licenses” to users of StarLeaf systems.

The guest invite is ideal for those who need to connect with colleagues and business partners located elsewhere.

On every StarLeaf touch screen user interface there is an “invite” button, which allows users to input the email address of the guest who they would like to video conference with. The Guest receives an email with simple

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“The StarLeaf Guest Invite allows them to have this experience and enhanced communications without any additional cost to them or those they invite.

All of this is made easier by being totally cloud based. This is designed to drive greater adoption of video conferencing for everyday communications.”

!

The only cloud-based manufacturer of video conferencing equipment, StarLeaf prides itself on delivering new features and functionality, without any hassle, upgrades or costs hitting its users.

World’s smallest 12,000-lumen projectors Panasonic Australia has announced the launch of a new range of powerful 3-chip DLP projectors that are the world’s smallest and lightest in their class.

The new PT-DZ13K Series projectors are designed with many of the same features found on the best-selling Panasonic large venue projector, the PT-DZ21K, which made its debut at the London 2012 Olympic Games. With outstanding performance, proven for a wide variety of rental and staging applications, museum exhibitions, showrooms, digital signage applications and higher education, the series has advanced features including Lens Memory and Geometric Adjustment, which seamlessly integrate the projector in every situation, from front and rearprojection to projection mapping.

Key features include high brightness and excellent picture quality, active 3D projection capability, a dust-resistant cabinet and new reusable Eco Filter that simplifies maintenance and reduces costs for up to 12,000 hours, and easy handling and system integration flexibility.

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www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 15

a bee

Looking to the future With the Australian Business Events Expo around the corner, some of the events industry’s leading thinkers examine the importance of keeping informed and up to date in a rapidly changing world.

The Australian Business Events Expo, a two-day tradeshow dedicated to meetings, incentives, conferences and business events, is soon upon us. Keeping the expo fresh and relevant is a key challenge, with a select group of industry professionals, the Australian Business Events Expo Ambassadors, tasked with helping make sure the two-day event delivers focused and industryrelevant content.

speakers over the two-day expo allows attendees “to engage with relevant industry gurus particularly on an international level”, she says.

CIM spoke with several of the Ambassadors about the main issues facing the industry and why attending the expo is critical to staying ahead of the curve. Valerie Percival, special events manager at IBM Australia, says that having an “international network is vital… where the sharing of ideas and learning is paramount”.

The current challenges for the event industry, she says, include reduced lead times and working with “the very savvy client of today” who now has access to unlimited information in an online world.

The range and depth of the

“The world has changed,” he

For veteran event professional and author of Events Exposed Lena Malouf, the expo offers “an ideasharing commodity”.

“Today, marketing must be considered a priority and a year round activity,” she says.

Matt Jones, from consultancy Better Happy, says that it is time to “throw away the playbook” for the way business is conducted.

says. “Note the tense…it’s not changing, it has already changed.

The changes are multiple… social, cultural, economic, political and technological. And they have disrupted the rules of every category of business and every medium of communication.

“What’s required is an understanding of the big picture and the macro environment surrounding events.”

Despite the big shifts happening in the world of events, Jones says that face-to-face meetings are more “relevant than ever”.

“With the 21st century’s obsession with social experiences, buzz, status and content I know that live [events] has more potential to lead as a medium than ever,” he says.

“But it will require a fundamental rethinking of our industry.”

Day one 8:30-9:45am What is the impact of ‘The Asian Century’ on Australian business events?

The Federal Government’s Australia in the Asian Century White Paper has already made a big impact on the Australian economy and society, but what does it mean for Australian business events? Business Events Sydney chief executive Lyn LewisSmith will facilitate a discussion on this issue with Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia, and Sydney Airport chief executive Kerrie Mather.

10:15-11am Motivation; inspiration; education – how to design a successful incentive program.

This session, facilitated by Liz Rivers, managing director of Awards Absolute, will reveal the guidelines you need to design and establish a successful incentive program, that will improve individual performance and even change internal attitudes.

11:30am-1pm Keeping events fresh, innovative and

If you create, manage or lead business events, the Australian Business Events Expo is your one-stop-shop • •

• • •

Meet with new suppliers Have one-on-one unique access to ground breaking event technology at the Technology Village Compare and buy the latest products Explore Australia and its destinations all under one roof Learn from industry leaders at the Event Seminars

the intelligent place to meet in 2013!

14-15 AUGUST 2013 SYDNEY CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE REGISTER TODAY FOR FREE ENTRY AT WWW.ABEEXPO.COM.AU

Interested in exhibiting? Contact a member of the team today on 02 9556 7984.

16 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

unique – the Hollywood way.

Cheryl Cecchetto, founder and president of Sequoia Productions in Los Angeles, will highlight the event production process and share tips on how to keep events “fresh and unique”. Cecchetto will also highlight the branding power in events, which is evident in her 10 years producing the Australia Week Events in Los Angeles.

1-2pm How to maximise revenue from Association events.

Events are a core revenue-raising strategy for Associations. Yet, many Associations struggle to derive substantial revenue to drive their organisation’s development and growth. Julian Moore, director of Strategic Membership Solutions, will share his tried and tested practical tips, information and advice you can implement immediately to increase the profitability of your events.

2:30-3:30pm Good Event Design – learn the ground rules of success.

This presentation will explore how the fundamental principles of design must be applied to an event

in order for it to deliver a tangible return on investment. Speakers include Brandon Gien, managing director of Good Design Australia, and Rob Frank, managing director of Verve Creative.

4-5pm Content reigns supreme for audience engagement This seminar, headed by Hai Tran, head of technology at Spinifex Group, will highlight the importance of content creation for audience engagement and how to integrate content throughout the planning and execution of events.

Day two

expert and what the advantages and disadvantages of using an in-house supplier are.

10:15-11:15am What’s hot? The latest trends from industry experts across catering, production design, décor and entertainment Facilitator Amy Merriman, CEO of Event Planet, leads a panel discussion with Anthony Sullivan, executive chef at Forte Catering, production designer Julio Himede and Harris Meitanis, managing director of Apples & Pears Entertainment, on what’s hot in the world of food and beverages, production design, entertainment and room décor.

8:30-9:30am

11:30am-12:30am

Deciphering production talk – how to get the most out of your AV supplier.

TechEd Australia – a case study

Facilitator Andrew CameronSmith, managing director of Wonderment, leads a panel discussion with Fiona Pascoe, national general manager of sales at Staging Connections, freelance technical director Patrick Cronin and Travis Henry, manager, centre technical production and design at SCEC, on when you need to bring in a technical

Fran Barlow, head of events and sponsorship at Microsoft Australia, will present a case study about the award-winning annual conference for 3000 highly technical delegates across four days. Learn how technology is a key focus across the TechEd content and the challenges and opportunities of having technology at the heart of the delegate experience.

1-2pm Wake up to what really matters! At work and at home!

Join Award-winning speaker Amanda Gore for a life changing session full of great tips you’ll use for life, whilst having a laugh.

2:30-3:30pm 20/20 Vision – looking into the future of events – what role will you play?

Facilitator Tana Pal, head of events at Westpac, will lead a panel discussion on tips that will help you get that big break and stand out from the crowd in today’s competitive event market.

4-5pm Metrics: The X-Factor in experiential design Marketers are increasingly using experiential marketing to directly reach out to customers in memorable ways. Grant Whitehouse, digital creative director at marketing agency George P Johnson, will examine what is achievable in the experiential space and look at some of the tools available to assist with gathering valuable data from live experiences.

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 17

north a m er i ca

Thinking big With the US meetings market in the doldrums, industry group US Travel actively targeted America’s decision makers with its Keep America Meeting campaign, writes Jacqueline O’Neill.

During 2011 US Travel ran a number of campaigns including Travel Effect and Vote Travel, both directed at highlighting the need for policy makers to understand the value of the travel industry.

“Our leadership at US Travel made it very clear that our mandate should be to be proactive,” says Knezevic. “We should have ongoing campaigns that constantly engage our members with their member of congress, because that’s how you make things happen.”

Whilst these campaigns generated media attention surrounding the travel industry’s overall impact on the US economy, and contained components on the meetings industry, US Travel and its members wanted to focus attention more directly on the meetings industry.

“We sat down and nailed out the road map on how we wanted to engage the travel industry,” recalls Knezevic. “Then we put together, in consultation with our partners and our members, a campaign.” The campaign, which was also called Keep America Meeting, was launched in 2012.

US President Barrack Obama meets with Roger Dow, president and CEO of US Travel, Bill Marriott, executive chairman, board of directors Marriott International and other representatives from Disney and InterContinental Hotels.

It’s been a tough few years for America’s meeting industry, with organisations either unable or unwilling to be seen to be spending money on meetings during the nation’s recent economic downtown.

With many prominent corporations rescued by government bailouts, corporate meetings especially were put in the spotlight in early 2009 when US President Barack Obama commented that “companies can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime”.

The comment triggered a wave of negative stories in the media about the meetings industry, which Roger Dow, president and chief executive of industry group US Travel, would later describe as “an industry that we have learnt to love was vilified and sensationalised by the media … Politicians could not get to the microphone quick enough to vilify those who go to meetings and incentives”.

Across the nation cancellations streamed in. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported losses of over US$20 million in the first thirty days alone, with cancellations from companies such as AIG, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Home Depot.

“Looking back I would describe 2009 as the year the industry was caught off guard,” says

Candice Knezevic, director of grassroots and industry relations at US Travel, an organisation which makes no apology for trying to build confidence in America’s meetings industry, which is worth US$460 billion and supports six million jobs.

In reaction to the negativity, US Travel and its partners would quickly put together an action plan called “meetings mean business”; formulate Travel PAC, a political action group; and establish an e-petition called “Keep America Meeting”, which was meant to garner the support of members of the US congress.

A highpoint of the campaign came when Dow and a team of influential people who represented multi-billion dollar companies such as Disney, Marriott and InterContinental Hotels, sat down for a meeting with President Obama.

At the heart of the Keep America Meeting campaign was the “toolkit”, which included a white paper that described the industry as a “critical driver of economic growth” and a meetings fact sheet that highlighted the meeting industry’s contribution to the job sector.

To complement this, US Travel drafted three tactical action items that promoted ways in which members could engage their state or district policymakers. These included ideas for how industry professionals could organise backof-house tours for elected officials, gave pointers on how they could arrange district visits with elected officials, and suggestions on how to host travel employee letter writing days.

Supporting this was the multi-year Travel Effect research campaign, which strongly reinforces the positive effect the meetings industry has on the economy.

The collaborative and engaging style of the Keep America Meeting campaign has proved popular, according to Knezevic.

According to Dow it was “the first time a sitting president sat and discussed this industry and what it means”.

US Travel was ultimately able to secure congressional and presidential support, which culminated in the government passing the 2010 Travel Promotion Act. This in turn would lead to the birth place of Brand USA, a national department dedicated to promoting US travel and tourism.

18 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

Industry delegates review lobbying materials and discuss strategy before lobbying Congress for support.

“Feedback has been great and a lot of our members have used the Keep America Meeting toolkit,” she says. “We have been very successful in preventing a lot of detrimental cuts to travel budgets that would have happened if we had not undertaken the research, educational effort, as well as the travel advocacy effort. We have also been successful at beating back some of the negative legislation. The key take away [message] was that we were very reactive in 2009.”

Reinforcing the campaigning effort, President Obama sent a special message to more than 5000 delegates at US Travel’s Pow Wow event held in Las Vegas in 2012, when he stated that the “industry adds billions of dollars to our economy and that helps support jobs all across the country”.

Although US Travel has since rolled out a new Travel Blitz campaign, Knezevic says that it “is a very similar concept to the Keep America Meeting campaign”.

Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon and the Oregon delegation (left) meet with Congressman Earl Blumenauer (right).

“It’s not just focused on meetings, but meetings are a huge part of it,” she says.

Earlier this year the Keep America Meeting toolkit was used to great effect when “the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau organised a back of house tour at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with Congressman Lamborn”.

“What was great about that was it was during the National Space symposium,” says Knezevic.

“They walked around and saw what was

happening at the conference, but also what happens behind-the-scenes and how many people it takes for that conference to happen. It opened his eyes.”

It did not go unnoticed however, that for the first time in symposium history the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was a no-show.

So what is the outlook for the US meeting industry?

Rossi Ralenkotter, chairman of US Travel and

president and chief executive of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority says they are “pleased with the progress made to generate awareness on the benefits of the meetings and convention industry”.

“The Keep America Meeting campaign highlighted the importance of the $460 billion industry and the six million jobs it supports,” he says. “We need to continue to work together as an industry to show the value that meetings and conventions provide to the economy.”

Are you sending your event management team back to the drawing board?

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www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 19

communi ty

Heart and soul Community engagement is an increasing priority for companies, with venues and team building companies offering new ways of incorporating a socially responsible element into their offering, writes Sheridan Randall.

“The whole idea of social enterprise is a growing phenomenon around the world and is growing in Australia as well,” says Pam Rutledge, the chief executive of RichmondPRA, a community-based not-for-profit service provider for people living with mental illness.

RichmondPRA has recently celebrated the launch of its new venue in Sydney which aims to help people who live with mental illness get back into the workforce.

The Figtree Conference Centre at Sydney Olympic Park is a purposebuilt function centre that offers a conference space with onsite industrial kitchen and audio-visual equipment that caters up to 200 people theatre-style, as well as an art gallery and an outdoor space overlooking the parkland suitable for breakouts sessions and informal cocktail events.

The concept of a conference centre that supports work and career opportunities for people who live with mental illness “is a first for us” says Rutledge.

“Increasingly organisations around the world are being a bit more innovative about finding new ways to provide opportunities for their clients to gain work and training experience as well as making some money to invest in their social enterprises,” she says.

The concept of using a conference centre as a platform to help the organisation’s clients is something

The Figtree Conference Centre.

“The employees come through our pre-employee institute which is a six month program we offer for those seeking to get back into the workforce,” she says.

“It builds up their confidence and working skills, as well as reorientating them to how the work environment operates and gives them the confidence to get back into employment.”

However, Rutledge says the long-term vision is to educate all businesses in the need to support people with employment disadvantages.

“The starting point is to see if we can encourage industry to come and use our facility and have a great experience and have the opportunity to see people working who you wouldn’t necessarily expect were going to be able to get back into the [hospitality] sector,” she says.

“We really see value in working with the business sector. As well as providing them with a great function experience, we can also look at other ways to work with industry to potentially offer them great employees not just in the hospitality industry but across any area of business.

that had been on the backburner for a while, but it was the search for a new head office that made it a reality. The building at Sydney Olympic Park ticked both boxes perfectly with the purpose built venue on the ground floor and the new head office upstairs. With Figtree being officially launched in April, RichmondPRA now has to “get out there and market what we are doing”.

“By using Figtree the corporate sector can deliver on their social goals by getting a great venue and also offering the opportunity for training and employment for people with mental illness,” says Rutledge.

A team of around six people work on a part-time basis, headed by Keith Christiansen, one of the first workers to be engaged by the Figtree Conference Centre.

“I’m pretty sure that a lot of workers will look back at the Figtree Conference Centre and say ‘this is where my life changed for the better’,” Christiansen says.

Along with the practical experience offered by working at the centre, the staff are also all undertaking TAFE certificate programs in hospitality to ensure they are fully ready for the workforce after leaving the centre.

Rutledge hopes that as business increases so will the number of staff.

“The long-term plan is to grow the capacity of all businesses to employ people with a mental illness and work with them as any other employee with the right support.

We have this huge untapped workforce with experience of mental illness who can’t get into employment but want to.”

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has always been at the forefront of corporate social responsibility programs, and was recently recognised for its efforts winning the national award for Corporate Social Responsibility at the Meetings and Events Australia Awards in May.

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68 Market Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000

r e ce

Build-a-Bike at Thrill.com.au.

“We are particularly proud of this award,” says BCEC general manager Bob O’Keeffe.

“We believe that as individuals and as an organisation we have an obligation to make choices that will reduce our impact on the environment and contribute to building more caring communities.

“We believe this is a vital part of providing a world class facility and delivering the best possible conference and event experience. It is a fundamental pillar to success.”

Child’s play Konrad Lippmann, lead facilitator at team-building company Thrill. com.au, says that companies want to see themselves as being more socially responsible. This trend is being driven by younger staff who are “looking at more corporate volunteerism and engagement” and asking themselves “do I want to put my heart, soul and passion into a business or career that is doing something worthwhile?”

“Those companies have jumped on board with [CSR] programs, so they are investing not only with their staff but also the local community around them and

making a positive and worthwhile impact,” Lippmann says.

One of Thrill.com.au’s most enduringly popular CSR orientated team building programs is its Builda-Bike for children’s charity.

“Build-a-Bike has become one of the most preeminent programs as it is great for teams to work together and see their accomplishment, with the kids coming in at the end to receive the bikes directly,” he says.

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However, as with any team building program, meeting the needs of the client is paramount, with Lippmann saying his job is to “look at which program can best match their need”.

“The power of CSR team building programs [is that they] are much more effective in attaining their goals, which are typically about working towards a cohesive outcome that is for a greater benefit for the team,” he says.

He describes the final moment of the program as “quite overwhelming” for the client group as “within a few hours they can see the difference that they have made”.

“We did a program for a group of Aboriginal kids that came through

from [children’s charity] Barnardos and the group were speechless,” he says. “Suddenly they had a group of kids in front of them and they realised that what they were building meant something to other people. There was a flurry of YOUR activity to make sure every detail AD on the bikes was 100 per cent HERE correct. The change in attitude was immediate as they could see what

the results are.”

At the beginning of the Build-a-Bike YOUR AD HERE program the client group is often told to close their eyes and think about how it was to be a child, how it was to receive a gift and how they can make a positive difference.

“We want your heart and soul put into this program,” Lippmann says.

“It’s a win win for both sides.”

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v ivid sydn ey

Lights, cameras, action The Vivid Sydney festival is a favourite with Sydneysiders but it is also fast becoming a major drawcard for events looking to leverage off the excitement, writes Ylla Wright.

This year’s Vivid Sydney festival, which ran from May 24 to June 10, was an unprecedented success, with estimates suggesting record attendance of more than 800,000 people over the 18-day event, significantly more than last year.

Around 100,000 headed to the Sydney harbour foreshore for the city’s annual festival of light, music and ideas during its opening weekend alone.

The fifth year the festival has been run, this year’s event expanded

into North Sydney with the lighting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and featured spectacular water show performances in Darling Harbour.

According to Sandra Chipchase, chief executive of Destination NSW, the government agency which owns and manages the festival, the success of the event is testimony to the way the festival has been embraced by Sydneysiders and visitors alike, and the creative services industry.

“So much enthusiasm and passion is invested in making Vivid Sydney a wonderful winter event by not only the creative practitioners involved in the Festival itself, but the hundreds of thousands of people who attended,” she said.

“To be able to hold an event which attracts so many visitors, not only domestically but also from all over the world is very special, and of course is an important contributor to the goal of doubling overnight expenditure by 2020.

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22 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

“There has been excellent collaboration with key partners and sponsors as well as hundreds of local businesses and communities to make Vivid Sydney a success, and something that is looked forward to every year. It’s a hallmark event for Sydney and Australia, and is also increasing its fan base internationally.”

Sharing ideas An accompanying Vivid Ideas

Showcasing Sydney’s talent programme which showcased Sydney as a place to collaborate, foster business connections and showcase new ideas featured more than 180 talks, workshops, panels and meet-ups with more than 6000 tickets sold.

Thousands more attended key creative industry meetings and events which formed part of Vivid Ideas such as Mumbrella360, Reportage Photography Festival and AMPlify.

According to Kristian Nicholls, general manager business development for Business Events Sydney (BESydney), who worked with Destination NSW to showcase the opportunities for Vivid Sydney to act as a business events anchor to clients, “aligning business events and incentives with the city’s major celebrations adds an extra special touch to a delegate’s experience, ensuring their time in Sydney is truly unforgettable”.

“This year’s Vivid Sydney is a great example of how meetings and events can create strength through alignment,” he said. “The festival of music, light and ideas is forwardthinking, creative and innovative, and features amazing light and water displays that provide a

stunning backdrop for harbourside conferences and gala dinners.

“Now in its fifth year, the festival has become a major drawcard for business events. In 2013, five events secured by BESydney coincided with Vivid Sydney. And we also hosted two famil groups from Asia. Our clients were dazzled by the creativity and beauty of Vivid Sydney and really enjoyed the vibrant, buzzing atmosphere the festival created. The city was so full of energy and action.

“I’ve no doubt many of these groups will return to the city during Vivid Sydney in the future as a result of their experience this year.”

Business events secured by BESydney and held during the festival included the Australian International Design Forum; International Symposium on Electronic Art; BC Card Korea Incentive; Goldensun Technology China Incentive; and the IDX Indonesia Incentive.

Next year Sydney will welcome the 105th Rotary International Conference during Vivid Sydney.

“We’re looking forward to dazzling [the] more than 15,000 Rotarians and showing them Sydney in true Sydney style,” said Nicholls.

Also benefitting from the festival were many of Australia’s talented lighting and special effects companies who were able to showcase their talents for all to see.

Arguably the highlight of the festival was the illumination of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the brainchild of Iain Reed, founder of 32 Hundred Lighting, which has worked on corporate events such as the QT Hotel Launch in Sydney, David Jones 17th Birthday, and the Gourmet Traveller Awards.

With the support of major Vivid sponsor Intel, Reed was able to rig more than 100,000 low energy LED lights and 140 custom made high powered LED par can lights to light up the Western side of the bridge. Software developed by 32 Hundred Lighting meant that the public were able to choose from a variety of effects, palettes and movements to create a two minute play of colours across the bridge.

Sydney-based projection company The Electric Canvas has been responsible for another crowd favourite, the Sydney Opera House projections, over the last four years of Vivid, providing the projection technology, technicians

and architectural templates that are the backbone upon which the creative content is produced each year by a guest artist. The company works closely with guest artists to make the most of the Opera House’s unique architecture.

The Electric Canvas specialises in high-power digital and large-format filmstrip projection techniques.

Established in 1997, the company pioneered large-scale projection in Australia and has provided immersive, architectural or themed decorative projection for many corporate events. Clients have included the NIDA Foundation Trust, Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts, Bulgari and the Office of Protocol & Special Events, NSW Premier’s Department.

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www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 23

albury wodonga

Building for the future A suite of new venue and accommodation offerings in Albury and Wodonga, straddling the border of New South Wales and Victoria, are set to make this regional destination even more popular with event organisers, writes Sheridan Randall.

The latest addition to Wodonga’s meetings space offering is the very futuristic $11.5 million purpose built arts, entertainment and community centre – The Cube Wodonga. The Cube Wodonga was opened 10 months ago, with the new venue already hosting the RACV Classic Car Club Conference Dinner and Breakfast over two days in March, with 400 attendees, and the High Speed Rail Conference in February this year.

“The community has embraced us so we are getting support from our own backyard, which is great,” says Chelsea McLaren, team leader at The Cube Wodonga. “We have been on the radar for the last 10 months and we are certainly building on that with quite a lot of events [booked] over the next 12-18 months.”

With a two-tier pricing structure for corporate and not-for-profit sectors, The Cube Wodonga is attracting both sectors, she says, with the council-owned venue “trying to get ourselves on the map”.

The Cube Wodonga was in many ways the first cab off the rank, with a slew of new properties

set to come online over the next 12 months in both Wodonga and Albury, along with a massive redevelopment of the Wodonga CBD planned over the next five to 10 years, including the removal of the railway line that ran through the centre of Wodonga.

“There is certainly a lot happening on the Wodonga side in terms of industry and new opportunities,” says McLaren.

“We are restructuring our CBD, with the Cube one anchor in the three point anchor of that [development].

With new accommodation also coming online, McLaren says that the opportunity to lure larger conferences is greater than ever, especially if they are tied in with the incentive options available in the region.

“Subaru Australia launched their new vehicle in January and the reps drove around and went to the wineries,” she says. “There is a lot more opportunity with the bigger conferences [but] we have to create packages.”

Albury Entertainment Centre has had a mixed year, with a good first half of the 2012/2013 financial year followed by a drop off in the second half, according to the Centre’s venue manager, Brendan Maher.

The Centre hosted a Rotary conference with more than 600 delegates in the first half of the year, while several large conferences are booked in the next six months – one with 700 delegates and another with 500 delegates.

“Things are still moving but people are being a bit safe at the moment,” Maher says.

“Some in the corporate market may be a bit nervous about which political party may be in power soon. But having said that the next six months is [looking] very good.”

Maher concedes that attracting business events from the capital cities is always a challenge, but maintains “the outlook is still positive”.

online are a bit selling point for us,” he says. “Getting these brands into regional areas is very important. People these days expect the best, and want a comfortable environment to be in.”

Another client expectation that needs to be met by any meetings venue is its audio-visual capabilities, with the Centre installing a new wi-fi system throughout the venue last year.

“There are smarter ways to do business, with webinars taking off and teleconferences,” he says.

“There is now an expectation that you should be able to log on and do your business anytime. They want that access and it has to be high speed and high quality, which is why we have completely updated it here.”

Market confidence “We are always moving forward and looking to improve the destination from an infrastructure

“These new properties coming

Over the border in Albury, the

The Cube Wodonga.

24 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

point of view and as a major regional destination – things to see and do,” says Sue Harper, Albury City Council’s tourism officer.

Being more than an hour and half is drive from the state’s capital cities does create challenges, she says, but the region is “holding market share” and “looking at ways to try and build on that”.

“We are lucky with the economy that we have here,” she says. “It is quite extensive and [we] don’t just rely on just one or two main economies.”

A suite of new accommodation properties are set to come online within the next 12 months. Accor is building a new $20 million hotel in Albury. The 120-room hotel is expected to be completed later this year and will include a restaurant, bar and conference facilities.

Quest Apartments is also opening two new properties soon, with the $25 million Quest Wodonga scheduled to open on August 21, 2013, featuring 80 studio, one, two and three bedroom serviced apartments, onsite gym, pool and conference room.

Construction has started on a new Quest Albury, which is to be located in the historic Woolstore building with 49 serviced two and three bedroom apartments and dedicated meeting facilities, and is expected to be ready by the first half of 2014. The property will complement the city’s other Quest in Kiewa Street, with 104 apartments, which was opened four years ago.

Noel Wood, the franchisee owner of the two new Quest properties, says the corporate market has been “travelling very strongly”, which precipitated the need for more 4.5 star accommodation.

“Albury Wodonga is missing out on some of the conference market because there aren’t enough rooms in town,” he says.

“What we are finding is that companies are getting quotes from the Albury Wodonga region, but they are also getting quotes from Darwin and Port Douglas and so on, and they are going to these places because there is the room.

“With the additional rooms Albury and Wodonga councils can just go

The Albury Entertainment Centre.

out and be stronger and fight to get more conference business to us.”

With more accommodation available, the region now has to focus on packaging itself, according to Wood.

attract more events business.

“Wodonga Council are very proactive and making some enormous changes to enhance the area, with a lot of dollars going

into the development,” he says.

“It’s actually going to be good healthy competition for Albury, which has been very strong for many years.”

“We have to be smart in getting the corporate market in town, and that means working with the airlines,” he says. “Qantas does that very well. If there is a big group coming into town they will put extra flights into Albury. We’ve got to get Virgin [Australia] to do that as well.”

Wood says Albury and Wodonga work “very closely together”, as evidenced by the latest visitors guide being a combined effort, with the region’s many attractions also being a strong drawcard.

“There are some great wineries here as well, and the snowfields are only an hour and half away,” he says. “We are finding that a lot of people are staying here in town and doing a day trip to the ski fields.”

With the new accommodation and The Cube Wodonga, which Wood describes as “absolutely fantastic”, Wodonga is set to

The new Quest Wodonga.

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 25

team building

Long-term relationship Team building activities are not just fun, they can also be an integral part of any organisation’s plan for the future, writes Sheridan Randall.

Adventure for Life’s Tuf Corporate Mudder.

are slowly becoming educated on what team building actually is and the benefits you can achieve from it and therefore building it in as a part of their strategies.”

The first step is to educate clients that “there is a very big differentiation between team building and a team activity”.

“Consultation with the client beforehand is very important just to understand what they want and what their outcomes and objectives are,” he says And though it may seem obvious, “you need to be doing an event in order to achieve something”.

Successful organisations and businesses don’t happen by accident. Looking beyond the product or service they supply, one of the key determinants in their success is the culture within the organisation.

A man who knew something about the importance of getting people onside was former US president Abraham Lincoln, who said “you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time” – and so it is with employees. A disengaged

staff member is going to look for an exit sooner rather than later.

Organisations that are looking to get the best from their staff need to be looking many years into the future and deciding exactly what sort of organisational culture they want to build. This is where team building activities “can play a small role in developing that”, says Oliver Sheer, director at team building company BeChallenged.

“Seven years ago when we started it was much more churn and burn,” he says. “Whereas now companies

“Most of the time they [clients] are quite unsure at the start which is why we have a process in place to unearth what they want to achieve,” he says. “We sit down with the client and talk to them about their 12 to 18 month plan and help them out in terms of how they want their culture to grow.”

Group activities need to be fun and vitally they need to be inclusive, he says, but the most fundamental way to get long-term results is to work with a client repeatedly.

“I go to the extent of saying we improve quality of life,” he says.

“You spend so much time at work and if you’re not enjoying the team you are working with you don’t need to be there. It’s breaking down those barriers and seeing what things should be really like.”

Cooking activities are still hot property in the team building world, with Aussies showing no signs of ending their love affair with all things culinary, which explains why food experience company VictorsFood has introduced a new element to the catering menu by allowing the guests to gets hand-on with the food.

“We’re giving event organisers an opportunity to turn their catering requirement into part of the entertainment and get more from their budget”, says Victor Pisapia, executive chef and founder of VictorsFood.

All the guests are encouraged to participate in the creation of a dish by the chef presenters.

The interactions are around 15 minutes, allowing a constant change in the action and giving everyone the chance to have a go if they want, he says.

“People love getting involved instead of passively standing around and being fed or talked at,” he says. “Plus, it encourages interaction between guests, mixing things up, breaking down barriers and getting them connecting.”

The mudder of all activities With army-style assault courses the new golf for many corporate organisations, it didn’t take long for team building company Adventure for Life to include their own version

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26 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

http://penrith.panthers.com.au

The new Trees Adventure ropes adventure park in Yarramundi, NSW.

Trees Adventure River Challenge course might separate the high flyers from the low hanging fruit.

Located in Yarramundi, NSW, an hour’s drive from Sydney, Australia’s largest ropes adventure park offers over 110 different challenges and activities, some as high as 25 metres from the ground, over 400 metres through 100-year-old river gums.

And with six levels of difficulty – from beginner to extreme adventurer – even those without a head for heights should be able to enjoy the action.

Watch the video in the CIM iPad app. in their programs.

“People want unique and this is the sort of activity that the vast majority of people haven’t done,” says Adventure for Life founder Iain Lygo.

Tuf Corporate Mudder involves a muddy obstacle course over 3-5 kilometres, with participants crawling under wire, scaling walls, using high ropes, abseiling and generally getting very dirty.

“The muddier it is the more people are into it,” he says.

Lygo says the program is especially suitable for teams of more than 100, but concedes that it can be a “hard sell because people want to play it safe”.

“But once they’ve done it they say ‘that’s the best team building we’ve done by far’,” he says.

The courses are set up in three

locations across New South Wales and Victoria – Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, the Novotel Forrest Resort in Creswick. Balgownie EstateVineyard Resort and Spa in the Yarra Valley. And with the focus very much on team work, the course can be as tough or pain free as each participant wants to make it.

“The obstacles are set up so that instead of working as individuals they work as teams,” he says.

“We basically make everything optional. We’ve got one set up in the Hunter Valley where they are coming out of a creek up a slippery slope and their team mates are helping them out with a rope.

There is also an easy exit from the creek for safety reasons. The obstacles are designed to make everyone share the load.”

With the course taking around 2.5 hours, the finale is the mud relay, which allows for some team spectating.

“In the mud relay that’s where they can push it if they want to,” he says.

“And if they want to go through the ice bath a couple of times we’re not going to stop them.”

For those that want to test themselves physically and mentally but without the mud, the new

“There are all sorts of requirements before somebody does the highest course, including age and physical ability,” says Trees Adventure marketing manager Mark Challis.

“They also have to have done all of the previous courses and show they have mastered them.”

The park is able to cater for groups up to 100, but team building groups tend to range between 10-25 people, says Challis.

Corporate groups tend to “work around the middle level” he says, but those participants with a head for heights can look forward to a jump off the highest platform in a tethered free fall.

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1300 723 476 www.bechallenged.com.au www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 27

brisba n e

20 years at the top Having recently celebrated 20 years as general manager of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Bob O’Keefe has seen the business events industry grow and evolve, discovers Ylla Wright.

Ask Bob O’Keefe, general manager of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), for the most memorable moments of his 20-year tenure at the Centre, and he’s hard pressed to choose a top 20, let alone narrow it down to a top three.

Along with major events such as the January 2011 floods which saw the Centre close for several days, a fire at the Motorshow, which saw him earn the nickname “eight minute Bob” for the number of times he was quoted on television as saying “we got everyone out in eight minutes”, and the opening of the BCEC on Grey Street in 2012, there’s the time a drunken rugby fan tried to steal a two-tiered cocktail table by hiding it under his tie. Or the staff conference which saw around 600 staff do a “Race around the Centre” prior to the Grey Street opening. Or the time a staff member called him luvvy, not knowing he was the boss. As O’Keefe himself says, “there’s

always something going on” at the BCEC.

the centre in some way.”

Having previously worked at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, O’Keefe made the move to Brisbane to take up the role of general manager of the Centre in 1993 prior to its official opening in 1995. Imagining he might stay in the role four or five years, 20 years later he has seen more than 14,000 events, worth more than $2.5 billion to Brisbane’s economy, and 13 million visitors pass through the Centre. During that time the Centre has become Australia’s most awarded venue, with a total of 130 industry awards, and has been voted among the top three convention centres world-wide on three separate occasions. Staff numbers have increased from 400 in 1995 to more than 800 today.

Two decades later, O’Keefe believes the Centre continues to “pay its way, be a good corporate citizen and make everybody happy”.

“Prior to the BCEC being built, everything in Brisbane would be held in hotels, even exhibitions,” he recalls.

“There used to be a gift show that was held in four different hotels in the city, taking over all the ballrooms.

“The opportunity to build the convention centre came with the license of the casino. The money from that was used, which meant that the city and state weren’t left with a big debt when we opened.”

Keen to make a big splash, O’Keefe and his team planned an opening extravaganza that included a sit-down gala opening for 4000, a fairground, complete with Ferris wheel, inside the exhibition halls, a “Queensland on sale” trade exhibition, the Queenslander of the Year awards, an exhibition of paintings

by John Lennon and more. Channel Seven televised the news from the Centre for a week.

“It was a nightmare but everybody in town knew the convention centre was here,” he says. “We didn’t have white elephant syndrome; [the centre] was quickly adopted by Brisbane. There were conferences coming in and we could see the benefits of that, but there were also home shows and boat shows, concerts, basketball, so everyone in Brisbane could use

28 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

Changing face of the industry Looking back at the industry over the last 20 years, O’Keefe says it has evolved tremendously, with some of the biggest changes being in the areas of sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

“Sustainability wasn’t considered an issue 20 years ago,” he says. “Even things as simple as turning off the lights. Maybe because power wasn’t as expensive then; or people weren’t as conscious of it. Now everyone knows cares about saving power and water, which is just common sense because all of those things cost you money as well.”

O’Keefe himself has been the main instigator of the Centre’s strong community engagement program, which has seen the Centre establish long-term relationships with a number of community groups including food rescue organisation Foodbank and West End Community House, as well as 500 of the Centre’s staff volunteer for more than 2000 hours of community service.

“From the day we’ve started, or not far off it, our laundry has been done by an offshoot of the Sisters of Mercy which is staffed by intellectually disabled people,” he says, by way of an example.

“We also do a lot for the salvos, including a lunch at Christmas. There are people who haven’t eaten for two or three days, and people bring their kids. It’s very sad. Everyone volunteers their time, and chefs from around the city will come in and help out.”

The way convention centres handle things such as catering has also changed dramatically, according to O’Keefe.

“I would suggest that the catering offered by centres around Australia is world class these days,” he says. “Everyone’s put a lot of effort into lifting their game.

“Centres in general are a lot smarter, more up to date. Staff are better trained. When you look around, a lot of people have been at the Centres for quite a while. Convention centre staff tend to stay longer than those in the hotel industry, for example, because the business we’re in is long term.”

Future proofing the Centre Floods and fires aside, perhaps the most important event in BCEC’s recent history has been the construction of the five level $140

million BCEC on Grey Street extension, which opened on January 25, 2012, about eight months behind schedule thanks to the 2011 floods.

With the completion of the “boutique” 25,000sqm development, the Centre’s facilities expanded to a total of 44 meeting rooms including three stand alone tiered auditoria, giving it the flexibility to host events catering for eight to 8000 guests. The extension has, according to O’Keefe, been well received. In its first year alone, BCEC on Grey Street hosted 73,000 delegates and guests at 470 events.

“I think the industry is crying out for smaller, more boutique centres,” he says. “If you look at the ICCA [International Congress and Convention Association] data, the average meeting size has gone down by 10 or 15 per cent in the last survey; it’s down to around 400 - 450 people. We’re right on the trend.”

O’Keefe is not prepared for the Centre to rest on its laurels however, having fostered a culture of innovation during his tenure which has produced the Centre’s Convention Advocates Program and delivered Australia its first carbon calculator for convention centre events, its first dedicated Speakers’ Presentation Centre and first permanent art gallery space in an Australian convention centre.

An open door policy means that anyone, from frontline staff to management, can go to see him.

“We’re always looking for something new to offer,” he says. “If someone has a problem or a great idea for something we want to

Personal concierge for South Bank visitors

know about it.”

Looking ahead The next big challenge for BCEC will be welcoming leaders of the world’s top 20 economies and 3000 international and domestic media to the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held at the Centre in November 2014.

The Centre has set up its own taskforce to liaise with the government’s G20 taskforce. While the event is still mostly at the “meetings and site inspections” stage, O’Keefe expects progress to pick up in the next three to six months.

O’Keefe says he was thrilled when he heard that Brisbane had won the event.

“This was an opportunity for Brisbane to be seen by the world,” he says. “And then there was the statement that was made afterwards about why they chose Brisbane – the airport was one reason and the convention centre was another.”

Overall, O’Keefe believes Australia’s business events market is in a healthy place.

“The meetings market is growing,” he says.

“Our number of conventions has doubled in five years. Yes, we’ve added Grey Street, but it was heading in that direction well before then. Most of the cities went up in the ICCA rankings.

“The big challenge will be to get Federal funding for a bid fund, which would allow us combat places such as Singapore, Malaysia and Korea that traditionally throw large amounts of money at events.”

flexible

personal

South Bank Corporation has launched a precinct-wide Concierge program for use by the more than 80,000 delegates that visit Brisbane’s South Bank area each year. The free, online-based program is called South Bank Concierge and provides conference delegates with exclusive discounts to a range of dining, shopping and entertainment experiences on offer at South Bank as well as an online itinerary-planning program, insider tips for what’s on and assistance with booking taxis, Green Cabs and limousines.

“We have more than 80,000 delegates visiting South Bank each year – a number which is growing rapidly with the recent expansion of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre,” said South Bank Corporation’s general manager of marketing, Roxanne Hopkins.

“These out-of-town delegates are often timepoor with little idea of the abundance of experiences on their temporary doorstep.

“South Bank Concierge aims to give them a quick solution to know where to get a delicious meal, see a show or book a cab, just like a local.”

O’Keefe believes the new program will prove a winner with visiting delegates, adding to “the overall destination and venue experience for convention delegates”.

choice

awarded

always MORE The world class, multi award winning Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre is more flexible than ever offering unprecedented choice for meetings and events.

Official venue for the G20 World Leaders Summit Brisbane, Australia 2014 Worldwide Convention Centre Team of the Year H&J11718

T +61 7 3308 3063 E sales@bcec.com.au W www.bcec.com.au

more personal - more choice

The Centre is owned by South Bank Corporation and proudly managed by AEG Ogden

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 29

incentives

Rugby fans soak up the atmosphere at Sydney Olympic Park.

interstate, who wanted to combine business with pleasure.

The Lions took all the glory and bragging rights, but the Aussies didn’t come away empty handed, as many fully booked hotel and meeting venues can testify.

Accor’s hotels across New South Wales saw record occupancy with Lions and Wallabies fans turning out in their droves to see the biggest rugby test on Australian soil since 2003. Accor’s hotels in Sydney Olympic Park (Pullman, Novotel, ibis) broke all records since opening and were completely full on the night of the game.

Accor’s regional general manager for Accor NSW, Scott Boyes, says the rugby fans “soaked up the event with colour, song and passion and it was great to be part of it”.

Sporting life Sporting and cultural events do more than just boost merchandise sales, they act as a massive drawcard for events organisers looking to mix business with pleasure, writes Sheridan Randall.

It was a sea of red and yellow when the British and Irish Lions came to town. Even those who don’t know the difference

between league and union could not have failed to notice there was something rather special happening in Sydney this month.

Rewarding behaviour “Retention and motivation are the two largest reasons for running an incentives program,” says Liz Rivers, managing director at Awards Absolute.

Incentive programs are just one of the tools used in creating rewards programs for organisations, she says, adding that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work.

“What bank managers find rewarding is not going to be the same thing that processing workers or miners will find interesting and rewarding,” she says. “One of the common mistakes corporates [clients] make is creating the incentive before they know who is going on it. They make assumptions on what people want and then they promote it.”

Rivers says offering a trip to

a specific destination as an incentive without consulting staff may appeal to a significant proportion of them, but a small majority will simply be “de-incentivised”. Instead, she says, organisations should say to their staff, “we’re going to create a program that once we recognise who is going on it, we will work with you so that this program works for all of you”.

“Incentives need to be done in a peer-supportive environment, so that everybody comes together,” she says. “Where corporates use that approach they find that they have far stronger staff engagement and far stronger teams.

“Do your research, work out what you trying to achieve, make sure

30 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

The rugby test match between England and Australia was a massive drawcard for many visitors, both international and

you’re communicating from senior management what you are trying to achieve, and that you are then going to create something that is a one off just for them, not something they can buy off the shelf in any way. And because it has been created essentially for them as a whole everybody is going to find it interesting and exciting.”

Creating effective incentive programmes needn’t cost the earth either.

“A lot of organisations think incentives are only for the big end of town with lots of money,” she says. “That is not the case.

You can create extraordinary experiences for people without spending a lot of money – it just requires creativity and going to the right people who are experienced in this sort of thing.”

Knowing what you want to achieve

Describing Sydney’s CBD as “chock-a-block” through the first week of July, Boyes says the demand for accommodation was driven by a mix of corporate, business events and leisure.

“In the middle of winter in Sydney things like this do drive activity beyond the main event itself,” he says.

“This month is one of the biggest sporting months for Sydney since the World Cup and maybe since the Olympics. We’ve got the Lions, followed by State of Origin and then Manchester United playing an A-League team. A large number of people will coincide business [events] with going along to see one of the big games.

Those once in a decade type

is also essential, she says, with a “whole range of mechanisms in place to evaluate outcomes”.

“Don’t focus solely on what amount of money is being made for an organisation,” she says. “You might find that someone such as a team leader is making a lot of money for their organisation but they are doing it in the wrong way, by nudging their staff too hard and those staff are then leaving.

“Nine times out of 10 incentives are focused on those in sales and marketing. At the end of the day, if the rest of the organisation is not supporting your sales staff and working together you are going to end up with a fractured team environment and that will be demotivating for everybody in the long run. A whole organisation approach to rewards programs and those incentives is absolutely key.”

20,000 people across four outlets, eight function rooms and one specially designed 75m marquee.”

It isn’t just the major cities that offer organisers plenty in the way of drawcards for incentive events, with the Northern Territory hosting a number of sporting and cultural events that make the most of its stunning landscape.

The Henley-on-Todd Regatta in Alice Springs.

events tend to draw people.”

says Boyes.

Boyes cites the recent Vivid Sydney festival as another “massive success” that “adds to a city’s ability to sell itself, particularly interstate and international conferences”.

With the atmosphere that comes with great sporting and cultural events it is little wonder that there were plenty of requests from international organisers looking to reward their delegates.

“There is no doubt the Sydney Olympic Park precinct has cemented its position as Australia’s biggest and best event precinct, with all stakeholders working together to deliver a quality experience for all visitors to the park. We had DJs, bagpipes, anthems, live sites, one of Australia’s longest bars, Lions, Wallabies and an atmosphere second to none.

“The atmosphere out at Olympic Park on Saturday was unlike anything we’ve ever seen,”

“With close to 250 hotel staff working across our Olympic Park hotels, we were able to serve over

Alice Springs is set to host the Chairman’s XI tour match against England as part of the Ashes tour, to be played on November 29-30. The match is already being promoted by the English cricket fan base, The Barmy Army, with the inaugural outback match being touted as a drawcard for both tourism and business events.

For those looking for something different, camel racing and a sailing regatta in a dry river bed are some of the more unusual sporting events on offer in the NT. Alice Springs hosts both the Lasseters Camel Cup, in July, and the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, in August, with exclusive areas for corporate marquees. In the Top End the SkyCity Triple Crown V8 Super Cars motor racing event is held annually in Darwin in June.

Some of Australia’s most unusual

cultural events are also on offer in the NT, with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra performing two concerts at Uluru on October 18-19 this year, the first time an event of this nature has ever been held at this iconic location.

The Darwin Festival, in August, and the Alice Desert Festival, in September, also offer concerts and entertainment which would enhance any incentive programme.

Scott Lovett, director of Business Events at the NT Convention Bureau, says the mix of sporting and cultural events hosted in the Territory adds value to many incentive programs.

“From the quirky events such as the Beer Can Regatta and Beanie Festival to the rich cultural events such as the Barunga and Mbantua Festivals there really is something for every group right across the NT,” he says. “Combine this with our awe-inspiring landscapes and an ever increasing array of product experiences then you really do have the perfect setting for an incentive program with a difference.”

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 31

Northern Star

Listen to local stories on a Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk.

A favourite with local and international celebrities after a paparazzi-free holiday, Port Douglas is a destination guaranteed to make any incentive group feel like they’re the stars of the show, writes Ylla Wright.

Boasting a tropical climate where the average temperature hovers at around 28°C, fog is usually about as far from the minds of most Port Douglas locals as, say, Sydney is in kilometres. It’s lucky then that Tropical North Queensland is as famous for the laidback, cando attitude of the lucky people who live there as for their lush rainforest, world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and overall natural bounty. Sydney airport closed by a thick haze of white, delaying flights for nearly five hours, on the day a group of PCOs were supposed to arriving in Cairns for a Port Douglas Incentives (PDI) famil? No worries; just reorganise

the itinerary and throw a couple of bottles of Sauvignon Blanc in an esky to ease away their travel woes during the drive.

A regular fixture on the PDI calendar the famil, which is run in conjunction with Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef and Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD), seeks to showcase the Port Douglas and Daintree region as well as the exceptional range of incentive product available from its 13 members. It’s hard not to be impressed by the warmth and unfailing good humour of its local hosts as well.

“It’s all about working together to showcase our region,” says PDI

chairperson Natalie Johnson from off-site venue Flames of the Forest.

“PDI is a proactive force when it comes to marketing Port Douglas as an innovative and unique destination specifically targeting business tourism events such as conferences, incentive travel, major events, corporate retreats and meetings.”

Checking into accommodation at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Pullman Port Douglas SeaTemple Resort and QT Port Douglas, the group were quickly whisked away to an evening at the heritage-listed Sugar Wharf with members of PDI, catered for by Port Douglas Catering & Events.

With stunning views towards

PLACE US ON YOUR MEETING AGENDA.

the Great Dividing Range and Daintree rainforest, the wharf is a stunning spot for sunset cocktails and canapes, sit down events and of course, that most archetypal of Queensland activities: cane toad racing. With a host that makes the late Steve Irwin look subdued, “jockeys” quickly find themselves up on kissing terms with their warty team-mates, cajoling them with party blowers across the finish line to win. You may not want them in your backyard, but it seems that cane toads are surprisingly good fun at a party!

With proximity to nature a major part of Port Douglas’s attractions, getting up-close-and-personal is a must-do for any incentive group

Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.

Book your 2013/2014 convention room block at Hilton Surfers Paradise from $220* per night and receive complimentary internet, parking and buffet breakfast.

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32 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

Watch the video in the CIM iPad app.

Port Douglas’s proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest reef system, made up of around 2900 individual reefs, offers close encounters of another kind.

Quicksilver Cruises offers a range of options for groups, from a cruise to the Low Isles on 30 metre luxury sailing catamaran Wavedancer to a day on the Agincourt Reef platform, a 90 minute cruise from Port Douglas. Offering something for everyone, options onboard the platform range from a reef viewing trip in a semi-submersible submarine to snorkelling tours with a marine biologist, introductory scuba diving sessions, and scuba diving tours. A scenic flight over the reef with GBR Helicopters can be built into the program and boat charters are also an option.

visiting the area. Breakfast with the birds in the oversized aviary at the Wildlife Habitat, where you can also do behind-the-scenes tours with a trained keeper, “race around the park” teambuilding type activities and enjoy “Croctails” with the park’s crocodiles after hours, or enjoy a cruise through the croc-filled melaleuca wetland at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, where Big Ted, at 5.2 metres long and 800kg, rules the waterways.

Hartley’s also offers behindthe-scenes tours of the on-site crocodile farm, photographs with a (somewhat smaller) crocodile

With Tropical North Queensland often dubbed the spot “where the rainforest meets the reef”, a trip to the rainforest offers a cool change for incentive participants.

For shorter itineraries, or where timing is tight, a trip to Mossman Gorge, just a 20 minute drive from Port Douglas, is an ideal option.

While the new Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre, which opened in June 2012, has attracted more than 270,000 visitors to date, the real drawcard for groups are the awardwinning Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks, conducted by the local Kuku Yalangi people through areas of the Daintree not usually accessible to the general public.

Guests will be taken on a journey steeped in ancient culture, with guides sharing their dreamtime stories as well as the stories of their own personal relationship with the rainforest.

A different rainforest experience is Flames of the Forest, which sees guests transported into the heart of the forest for a magical sit down dining experience amongst the trees. Entering along a path way lit with tiki torches, guests are greeted with Champagne by candle light before making their way to an elegant black silk marquee complete with chandeliers. With no neighbours or noise restrictions, pretty much anything is possible.

Port Douglas’s many hotels also offer an array of options for wining and dining groups. Impress with dinner Casino Royale-style by the largest lagoon pool in the Southern Hemisphere at the Pullman Port Douglas SeaTemple Resort (complete with “Bond” emerging from the water with a bottle of Champagne) or let guests have free reign at the QT Port Douglas’s interactive marketplace, Bazaar. Lunch on local specialities (crocodile cheesecake, anyone?) while overlooking the Mossman River at luxurious Silky Oaks Lodge, or for a beach barbeque head to the Thala Beach Lodge’s “beach shack”.

Need a transfer with a difference?

Why not treat guests to an exhilarating ride with Grub and his mates from Grub’s Personalised Trike Tours? Not only a great way to see the stunning coastline, lush rainforest, sprawling sugar cane fields and graceful low-rise developement around Port Douglas, riders offer a commentary on the history of the area.

With so much on offer, you may well have trouble rounding your guests up at the end of the trip! ● Ylla Wright was a guest of Port Douglas Incentives.

Beachfront rewards Celebrate our newly refurbished and exclusive 5 star beachside resort.

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SMGC1494

and evening events showcasing the wildlife park’s many nocturnal inhabitants.

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 33

ve nu e u pd a te distillery will be established on 41 hectares of newly-acquired adjacent land within the next two years.

IHG will also continue to manage the property after signing a new 10-year agreement.

“The Hunter Valley region is focusing on increasing its share of corporate, meetings and leisure business; so the timing couldn’t be better to undertake this sort of upgrade to Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley,” said Bill Edwards, head of operations, IHG Australasia.

New Tune for Melbourne

Adina in Bondi Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach has opened its doors, offering studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments with a full hotel service.

“This area has been the number one requested location from our guests for many years and we are delighted to finally be able to provide it,” said Toga Hotels chief executive Rachel Argaman.

“A new retail precinct opening as part of the hotel in September 2013 will feature a selection of gourmet providores. Set amongst a diverse mecca of vibrant restaurants and trendy shops, the commanding position of the apartment hotel allows guests to soak up all the glamour and lifestyle that Bondi offers.”

West Resort and Spa to offer the signature QT style of vintage pieces contrasted with modern, slick and rustic accents.

The resort features 63 one, two, three and four bedroom fully furnished apartments, the Bazaar Marketplace, QT’s signature restaurant, and Stingray Lounge with an extensive cocktail, wine and boutique wine menu. There is also a new spaQ Falls Creek with five treatment rooms.

Rydges to manage Sails Resort Port Macquarie

New QT in Falls Creek

Rydges Hotels & Resorts have been appointed to manage Sails Resort in Port Macquarie from July 1, 2013, following the property’s recent acquisition by new owners Bayside Group. The resort offers six flexible conference spaces with the ability to cater for up to 150 delegates.

QT Falls Creek has opened its doors following the rebranding of the former Quay

“We are very excited to extend our hotel portfolio in Port Macquarie

and recognise the strong appeal of the region for leisure travellers, conference and event organisers and local commercial businesses,” said Norman Arundel, group general manager of Rydges Hotels & Resorts.

International hotel group Tune Hotels has announced the pre-opening sale of its first Australian property in Melbourne, with the 225-room Tune Hotel Melbourne in Carlton set to open on November 1, 2013.

“We are very excited about Tune Hotel Melbourne as it marks our growing brand’s entry into Australia and New Zealand,” said Mark Lankester, Tune Hotels’ operational HQ for Australia and New Zealand, group chief executive.

New conference centre for Hunter Valley More than $5.5 million is set to be invested into Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, with a new conference centre and upgrade to the existing exhibition space at the hotel, installation of a new large-scale commercial kitchen and establishment of a permanent marquee on the grounds due for completion by the end of 2014.

A 300sqm brewery, micro distillery and cellar door are due to be established as part of the hotel’s main complex, while a larger, purpose-built craft brewery and

Spicers Vineyards Estate’s restaurant Botanica.

royal randwick

r g

The highly anticipated relaunch of Royal Randwick will see world class racing and event facilities on offer for gala dinners, conferences, product launches, cocktails, festivals and more in 2013.

W sp sc re

World class facility opens in 2013

D

Theatre of the Horse, opened April 2013

For bookings and enquiries P 1300 729 668 | E contactus@australianturfclub.com.au | australianturfclub.com.au

34 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

Artist impression: The Grandstand

Makeover for Spicers Vineyards Estate

New Oaks for Melbourne

Spicers Vineyards Estate in the Hunter Valley, NSW, has undergone a makeover with a purpose-built day spa and new luxury accommodation now open.

The Oaks on William in Melbourne is to open its doors on July 15, 2013, a month earlier than first expected.

The opening will be the 40th property to join Oaks Hotels & Resorts’ growing portfolio.

Spa Anise offers two treatment rooms, while four new 50sqm Spa Suites have also been introduced which offer separate living and bedroom areas, taking the total number of rooms at Spicers Vineyards Estate to 12.

Mantra Broadbeach upgrade Mantra Broadbeach on the Park has completed a $35,000 upgrade to its meeting facilities, with a new meeting room and breakout area.

The revamp includes new carpets, furniture and furnishings and expanded desk space to allow for an extra 10 delegates, pushing the total capacity to 40 people. A private courtyard also provides the perfect space for a break out area for pre or post drinks and refreshments.

The 4.5 star Oaks on William will offer the choice of studio, studio park and studio park deluxe apartments, a mezzanine café and lounge bar and onsite meeting rooms and secretarial services.

Ramada Resort Port Douglas showcases refurb The Ramada Resort Port Douglas has officially unveiled its $7.3 million refurbishment. The refurbishment included the conversion of 194 hotel rooms into 86 apartments comprising 15 studio apartments, 34 one-bedroom apartments and 37 twobedroom apartments, as well as its conference spaces.

“We are very proud to showcase the new look Ramada Port Douglas as a premier resort in

our South Pacific resort portfolio,” said CEO and managing director of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and managing director of Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific, Barry Robinson.

“Through the refurbishment and service focused management of this resort we aim to further enhance the experience of guests who visit this very special part of the world.”

Luna Park expands meeting facilities Luna Park Sydney has announced it will expand its event venue offering, with 13 different event spaces available for hire, 12 of which are indoors, available on its 2.2 hectares waterfront site.

The new event spaces now include Coney Island, the Big Top, as well as the Park’s midway, on a stand-alone or combined venue basis, increasing its total capacity to 10,000 people.

rosehill gardens

Delivering award winning events With over 30,000m2 of flexible, indoor and outdoor space for gala dinners, conferences and large scale exhibitions and events, Rosehill Gardens really is the event planners’ venue of choice.

Grand Pavilion

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 35

p co a sso c i a ti o n

Trotter to receive Lifetime Achievement Award Alan Trotter, outgoing chief executive of Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ); is to receive Life Membership and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PCO Association for his significant contribution to the business events sector.

also responsible for introducing the Conference Assistance Programme (CAP) into New Zealand. CINZ ran the CAP programme for five years with great success, before handing it over to Tourism New Zealand.

The chief executive of CINZ for 20 years, Trotter has seen membership grow from 20 to 320. Under Trotter’s tenure, CINZ has also established a sales and marketing office in Sydney which is responsible for the marketing of New Zealand in the Australian market for business tourism.

A passionate advocate for the business events sector, it was Trotter’s vision which led to the union between PCOs in New Zealand and Australia with an alliance between the CINZ PCO group and the PCO Association.

Trotter also inaugurated the Meetings exhibition, which is held in June each year, and he was

Sarah Siebert, chair of the New Zealand PCO group and PCO Association councillor will make the presentation to Trotter in Auckland this month.

Trotter will step down as chef executive of CINZ at the end of the year.

What promotional product is best?

Choosing the right promotional gift can go a long way to achieving your sales goals, say Warwick Merry and Danielle Storey.

Here are five of the key factors to consider when planning promotional products:

What outcome do you want?

Understanding the outcome or purpose of the promotional product is essential.

If you are just giving your visitors a gift then you will give them something different than if you want them to buy from you. Too often exhibitors tell me “oh, it’s just for branding purposes”. Unless you are a massive firm like Coca Cola, Apple or Ford, let go of the “branding” band wagon.

The outcome may be that you want your existing customer to feel appreciated and show them you value their patronage. If that’s the case a branded frisbee is not for you! Another outcome you may want is that that prospect sees your logo frequently and is reminded of your services so that when the time is right they come to you.

What is the value of the gift?

What is the perceived value of the gift? This is different to what you have spent; it is what the gift means for the recipient. For example, elegant cufflinks with no branding may be seen to be far more valuable than a branded drink bottle. For

What is the cost per impression?

This is one of the least considered but most important factors when choosing a promotional product. Too often companies spend significant money on funky items that are either single use or something that their prospect will give to their kids, never to be seen again.

One of the questions we frequently get asked by exhibitors is “what is the best promotional product to give away at trade shows?” Of course the answer is “it depends.” Massive amounts of money are wasted on poorly thought out promotional products every year.

Don’t get me wrong, we are big fans of promotional products, but businesses seem to forget that the promotional product is not about them or about what they think is “cool” but it is all about their customer or prospect. It has to be something that they want and will use.

the best return on that spend.

If you are putting your logo or contact details on an item, make sure it is an item that your client will see time and time again.

people who are in to exercise, the drink bottle may be of more value.

To understand the best value, you need to first consider who your target market is and how they will perceive the gift. Everyone will place a difference value on the gift but it is your target market and the purpose of the gift that will best define its value.

Do you need two tier gifting?

Some of the most cost effective use of promotional products is “two tier gifting”, that is, the quality of the visitor determines the gift.

Trade Show visitors are renowned for their lust for “freebies”. They can be managed using the two tier approach.

The first tier is a relatively inexpensive gift that you don’t mind sacrificing for low quality leads.

The second tier is for a high quality lead. The conversation may start when they claim a first tier gift and as you continue the discussion you find out that they are exactly the customer you are after. In return for getting further information about them you can then give them the second tier gift, a higher valued object suited to your ideal prospect.

The two tier approach ensures you are getting

36 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

For example, if you give a prospect a branded polo shirt they may wear it on many different occasions, and then as it starts to show wear and tear, continue to wear it around the house or garden. Over a prolonged period, your cost per impression is very low.

Another good item for this is a branded USB stick. The continual use of the key with your brand on it can work out to a low cost per impression. But if you are giving out a USB key, maximise the opportunity and load it with a PDF detailing your products and services, a short video or even a personalised message.

Brief staff on how to distribute gifts You have spent thousands of dollars on promotional items, you have a strategy for distribution and you have a specific outcome in mind but if you don’t brief your team on what you are after, you’ve just wasted all of that time, effort and money.

Some of the most important time you will spend on the booth is the time you spend briefing your team on what you want from the stand, your objectives for the day, how you will measure your success and how they are to use the promotional items as a marketing edge. ● Warwick Merry and Danielle Storey are the founders of The Exhibiting and Sponsorship Institute and consultants to the PCO Association

Top 10 tips of a successful exhibitor Exhibiting at a tradeshow is one of the most cost effective ways of getting new customers, but it pays to have a good strategy for maximising the return on your investment, write Warwick Merry and Danielle Storey.

Too often businesses rush into exhibiting because it is “good for branding” or “you can make lots of sales” or even “because the competition is there and I don’t want to miss out”. Exhibiting is one of the most cost effective ways of getting new customers but if you do it wrong, it is one of the best ones to haemorrhage cash.

Here are the top 10 tips of a successful exhibitor or event sponsor:

1

Set goals

People often have no idea why they are exhibiting. They don’t know why they are on the stand, what the business is hoping to achieve or how “success” will be measured. You must know why you are there and “branding” doesn’t count unless you have a strategy on how to measure any shift in brand awareness.

Once you know why you are there, make sure everyone on the stand knows the goal. That way they can work towards it.

2

Pre-market

When you talk about exhibiting, most people get all excited about how sexy the booth will look and what else will be at the show.

Hardly anyone takes the opportunity to do pre-marketing work prior to the show.

Don’t depend on the show organiser to bring in the crowds. Do your own marketing to your prospects, existing customers, target market and loyal fans to get them to the show. Consider holding a private function for your high worth clients to say thank you and have them bring an industry friend.

3

5

Have ‘pick-up’ lines

Exhibiting at a trade show, expo, market or conference is exactly like speed dating. You are at a place surrounded by people who want what you’ve got. They are nervous, hesitant, shy and scared of making the wrong move to the wrong potential partner. You need to get their attention, attract them to what you’ve got and engage them into a lifelong, mutually beneficial relationship.

One thing that has proven itself for centuries is the well delivered pick up line. Make sure you have some. Naturally different ones work on and for different people. Find one that works for you and use it.

If the lines you have are not working, change them. If the ones you used successfully yesterday are not working this morning, change them. Do what it takes to get their attention and then engagement.

6

Have lead cards

Collecting business cards is not enough. They are overwhelming and do not give a focus on what you need to do next. Have simple lead cards you can staple to the business card. This lead card can capture some basic but important info, such as: • Priority – Are they an A, B or C prospect?

• Interest – What product or service are they interested in?

Booth set up

Don’t forget the booth is not about you. You think it is; your marketing department will insist it is, but it’s not. It is about your customer and your prospect. What will they want? What do you want them to do? Make sure you set it up so it is easy for them to do what you want them to.

If you have a show discount, have signage to let them know. A sign saying, “ask me about the show discount” encourages them to engage in a conversation. A sign saying, “50 per cent off” gets them salivating. What do you want them to do?

4

world. What counts most is your ability to engage with people and satisfy their needs with your products and services. Not your booth, your location, your freebies, your branding or any other item. Make sure you can keep your cool and deliver when all around you is going to hell.

• Follow-up – What day of the week is best to follow-up with them?

• Budget – Do they have a budget set aside for this purchase?

• Reason – What is their main reason to buy?

• Existing – Who is their existing supplier?

You can have a lot of this information in a checklist format so that a few simple ticks on an A5 sheet will give you valuable information you can use in your follow-up call.

7

Plan for worst

Your feet will hurt. Wear your most comfortable shoes and toughen up. It’s only for a few days.

Do not sit down. You will lose money. People will not approach you, you will start chatting to colleagues and not be present to the reason you are there.

Be there for your prospects and customers; the rest of the world will wait while you are on the floor.

8

Follow up

The half-life of interest in you and your product after you exhibit is two business days. By that I mean, in two days they are half as interested as they were on the floor. Another two business days, they are half as interested again and so on.

Book out the two days directly after you exhibit to use for follow up. Naturally you will have mountains of emails and phone messages.

They will wait another two days; your show prospects won’t.

9

Measure

What gets measured gets improved. You also need to measure if your exhibit process was a success. Look back to your original goals, did you achieve them? If not, why not? What level of success have you experienced? What is the return on your investment?

Only by measuring can you establish whether you will exhibit at this particular event again next time. Granted you may need to commit to a couple of shows before you can measure the results but it is essential to measure your exhibiting success.

10

Have fun

People would much prefer to do business with people they like. Enjoy your time on the floor.

It is an absolute buzz and you will meet some amazing people as you do it. ● Warwick

Be present

In business (and in life) a motto for success is “expect the best and plan for the worst”. As an exhibitor this is your motto to live by. Plan on couriers not arriving, luggage being lost, signs falling down and your location changing and you won’t be disappointed.

leave them at home or in the room), focus on the prospect and work toward achieving your goals.

It is too easy to be distracted. Your firm will have spent tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars for your time on the stand. Give those few days everything you’ve got.

If you are on the show floor, be on the show floor.

Turn off your phone or computer (better still,

Merry and Danielle Storey are the founders of The Exhibiting and Sponsorship Institute and consultants to the PCO Association.

For more information, visit www.pco.asn.au

Disasters occur on a regular basis in the exhibition www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 37

meeting people Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has recently appointed Katie Stamkos to the position of conference and events manager at Ramada Resort Phillip Island. She has experience in sales, marketing and business development particularly within the hospitality industry. Her previous positions include sales manager for the Capitol South Yarra in Melbourne and member services manager and events coordinator at the Sebel Heritage Yarra Valley.

Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino has appointed Brett Annable as entertainment services manager.

He brings to the role more than 20 years experience in the entertainment, hospitality and media industries. He has previously held senior roles with Carnival Australia, Nine Network, Network Ten and Queensland Events Corporation.

Most recently he was responsible for overseeing the onboard entertainment for P&O Cruises.

David Hogben has been appointed general manger of golf and sport at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

Most recently he was director of operations Australia and Pacific for Troon and prior to this he was director of golf for IMG and general manger of the Links Lady Bay Hotel.

Martin Boyle has recently been appointed as client relationship manager UK and Europe for Business Events Sydney. He has extensive experience in the business events industry; most recently he spent four years as director of association and conference development for Congrex UK. Prior to this he was corporate sales manager at the Edinburgh International Convention Centre.

Blair Roxborough has been appointed general manager of the InterContinental Melbourne the Rialto, adding to his role of

area general manager Victoria and South Australia. He brings to the role 27 years experience with InterContinental Hotels Group and has a wealth of industry knowledge.

His previous positions include general manager of Parkroyal Perth and Crowne Plaza Christchurch.

Tourism New Zealand has announced the appointment of Bjoern Spreitzer to the newly created position of international business events manager. He has been with Tourism New Zealand for the past seven years, most recently as business development manager. In his new position he will be responsible for increasing New Zealand’s international profile as a meetings, conference, incentives and events destination.

The Orange Group has appointed Darryl Edradan as production designer. Prior to this role he was senior creative designer for Communication Design International (Singapore). He brings more than 10 years experience in design for the exhibition and event marketing industries including international projects for BMW, Mini and Harvey Nichols.

Kerry Bell has been appointed Queensland senior sales manager conference and events for RACV Royal Pines Resort and RACV Noosa Resort.

Her previous experience includes three years as senior sales manager international for Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre and director of sales and marketing for Palazzo Versace.

Domenic Genua (pictured) has been appointed president of the Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia after serving on the board as treasurer for 11 years. He is currently working for the Boating Industry Association of NSW as

38 Convention & Incentive Marketing, July 2013 www.cimmagazine.com

marketing and events manager and brings a wealth of industry knowledge to his new role. He replaces Matt Pearce who has held the position for the past five years and will continue to play a role on the board.

Fraser Suites Perth has announced the appointment of Alice Lyons as the new director of sales and marketing. Prior to this role she spent nine years working in London for five star hotel brands including Radisson Edwardian London.

Fraser Hospitality has appointed Mariusz Tymosiewicz as the new general manager of Fraser Suites Perth. He brings to the role more than 12 years experience in the hotel and hospitality industry in Australia, most recently as operations manager for Fraser Suites Sydney. Before this he held various senior roles with InterContinental Hotels Group.

Mark Simmons has been appointed vice president sales and marketing for Outrigger Enterprises Group Asia Pacific. He brings to the position 23 years experience in hospitality, mostly in sales and marketing. Prior to this role he was vice president sales and marketing for SilverNeedle Hospitality in Singapore and has held senior executive positions at Preferred Hotel Group and Delivering Asia.

Tourism Portfolio has recently appointed Lisha Singh as business development manager. Most recently she was sales support executive at Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa for three years. Her experience in the industry includes working with The Sebel Resort and Spa Hawkesbury Valley and Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group.

Rob von Hartitzsch has recently joined Rydges Plaza Cairns as general manager. He has 16 years experience in the hospitality industry; most recently he was food and beverage manager of Rydges Wellington. Prior to this he was food and beverage manager of James Cook Hotel in Wellington and the

Wellington Park Royal Hotel.

SilverNeedle Hospitality has announced the appointment of Andrew Turner as the new executive vice president hotel operations.

He brings more than 35 years experience in the hospitality and property industries including 14 years as CEO for Mirvac Hotels and Resorts. He has also held key positions in organisation such as Hamilton Island Enterprises, Viva!

Holidays and Page and Moy. Radisson Blu Hotel Sydney has appointed Alex Barnett as marketing communications manager. He has extensive knowledge of the Australian media market having previously worked for Australian Traveller Media. In his new role he will be responsible for the hotels marketing communications strategies and strengthening brand awareness.

Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort has recently appointed Raelene Ohlson as the new business development manager for MICE. She has 25 years industry experience working for national and international hotels brands across sales and marketing, management, reservations, conferencing and events.

Fraser Hospitality has announced the appointment of Louise Osborne as the director of sales for Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. She has held various senior roles across a number of hotel groups in Australia. She brings business development and sales experience in the hotel and hospitality industry to her new role.

Gibbston Valley Winery has announced the appointment of Brenda Meadows to the position of sales and events coordinator.

She has an extensive background in the hospitality and tourism industry which includes working for a number of prestigious companies such as Mills Reef Winery, Puka Park Resort and Spinnakers Restaurant.

BCEC, Brisbane; www.gpce.com.au 21-24 Reed Gift Fairs, NE, SCEC, Sydney; www.reedgiftfairs.com.au 24 Retail Conference, NC, SCEC, Sydney; www. retailexpoandconference.com.au October 2013

4-5 Water Industry Operations Conference & Exhibition, NB, Bendigo; www.wioa.org.au 4-6 Global Event Summit, IB, Portugal; www.globaleventsummit.com 4-6 Expo Solar, IE, Korea; www.exposolar.org/2013/ 4-6 National Conference on Volunteering, NC, Adelaide; www.volunteeringaustralia.org 4-7 Food and Hotel Thailand, IE, Thailand; www.foodhotelthailand.com 9-12 Fine Food Australia, NE, SCEC, Sydney; www.finefoodaustralia.com.au 10-11 Total Facilities, NB, MCEC, Melbourne; www.totalfacilities.com.au 10-11 QLD Gas Conference, LC, BCEC, Brisbane; www. queenslandgasconference.com.au 13-15 The Digital Show, IE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.thedigitalshow.com.au 14-15 Gluten Free Expo, LE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.gfexpo.com.au 16-19 Accellos Annual Visions, IC, Chicago; www.accellos.com 16-20 Simulation Training Exhibition & Conference, NB, BCEC, Brisbane; www.simtect.com.au 16-20 Drinktec, IE 60,000, Germany; www.drinktec.com 20-22 General Practitioner Conference & Exhibition, NB,

1-3 World Gas Forum, IC, London; www.wlpgasforum-aegpl2013.com 2-3 International Cultural Travel Fair, IE, Mexico; www.cultourfair.com 5-6 Fitness Show, NE, PCEC, Perth; www.fitness-show.com.au 5-6 Discover Europe Expo, NE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.discovereurope.net.au 5-7 Mind Body Spirit Show, NE, Adelaide; www.mbsfestival.com.au 7-8 Access Conference, IC, Vienna; www.access-austria.at 9-10 Australian Sustainability Conference, NC, MCEC, Melbourne; www.australiansustainability.com.au 9-10 Waste Expo, NE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.wasteexpo.com.au 11-13 Australian Bike Expo, NE, Melbourne; www.ausbike.com.au 16-17 Office Show, NE, SCEC, Sydney; www.officeshow.com.au 16-20 Craft & Quilt Fair, LE, BCEC Brisbane; www.craftfair.com.au 18-20 Adelaide Home & Gardening Show, LE, Adelaide; www.kymjonesexhibitions.com.au 18-20 Pet Expo, NE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.piaa.net.au 18-20 Grand Designs Live, NE, SCEC, Sydney; www.granddesignslive.com.au 18-21 Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo, IE, Padang; www. tourismindonesiamartexpo.com 23-25 International Tourism Board Asia, IE 8500, Singapore; www.itb-asia.com 25-27 Grand Designs Live, NE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.granddesignslive.com.au 27-30 World Conference on Lung Cancer, IC, SCEC, Sydney; www.2013worldlungcancer.org 28-31 Eco Expo Asia, IE, Hong Kong; www.ecoexpoasia.com 29-Nov 1 Mines and Money, IC, MCEC, Melbourne; www.minesandmoney.com/australia/ 31-Nov 3 Mind Body Spirit Festival, LE, SCEC, Sydney; www.mbsfestival.com.au

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KEY: L, Local; N, National; I, International; C, Conference; E, Exhibition; B, Both. Figures are of expected attendance. Contact details are included where available.

1-5 Sydney Int. Boat Show, IE, SCEC, Sydney; www.sydneyboatshow.com.au 3-6 Home & Giving Fair, LE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.homeandgiving.com 3-7 Australian Gift and Homeware Association, IE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.agha.com.au 7-9 Marketing & Advertising Global Forum, IC, Sydney; www.admaforum.com.au 8-10 Asia Pacific Autism Conference, IC, Adelaide; www.apac13.org.au 10-11 Spa & Pool Show, LE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.spasashow.com.au 12-13 Lunch Show, LE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.lunchshow.com.au 12-14 Iron Ore, NC, Perth; www.ausimm.com.au 13-16 Stormwater Industry Assoc. Of QLD, LC, Townsville; www.gemsevents.com.au/siaq2013 14-15 Australian Business Events Expo, NE, SCEC, Sydney; www.abeexpo.com.au 15-18 Herald Sun Home Show, LE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.melbournehomeshow.com.au 15-19 Hong Kong Food Expo, IE, Hong Kong; www.hktdc.com 20-23 Asia Pacific Int. Mining Exhibition, IE, Sydney; www.aimex.com.au 21-23 Aust. & NZ Spinal Cord Society, IC, SCEC, Sydney; www.

dcconferences.com.au/anzscos2013 24-25 QLD Education Resources Expo, LC, BCEC, Brisbane; www.quedrex.com.au 24-29 Int. Congress of Pediatrics, IC, Melbourne; www2.kenes.com 25-26 Spa & Beauty Expo, IE, SCEC, Sydney; www. internationalbeautyexpo.com.au 25-27 Bags & Accessories, NE, Melbourne; www.bagsaccessories.com.au 25-27 Fashion Exposed, NE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.fashionexposed.com 25-28 Int. Council on Alcohol, Drugs & Traffic Safety, IC, Brisbane; www.t2013.com 30-Sept 1 Franchising Expo, LE, Melbourne; www.franchisingexpo.com.au September 2013 1-3 International Jewellery Fair, IE, SCEC, Sydney; www.jewelleryfair.com.au 2-4 China Incentive, Business Tracey & Meetings Exhibition, IE, Beijing; www.cibtm.com 2-7 25th World Congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics, LC, MCVB, Melbourne; www.isfg.org 3-6 Palliative Care Conference, NC, Canberra; www. dcconferences.com.au/apcc2013/

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