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Look out southern states, that’s all I can say, because Brisbane is abuzz with new venues and a myriad of possibilities for events.
Since mid 2009, Brisbane has been busy making space for new conference venues, restaurants and hotels. But don’t fret friendly event planner, we’ve got the latest.
Spicers Balfour Hotel is located in New Farm and is planned to open in August 2010. The boutique property built in a ‘Queenslander’ style includes nine spacious rooms with a contemporary European design. Each space is uniquely furnished with luxurious pieces featuring Italian bed linen and a Bose sound system. And for corporate groups of up to 18 delegates the property offers a small executive boardroom with butler service, state-of-the-art AV equipment including plasma TVs and wifi. The property is owned by Flight Centre founder Graham Turner and his wife Jude who have created the Spicers Retreat, Hotel and Lodges, which include an eclectic range of high-end boutique properties. For more information go to www.spicersbalfourhotel.com.au.
Chester’s Boutique Hotel opened in September 2009 and is a family owned property located in the heart of Fortitude Valley. The hotel includes 10 luxuriously appointed rooms with city and garden views. This property is ideal for corporate travellers who are looking for a contemporary boutique stay at reasonable prices. For more information go to www.chesters.net.au.
The four-and-a-half star Hotel Chino opened its doors in July last year and is located in the busy urban precinct of Woolloongabba. The stylish hotel includes 66 hotel rooms with a range of accommodation including studio rooms and two bedroom self-contained apartments that can sleep six. The property also offers an exclusive rooftop function space ideal for a range of events from boardroom meetings to cocktail functions. The event space can be used as one large area or divided into two meeting rooms with a private bar or break-out area attached. For more information go to www.hotelchino.com.au.
As well as new properties opening doors in the last 12 months, Brisbane is also welcoming some renovated spaces. The Victoria Park Golf Complex & Function Venue has unveiled its newly renovated marquee. The permanent space covers 450 square metres and now includes state-of-the-art facilities, air-conditioning, chandeliers, two bars, a large dance floor and all with spectacular city views. The space can accommodate 1000 for cocktails, 550 theatre-style and 480 banquet-style. For more information go to www.victoriaparkgolfcomplex.com.
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The Sebel King George is ideal for conference groups and is located in the CBD, close to Southbank, Queen Street Mall, Eagle Street Pier and the Brisbane Convention Centre. The property has two accommodation towers which include 438 rooms and enough banquet space for 1000 delegates. The event space includes two ballrooms and 12 private meeting rooms, all conveniently located on one level of the hotel. The meeting space totals more than 2000 square metres and features the latest technology in audio, video, lighting and projection equipment. There’s also onsite AV specialists who can assist to make your event seamless.
For more information go to www.mirvachotels.com.
The multi-award winning property brings a level of high-end luxury to the valley and offers conference organisers a one-stop-shop for events. The property includes a range of accommodation types with a total of 102 unique suites, as well as a conference centre that can cater for groups of 300. The centre features three function rooms which are ideal for product launches, seminars, conferences and events. There’s also a custom-made boardroom with natural light and state-of-the-art AV equipment.
And within the Emporium Hotel precinct, your delegates will be spoilt for choice with a range of restaurants and shopping. The property is also located just minutes from Brisbane’s CBD, Brisbane Cruise terminal and a short drive from Brisbane Airport. For more information go to www.emporiumhotel.com.au
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One of the newest properties on Brisbane’s river front, the Queensland Rugby Club’s newest space offers a unique event space with spectacular bridge and water views. The Strand at Rugby Quay will officially launch in July and is set to become one of Brisbane’s iconic event venues. The event centre has already confirmed 15 events since its soft opening in March and has successfully hosted two large groups – a Pricewaterhouse Coopers seminar and lunch for a group of 180, and a lunch for the Australian Deployed Soldiers Welfare Association for more than 200 guests.
The venue can accommodate 320 guests banquet-style and 550 guests for cocktails, and the space can be divided in two for smaller events.
For more information go to www.strandrugbyclub.com.au.
For foodies familiar with Brisbane, there’s no doubt you’ve either dined or heard about Siana and its amazing cuisine. Well good news, Siana now has a sister restaurant, SianaValley. The restaurant boasts a contemporary design and unique Asian ambience and was scheduled to open last month. Siana Valley will offer a range of spaces ideal for corporate events including a VIP Pool Room which features Brisbane’s first glass-top pool table. For more information go to www.sianavalley.com.au.
The Stamford Plaza Brisbane is located on the banks of the mighty Brisbane River and close to the CBD, restaurants, entertainment and shopping. The property includes 252 refurbished guest rooms and suites, as well as nine conference rooms that can cater for groups from five to 250. Some of the meeting rooms feature natural light and river views, as well as access to outdoor areas and terraces ideal for breaks. All meeting rooms feature wireless internet, a fully integrated sound system and onsite audio-visual. The property is ideal for small residential conferences, and groups of 160 are the perfect fit. And the hotel is located adjacent to the Botanic Gardens which are perfect for team-building exercises. For more information go to
www.stamford.com.au.
Centr@l Apartments & Hotels manage six apartment complexes in Brisbane which offer one and two-bedroom accommodation. Situated in convenient locations in the heart of Brisbane, the apartments offer spacious and reasonably priced accommodation ideal for corporate delegates and association groups. As well as a range of accommodation, Centr@l Apartments & Hotels also have a selection of three meeting spaces. The Bardon Conference Centre is ideal for residential conferences and includes 22 purpose-built rooms, a 320 seat amphitheatre with state-of-the-art AV, all recently refurbished and set on seven acres of landscaped gardens in Mt Coot-tha. The Eagle St Conference Centre is located in the financial and commercial district and offers a technologically savvy space. And the Dockside Conference Centre is located on the riverside in Kangaroo Point and offers three unique function rooms.
For more information go to www.centralapartmenthotels.com.au.
 
Q: You started at the BCEC when?
A: In 1993 prior the centre’s opening in 1995 and during the initial design and development stage, when I moved to Brisbane from Sydney from the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Q: Did you think you’d be here for this length of time?
A: I thought that I would stay until the centre successfully opened, but my family and I enjoyed Brisbane so much we wanted to stay .....and here I still am.
Q: What has made you stay?
A: The opportunity to be part of the centre’s ongoing success and development, the friendships I have made both within the industry and outside the industry, the fact that Brisbane is a great city with a great climate and the exciting potential of Brisbane as a destination for national and international meetings.
Q: Could you ever have envisioned that the centre would be such a success?
A: Having some previous knowledge of the convention industry I have always been confident in the desirability of the centre and its capabilities and flexibility to function as a leading meetings venue. We were also fortunate in securing a loyal and committed staff who deliver a very high level of personal and professional service. The strong appeal of Brisbane as a destination of choice is also a factor.
Q: Do you have any idea how many events have been held at the BCEC?
A: Around 11,500 to date.
Q: And now, with the opening of BCEC on Grey Street, you enter a new phase. How exciting is that?
A: It is very exciting, we are on the threshold of a new era for the centre and its business levels. BCEC on Grey Street is specifically designed to satisfy demands of a market not catered for elsewhere in purpose built convention centres and early bookings substantiate that optimism. We have some innovations and new features we are planning for the new centre so watch this space!
Q: Can you explain a little about what BCEC on Grey Street will offer, and how it will compliment what is already existing?
A: Grey Street has been designed specifically to cater for meetings up to 600 and the niche nature of the development is proving popular with meeting planners. With the opening of Grey Street in 2011, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre will become Australia’s most flexible meetings and events venue able to accommodate meetings from eight to 8000 and the only convention centre in Australia with three stand-alone tiered plenary halls. The expansion provides us with a 52 per cent increase in convention space with an additional 18 meeting rooms and event spaces and the capability to host an additional 250 events per year.
Q: How do you see business over the next 12 months, both nationally and internationally?
A: We have very strong bookings for the period. In the financial year commencing July we will host the highest convention numbers and the highest number of international conventions since 2005. We also go into the new financial year with record forward bookings. As far as Grey Street is concerned there are 27 confirmed bookings with a further 34 awaiting confirmation. As a team we work hard to stay ahead of the competition and we do have a reputation for innovation – we were the first convention centre in Australia to introduce a customised carbon calculator – the first to launch a permanent speakers’ presentation centre and now we have our very own dedicated art gallery space.
Q: And can you tell us a little about your new Convention Advocates Partnership?
A: It was an initiative of our international team and brings together some of our most eminent scientists, researchers and academics in key sectors, with the objective of showcasing Brisbane’s world changing science and promoting Brisbane’s appeal as a destination of choice for international scientific meetings and of course helping to attract additional international meetings to Brisbane and the centre. There are already results on the board with a number of confirmed international meetings and associated events.
Q: And because I know you’re a bit of a foodie, can you give us a little mouthwatering preview of what your executive chef and his team are up to in the coming months?
A: Our hard working and talented chefs have a busy agenda ahead including the hosting the Bocuse d’Or Presentation Dinner to announce Australia’s successful challenger for the legendary international culinary competition in Lyon in January next year and our own senior sous chef is one of the challengers. There will be Michelin stars, Chefs Hats and fine French food on the menu with leading French chefs from Australia and France in attendance. Our executive chef Martin Latter, is currently conducting a series of nutrition and cooking classes for a group of local residents who are struggling in our community. This is in partnership with a local community centre and forms part of our CSR activities. Martin and his team also regularly donate packaged meals to Foodbank. I think we have so far donated 40,000 of these to local residents most in need. And we are of course heavily into planning for the opening of Grey Street, offering more choices, taking banqueting to a new level, greening the menu even further and extending our fresh, local and organic produce push looking for local artisan producers, but more on that later!
Each winter thousands of whales migrate north and this year Tangalooma is expecting more that 16,000 humpback whales to pass its shores.
Tangalooma Island Resort director Trevor Hassard said it’s positive to see the numbers grow each year.
“We can’t do a head count of course, but we agree with other groups that track the whales during the migration months that we are seeing more,” he said.
“It’s now at the point where we can almost guarantee there will be whales every day.”
Tangalooma is the only operator that offers guided whale watching with a marine biologist, offering groups the opportunity get up close to these majestic mammals
“The whale watching tour is very exciting because not only do the whales put on a great show, like all things wild, they are completely unpredictable and you can never tell what’s going to happen,” Mr Hassard said.
Tangalooma whale watching tours are ideal for corporate groups and incentives and begin in June and run until the end of October. For more information go to www.tangalooma.com.
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