  
The greening of Victoria, with business-saving, even life-saving rains, has put a spring in the step of the rural meetings industry as it emerges from the economic slowdown, which arguably impacted the regions harder than the city.
And, in recent times the regions have done it particularly tough in comparison to the city of Melbourne which continues to boom in the business event sector.
Melbourne institution, the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, has recently broadened its reach with club facilities stretched across the state (and even into Queensland with Royal Pines). It offers event space at Cape Schanck in two rooms for up to 200, Inverloch (three rooms for up to 80) and Healesville has seven rooms including a ballroom for up to 312 (theatre) or 400 (cocktails).
RACV’s City Club boasts some of the best accommodation in Melbourne with 112 rooms, with widescreen plasma TV, a range of dining options and dedicated meetings levels – Level 17 for up to 500 in a multi-configurable space overlooking the city and Level 2 where six rooms can hold up to 180.
In the arts precinct, Hamer Hall is closed for a $128 million redevelopment to expand foyers and public spaces, opening the building up to the Yarra and to improve meetings and event options.
 
The $267 million AAMI Park, Melbourne’s newest sports venue for rectangular codes not only has a special roof with changeable LED lighting, it incorporates the latest in function facilities. It has three main rooms: Olympic Park 1330 (banquet), 500 (cocktail); Olympic Park 2, a Corporate Bar for 360 (banquet), 500 (cocktail) and Olympic Park 3 310 (banquet), 500 (cocktail). When opened up these rooms create a 1000-seat dining room, accommodating up to 1500 (cocktail).
At latest count Melbourne has about 25,000 accommodation rooms, with 15,675 of these within the City of Melbourne and 9474 in the central business district.
Melbourne’s newest hotel, The Blackman, third in the boutique Art Series, opened recently on St Kilda Road. Built around the historic Airlie mansion, its 192 rooms and 15 suites, some with private terraces and spas, showcase the art of Charles Blackman. The Blackman offers small meetings spaces and complimentary use of a shuttle bus within a five kilometre radius.
Meanwhile Melbourne’s CBD-proper is set to get its first new five-star hotel in 10 years with the announcement that the former Naval and Military Club site, 27 Little Collins Street, will see development of a boutique hotel with meeting rooms set within a 32-storey residential tower.
Less than one hour from the Melbourne central business district, the Geelong and Great Ocean Road region of Victoria is one of the most popular for meetings beyond the city limits. It offers a great variety of flexible conference and event venues to suit events of all shapes, sizes and styles, beautiful bays and surf beaches, extensive bushland, first-rate golf courses, shopping, wineries, fine dining and quality accommodation.
The Great Ocean Road is without doubt one of the world’s greatest scenic drives. It has been ranked as one of the top 20 journeys of a lifetime by Conde Naste Traveler, and among the top 10 road trips by American travel magazine, Frommers.
From Geelong, the road winds its way along the coast, passing through towns including Bells Beach, Torquay and Lorne and onto the Otways rainforest and Port Campbell National Park.
Delegates who love the great outdoors can learn to surf, go horse riding, ride a bike, play golf, climb to the top of a lighthouse, or simply breathe in the fresh air.
At the region’s heart is Geelong, Victoria’s largest regional city with a population of approximately 210,000.
Geelong has for many years played host to many conferences. And now, its newly renovated and vibrant central business district, is only helping its popularity grow.
Millions of eyes were on Geelong during the recent UCI Road World Championships, which brought 400 of the world’s best cyclists and about 200,000 visitors who completely booked out accommodation and venues across the city, one hour south of Melbourne.
The five day event, second only to the Tour de France in international cycling terms, was a fillip for the city which already has a strong events calendar.
Deakin University took advantage of the event to stage a conference at its waterfront campus, bringing together cyclists, administrators, academics, scientists, fans and others interested in the future direction of professional cycling.
Business Event Geelong’s Andrew Heibl says the Geelong Otway region hosted business events worth $55 million to June 30, 2010, slightly down on the $58 million for the previous period. Despite hosting more events they had smaller delegate numbers last financial year.
However, Andrew said events already secured this year showed the region was $10 million ahead of target. For the first time he said the bureau completed a monthly survey of 12 regional properties which revealed a total benefit to the region of $96.3 million over the past year, when the regional tourism multiplier was factored in.
Geelong’s newest events venue, The Pier, had to meet its September opening deadline because it was chosen as the official entertainment venue by the UCI. Perched at the end of Cunningham Pier, which offers four new hospitality venues, The Pier is an event space with magnificent water views, catering for up to 600 (banquet) or 1000 (cocktails). It has dividing walls to create smaller rooms plus a private boardroom.
From November the Geelong region will benefit from an expansion at Avalon airport, 20 minutes away, together with the decision by Tiger Airways to base two Airbus A320 aircraft there.
At the gateway to Geelong, Werribee Mansion has presided over a grand estate for 133 years, initially as a 60-room private residence, a religious seminary, and most recently as a Sofitel five-star hotel. Now as part of the Lancemore Group, The Mansion Hotel & Spa will benefit from the conferencing expertise of the group which developed one of Australia’s first purpose-built residential conference venues, Lancemore Hill in the Macedon Ranges.
Lancemore Group CEO, Julian Clark, commenting on the acquisition of the iconic property, said the Mansion would deliver the same standard of excellence clients had become accustomed to at the other regional Victorian properties, promising “you will be spoiled for choice and guaranteed successful conference outcomes”.
“The Lancemore Group’s track record in delivering for both owners and customers across various economic cycles for over 25 years was the key reason that the investors had the confidence to purchase The Mansion Hotel & Spa at Werribee Park. Given our scalable structure, knowledge of this unique sector and experience in adding properties to our portfolio, we anticipate that integration of this hotel into the group will be relatively seamless,” he said.
There are nine flexible meeting spaces at The Mansion - three boardrooms (for eight, 12 & 14), two large meeting rooms (40 each) and The Ballroom for 100 (theatre or banquet) within the hotel, plus two external venues, The Theatre for up to 140 (theatre or banquet) and The Pavilion for 110 (banquet). Onsite team-building activities have plenty of room to be played out in the 10 hectares of gardens.
After the mental workout there’s always the Mansion Spa, which features a 17m indoor pool, steam rooms, full gym and eight treatment rooms with Vichy shower.
 
One hour south of Melbourne is Melbourne Business School Mt Eliza, set in a 1988 Victorian mansion and gardens overlooking Port Phillip Bay. It features seven meeting rooms and 16 syndicate rooms plus residential conference accommodation in 94 single bedrooms with ensuite and satellite TV.
Although a heritage property, meeting rooms are purpose-built, offer natural light, ergonomic seating and the latest presentation and AV equipment. The largest room seats 130 and the facility’s four dining areas include two private rooms for 40 and another for 90. Little known is that the property boasts its own private beach.
On the other side of the Mornington Peninsula, Peninsula Hot Springs and day spa has spent more than $8 million on 20 new pools and bath experiences. Your team can bond in a Turkish steam bath, underground sauna or try thermal reflexology.
The heart of the Goulburn Valley fruit bowl, Shepparton turns 150 this year and is one of the nation’s fastest-growing municipalities. Covering 2500 sq km it is Victoria’s fifth largest city with over 60,000 residents and can host up to 1200 visitors at any one time.
Its traditional venues include Country Comfort with 80 accommodation rooms and five meeting spaces from a boardroom for 20 to its Parkview Room hosting 150 (classroom), 220 (banquet) or 600 (cocktails); GV Hotel has four spaces for 60 to 600 (theatre), off-street parking and offers full event management services; Quality Sherbourne Terrace has 55 accommodation rooms plus three function spaces for 50 to 280 (theatre) or up to 300 (banquet).
Shepparton Council’s Eastbank Centre has a fully-tiered auditorium for 850 plus flat-floor spaces with operable walls for trade shows or 1000-seat banquets. It has in-house catering, full technical facilities and expert staff. Another council venue, McIntosh Centre at the showgrounds, has 550 square metres of flexible function space that was historic timber cattle yards, plus a 630 square metre foyer. Facing the main showgrounds arena, a heritage grandstand offers 280 square metres of internal floor space. On the opposite side of the site the city is constructing a new $1.75 million multi-use cattle pavilion capable of hosting exhibits as well as world-class events.
Quest Apartments Shepparton is the city’s newest hotel with 69 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments plus a dedicated meeting room for 30 (classroom) to 70 (theatre). However up to six could comfortably have a meeting in the separate lounge area of the larger apartments. No meals are provided onsite, but restaurants are just a short stroll away and undercover parking is provided.
Covering almost 10 per cent of Victoria – from the Mallee forests, over a million hectares of wheat and barley, to citrus groves and vineyards set alongside the verdant banks of the mighty Murray, alive with houseboats, paddle-wheelers and wildlife – Mildura is an oasis at the edge of the outback. Australia’s first irrigation colony, it offers delegates a different experience: a cosmopolitan city with 6000 beds and a Mediterranean climate that lures leisure and business visitors, among them recently a national convention for 1400 Lions delegates.
Julie Jewell, conferencing facilitator & special projects officer with Mildura Rural City Council, received special praise for her city from Rob Oerlemans, executive officer of Lions Australia.
Offering a positive message for other rural communities, he said: “Mildura was a departure for convention locations for our organisation in recent times, with previous venues being in Australian capital cities. I will say from the outset that the experience in working with the Mildura community was a very welcome surprise.
“Mildura Rural City Council and the local business community engaged with Lions well in advance of the convention, providing a wealth of information, support and networking that gave us great confidence in planning this very special event for our organisation.
 
“This contribution was only a taste of things to come. When we arrived, not only did Mildura provide a warm welcome with signage, flags and members’ offers, but the businesses where the people were well informed of our visit and our four day convention, resulted in a minimum average stay in excess of seven nights. Our members took advantage of the variety of accommodation with many utilising houseboats, resorts, holiday units, caravan parks and motels.”
Of the 1410 delegates, 72 per cent travelled to Mildura by car, and 17 per cent by air. Mildura’s strategic location helps but so does having four connecting airlines.
Julie Jewell says the Lions event should encourage other regional cities to bid for major conferences, especially as it not only generated business from the four nights of the event.
“More than a third of the delegates took advantage of the pre-conference tours, 27 per cent participated in post conference tours” with the highlight for many being a visit hosted by an aboriginal elder to the ancient sand hills of Mungo National Park and some of Australia’s most significant Aboriginal sites.
Among Mildura’s landmarks is Quality Hotel Mildura Grand Hotel with a grand ballroom for 400 (theatre), 250 (buffet), while the property’s original dining room, now the Chandelier Room holds 150 (theatre) and 120 (buffet). There are six other smaller meeting spaces plus an outdoor courtyard. Legendary local chef, Stefano di Pieri, has his restaurant in the old cellars of the hotel.
 During my visit I lunched at Stefano’s Bakery, which also has a gallery space suitable for functions. Mildura councillors, Mark Eckel and Nick Cavallo enthused about the city’s festivals and events, saying there were 13 events in 1998, now there are over 300 and the region is on the move.
Dinner, still within the grand hotel precinct is at Seasons, a Spanish bar and grill owned by Andy and Mandy Williams and renowned for its great steaks and local produce. Andy greets us and ensures we have a great night and great steak.
Mildura’s other venues include the lawn tennis club suitable for 150, Settlers function centre with a range of spaces seating up to 600, and the former Methodist Church with its heritage-listed architecture and original raked seating which is available for hire from community agency MADEC.
Albury, once considered a potential site for the national capital due to its location, can still claim it is at the geographic centre of the Melbourne-Sydney-Adelaide triangle, where the majority of the population lives. So naturally it is a popular meetings centre, especially being served by a jet airport and interstate rail links.
The city has particular capability for large national association meetings with the Albury Entertainment Centre offering an 818-seat theatre, 750 (banquet) and 1200 (cocktail). Two clubs, the SS&A Club and the Commercial Club also have large gathering spaces with 550 and 600 respectively (theatre) and 400 and 200 (banquet).
But Albury’s point of difference lies in some different spaces that offer variety to organisers and interest to delegates. Albury Art Gallery, a century-old building with internal courtyard, parquet flooring and original pressed-tin ceilings, apart from the artwork, offers cocktail and reception services for up to 300; a gala dinner for 100 in the Library Museum comes to life at night with lighting effects dramatising the high ceilings and stunning architecture; or ‘do lunch’ on the banks of the Murray at the city’s wood fired oven, which is available for private bookings and even comes with a supervising baker.
Stretching 300 km along the Murray, Swan Hill was first settled by pioneers in the 1850s and today hosts events for up to 1000, offering a total 546 hotel rooms to four-and-a-half star.
The largest space is the 1935 Art Deco Town Hall, with spaces for 20 to 860 people, including a ground floor auditorium for up to 400 (theatre) or 320 (banquet), and balcony/dress circle seating another 460.
One of Swan Hill’s more interesting venues is a photographic gallery (200 sq m) run by Danny and Glenys Nalder with a stunning backdrop of fine art panoramic images. This contemporary 200 sq m space features polished concrete floors, corrugated iron walls and caters for 15 to 220 seated or up to 300 (cocktail).
 Best Western Swan Hill Resort upgraded its 62 rooms in 2007 and now offers five separate conference spaces, including a tiered theatrette for 64, with high speed Wi-Fi covering all areas of the resort.
Opened in 2006, a former grain shed has been re-purposed by Swan Hill Church of Christ as a multi-purpose community facility, available for conferences and events. Known as The Grain Shed it is now a 450-seat auditorium with professional sound and lighting, offered at highly affordable rates, every day except Sunday. It also has a spacious foyer large enough for a banquet for 100 with an adjacent commercial kitchen. Five conference rooms suit 12 to 80, plus there’s onsite car parking and even a créche.
Echuca
Situated where three rivers meet – Murray, Campaspe and Goulburn – water is the lifeblood of Echuca, which was once Australia’s busiest inland port, helped by its rail link to Melbourne.
So it is not surprising that Echuca, and its cross border town sister Moama, have some unique conference venues in the state. For a start they boast the world’s largest collection of paddle steamers, ideal for a conference dinner for up to 70 or as the platform for up to 140 (theatre), moored at the historic Port of Echuca, or tucked into a bend in the Murray. Declared a historic site in 1975, the wharf area offers delegates a step back in time with its genuine century-old buildings. Popular wharf-side venue, Oscar W’s does dinner for 110 and meetings for 150 (theatre or cocktail).
Smaller on-water options include luxurious houseboats, effectively floating boardrooms with all mod cons.
Golf meetings are popular with many first-class courses. Some, like Rich River, offer 63 onsite accommodation rooms and a range of meeting rooms. Rich River’s first floor Tatalia Conference Centre caters for banquets for 500 and offers fully integrated AV.
There are over 5000 beds in Echuca Moama and the region draws one million visitors a year.
In the midst of the Milawa wine country in north east Victoria, stands a bespoke conferencing venue, Lindenwarrah, part of the Lancemore Group, whose reputation for developing and running purpose-built conference venues is unsurpassed. The vision of management consultant Peter Clark and his wife Jan, whose artistic touch is a signature of Lancemore ambience, the group recently acquired former Sofitel Werribee Park Mansion.
Lindenwarrah, like a boutique country manor, has three quite separate meeting areas for 25 to 80 (classroom) or up to 150 (theatre). It was hosting a private meeting of prominent CEOs from the city when I visited. They had a private ‘penthouse-style’ meeting space with a balcony and vineyards stretching towards Mt Buffalo on the horizon.
And on a visit to the nearby King Valley’s Pizzini Wines, I discovered that the CEOs were breaking from their meetings to don aprons for a cooking class in Katrina Pizzini’s new kitchen – Nonna’s Apple Strudel would test their teamwork.
In Victoria’s high country, within coo-ee of the legendary mountain cattlemen, we found a unique approach to the corporate retreat. Three women have taken a different twist on Banjo Patterson’s ballad where they tried to corral the wild bush horses.
The Bush Energy Leadership Program run by Lesley MacGregor, Cath Stoney and Laura Gel at Howqua Valley Views, a former horse ranch now rustic retreat outside Mansfield, is where corporate executives are often tamed by horses.
“To lead with clarity and confidence is to know one’s own philosophy and to practise the art of compassion,” says Cath.
The three have more than 50 years’ combined experience in business, teaching, facilitation, community leadership and women’s issues. They teach participants to tune in to themselves and become acutely aware of the energy of others.
Laura, an accomplished horsewoman and also qualified in event management, demonstrates some of the activities that involve human-animal interaction and how executives out of their comfort zone with a huge horse on the end of a leash, finally get to know themselves. But first, she explains, the horse betrays any fears our ‘macho’ executive is trying to hide. Through very small movements she quickly wins the animal’s confidence, gently caressing its rump with a two metre plaited stock whip, building the mare’s confidence to finally crack it by her flanks with no ill-effect.
Humans don’t cop the whip, but they do learn the process of compassion in interaction with animals – a metaphor for the workplace.
“We call these the ‘aha moments’, when they really get it! Even through all the belly laughing they still get it because animals tell it like it is,” Laura says.
Watching “gorgeous Laura”, as her partners call this tall, intelligent horsewoman in her R.M.Williams, it’s clear she’s a horse-whisperer…and can undoubtedly man-whisper too having recently become engaged.
Bush Energy work with any teams - sports teams, government, community or educational organisations – to deliver programs such as herding sheep around seemingly impossible obstacles and figure eights to demonstrate, via experiences, the qualities that make a sound team.
At the foot of the Mt Buller ski fields, Mercure’s 20-acre Pinnacle Valley Resort has new facilities, new management and a new attitude to the conference and event market.
To general manager Steve Connolly and wife, Lara, conference and events manager, nothing is too difficult, having returned a year ago from running a hotel in Port Moresby in New Guinea for four years.
“We have the flexibility here to do anything on site – team-building, Amazing Races, mini golf, beach volleyball, archery, horse-riding,” Steve explains as kangaroos graze the slopes and parrots noisily feed nearby.
The property comprises 42 keys – studio rooms, one bedrooms and 12 chalets sleeping up to six people each, for a total 167 beds.
The range of meeting rooms, all with AV, range from 12 to 70 (classroom) with the largest 350 sq m room holding 240 (theatre), 160 (banquet) with panoramic views and a wide balcony suitable for pre-event activities overlooking Mt Buller. A grand old timber stable is a rustic dinner venue, but Steve says the resort’s most popular event is a BBQ followed by a drink and a yarn around the huge open fire pit.
Beechworth
LaTrobe at Beechworth, three hours north-east of Melbourne, occupies 27 acres of a 143-year-old site, originally a mental asylum, set in sprawling 19th century botanical gardens. Its modern Kerferd Conference Centre suits 10 to 400 and has a bar and bistro; The Pines’ two spaces suit 150 (theatre) each; there’s a 16-seat computer suite, ideal for training sessions; and even a sports oval with cricket pavilion. Onsite accommodation for up to 220 is in self-catering lodges or four-star suites. The brave can try night-time ghost tours of the old mental asylum.
Wangaratta
Just off the highway back towards Melbourne, Wangaratta has opened its acclaimed Performing Arts Centre, built with some controversy to replace a local memorial hall. It appears that whatever controversy there was has all been forgotten now. The McClymonts, a three-sister new country music act, were setting up in the magnificent tiered 530-seat theatre that now draws regular events to the city. The theatre has a four by three metre projection screen on stage, full AV and lighting, plus dressing rooms, green room and two generous foyers.
A separate meeting room caters for 70 (theatre) while the old memorial hall has been replaced with a new one catering for 500 (theatre), 300 (banquet), with the flexibility to add a custom-built marquee boosting capacity to 900 (theatre) and 500 (banquet).
And the city is certainly living up to its mantra, recording strong growth in the meetings sector over the past year.
The city’s newest property, the 55-room Quest Ballarat, opened in July and has seen its conference room for 55 in use an average four days a week. Designed to make the most of natural light, the room suits small intimate meetings up to large interactive workshops and AV is included in half-day and full-day bookings.
Comfort Inn Bell Tower has completed refurbishments that included new 55” LCD televisions for meetings (provided free with room hire), new split system heating/cooling systems and soft furnishings. It staged a two-day statewide Victoria Police conference and dinner in September.
Mercure Ballarat Hotel and Convention Centre not only offers 71 accommodation rooms and 23 meeting rooms including a 950-seat convention centre, it is giving organisers “a FREE* Apple iPad”. The fine print requires a conference booked at Mercure Ballarat, valued at over $10,000 (excluding AV equipment and services), and must be held by December 31 to receive the 16 Gb WiFi iPad.
Twenty minutes from Ballarat, the 150 acre Novotel Forest Resort, it seems, has cornered the automobile club meetings market, hosting the Austin Healey Owners Club National Rally for four days over Easter, the Victorian Ferrari Owners Club in June, Porsche Club of Victoria in July and the MG Car Club has two more events booked for early 2011. Its 144 luxurious rooms and suites all boast balconies and spas overlooking the resort’s golf course.
The Pyrenees’ Warrenmang Vineyard Resort has hosted a wide range of conferences over the past 20 years. Owner, Luigi Bazzani, one of regional Victoria’s winery tourism pioneers, recalls the smallest conference ever held at Warrenmang: two business partners who wanted to brainstorm without distraction, but that offsite brainstorming session resulted in a highly successful five-day seminar for their clients and a full house for Warrenmang; the largest event, a huge supermarket chain had a marquee housing thousands of new products to be considered for the year ahead.
Supporting the event and conference management industry in Ballarat is a new joint venture between two local businesses to provide a call centre that manages components of bookings for conferences and large events, backed by the knowledge and experience of professional conference organisers and event management. Leanne Whale (Call Assist) and Rachel Kinscher (Visionary) are now Event Assist offering project management, accommodation and conference facilities, tourism attractions, tours, packages, entertainment, marketing, travel arrangements, insurance and complete conference co-ordination from Geelong and the Great Ocean Road through to Ballarat and the Grampians.
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