Coffs Coast has come a long way since the early 1900s when it was basically just one big banana plantation. And although its hillsides are still smothered with banana palms today, the region has grown into one of the most popular leisure and business tourism destinations on Australia’s east coast.
Its sub-tropical climate, ever-expanding portfolio of venues and attractions and uncrowded beaches make the Coffs Coast a winner in the eyes of many conference and event organisers looking to treat their delegates to something different. Located 550 kilometres north of Sydney and 420 kilometres south of Brisbane, the region is just an hour’s flight from both capitals and easily accessible by road or rail.
The destination’s hub, Coffs Harbour is a growing city of 60,000 people, with nine of the Coffs Coast’s 11 golf courses, a series of art galleries, boutique shops and notable restaurants which offer great off-site dining facilities.
When it comes to options for team-building activities, incentives, or partner programs, Coffs Coast has it covered. For a break away from conferences, a perfect outing could include visiting the quaint little town of Bellingen whose main street is alive with arts and craft galleries, boutique shops filled with designer wares and the best coffee on the coast. A day trip around Coffs wouldn’t be complete without seeing the world-heritage Dorrigo National Park where you can skywalk above the rainforest canopy or take a stroll through the pristine rainforest to one of the many crystal waterfalls.
Visiting kids can’t miss out on an unforgettable trip to the Pet Porpoise Pool where they can be kissed by a seal or have their photo taken shaking “hands” with the dolphins.
For those delegates with a little more energy, taking a burn around the Raleigh International Go-Kart Track might sound more tempting. You can organise team racing events, pitting groups against one another in a battle for the fastest!
For a short activity break, pick from parasailing, whale watching, deep-sea fishing, jetskiing, a trip to the famed Big Banana, canoeing on Coffs Creek, scuba diving, shopping or just relaxing on one of the many gorgeous beaches.
Coffs Coast is home to a dozen conference and events venues offering a variety of flexible spaces from boardrooms to ballrooms, as well as outdoor areas and marquees which make the most of the region’s good weather.
One of these venues is Australis Opal Cove Resort, which joined the Constellation Hotel Group in April this year. Set on 36 hectares of sub-tropical gardens in Coffs Harbour, the beachfront resort offers seven recently-refurbished function rooms, each with state-of-the-art presentation and audio-visual equipment. The entire convention venue can accommodate up to 550 delegates. It also features a nine-hole golf course, swimming pools and tennis courts, a freshwater lagoon and secluded beach, plus 130 hotel-style guest rooms with views over the Pacific Ocean and the Great Dividing Range, and 38 self-contained villas alongside the golf course.
One of the original Coffs Harbour resorts, Breakfree Aanuka Beach Resort is a classic example of a Coffs Coast venue that can provide flexible and affordable accommodation options with a variety of room styles. It has grown from its original 48 bures to a unique mix of 135 accommodation rooms from self-contained two, three and four bedroom spa villas, to studio hotel rooms and spa bures. The resort has recently commenced a refurbishment of its rooms to create a modern and comfortable “home away from home” feeling.
With nine individual meeting rooms in its Pacific Conference Centre, the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort Coffs Harbour offers some of the largest conference space on the Coffs Coast. Most of the rooms have natural light and take full advantage of the landscape surrounding the resort. The largest of the seven rooms can cater for up to 500 theatre-style. In addition, the resort’s Bay Marquee offers an outdoor dining and events option for up to 600 cocktail-style. Novotel Pacific Bay Resort also has 180 resort rooms and spa suites, and extensive leisure facilities including three heated pools, tennis courts, volleyball court, golf course, day spa and fitness centre.
While Coffs Coast offers a raft of team-building options, there’s only one resort in the region where you can send your delegates out for a round of golf, a rugby union training session, a surf and a series of somersaults all in the one day, and all in the one place.
Novotel Pacific Bay Resort Coffs Harbour has access to all of these team-building activities, and can deliver the ambience and amenities necessary to create a corporate event that blends them in with conference elements.
The resort’s on-site Zip Circus Flying Trapeze School offers a number of corporate packages which allow delegates to learn some of the basic skills of big top performers. The school can also act as a backdrop to cocktail parties, providing entertainment for guests with the option of adding a theme to the performance.
 Delegates who may have failed to realise their ambitions to represent Australia in rugby union can instead lace on their boots and have a run at Camp Wallaby, the Wallabies training base situated a few hundred metres from the resort. The Wallabies won’t be using the camp, complete with full-size playing field, during the 2007 season, allowing delegates the opportunity to enjoy activities ranging from a three-hour novelty program to a “day in the life of a Wallaby” program complete with early morning training sessions and video analysis of their rugby skills – or lack thereof.
Novotel Pacific Bay Resort Coffs Harbour also has a nine-hole, par three golf course which forms part of the complex. The course lends itself to the staging of progressive golf dinners, where delegates can enjoy a game and then indulge in a dinner in various locations around the scenic course.
Other team-building activities include 4WD tours, whitewater rafting, scuba diving, sky diving, deep-sea fishing and horse-riding.
 Q: How long have you been in the Coffs Coast?
A: I’ve been back here for the last five years or so, but I was lucky enough to spend my school years in a gorgeous little town just south of Coffs called North Beach.
Q: What changes have you seen during your time?
A: Coffs Coast has developed into a sophisticated mix of regional country and city lifestyles. It now boasts quality products, an abundance of fresh local produce (hence the great restaurants) and services that can rival many of the larger destinations. A primary improvement I’ve noticed is improved accessibility with regular daily flights available with Qantas, Virgin and Brindabella airlines.
Q: What’s something that meeting planners don’t know about the destination?
A: Coffs Coast has a fantastic array of accommodation and recreational facilities, and people are often surprised at how very affordable they are! Just one hour’s flight from Sydney, meeting planners can choose from great activities such as whitewater rafting, international go-karting tracks, award-winning golf courses, deep-sea fishing, team-building companies, and some of the best whale-watching that I have ever experienced, all at their fingertips.
Q: What are some “must-dos” for delegates?
A: A definite must-do is to catch a bite at a favourite beachfront café of mine, Saltwater. The view is amazing and the food exceptional.
Q: When’s the best time to conference in Coffs?
A: Anytime! Our summers have a balmy tropical feel, and the winter months offer clear crisp blue skies and the most fantastic sunsets.
It was four years ago on a balmy sub-tropical afternoon in Coffs Harbour when three men in black motorcycle gear walked into the Coffs Coast Marketing office, seeking help with bidding for the Ulysses Club’s 2007 annual general meeting (AGM). The idea was that the Coffs Cost Ulysses Club and Coffs Coast Marketing team would work together to secure the AGM for the region – and a successful bid would mean 5900 members and 300 motorcycle traders would travel to Coffs Harbour to attend what would be the biggest Ulysses meeting in its 24-year history.
In preparation for the bid, Coffs Coast’s marketing manager, Rob Cleary needed to get clued-up and educated in the world of Ulysses. At one stage of his life he did ride bikes (both pedal and motor) but had no knowledge of the Ulysses Club. He quickly discovered that this social club involved a group of mature men and women, whose average ages were 55 years, who enjoyed recreational motorcycling. To join the club, you had to be at least 40 years old – which Mr Cleary was, so he decided to sign up for himself.
Mr Cleary rounded up a team of four, allocated roles and responsibilities, set the timelines and budgets, and literally got on his bike and pulled back the throttle to prepare the bid.
Venue options, accommodation choices, food and beverage and catering logistics, entertainment and touring programs, support and emergency services, local government, traffic and police approvals, business and community endorsement for the event all needed to be gathered.
The close relationship between Coffs Coast Ulysses and Coffs Coast Marketing ensured that the bid documentation was completed on time, addressing the selection criteria set by Ulysses’ national executive committee (Natcom). Accompanying the paperwork was a video of Coffs Coast that included endorsements by the then Mayor Cr Jenny Bonfield and local resident and national icon, actor Jack Thompson.
The winner of the bid was to be announced at the 2004 AGM, held in Geelong. Coffs Coast was revealed as successful, and there was much jubilation until realisation of the hard work ahead to ensure a successful event had set in.
Since that moment, a team of 12 people headed by local Ulysses Club’s Phil Johnston met monthly, then fortnightly and then closer to the event, on a weekly basis to manage the numerous tasks. The team spirit and professional event management approach taken ensured that all was ready for the biggest event to be staged on the Coffs Coast.
Then the time came where Coffs Coast was invaded by 6000 Ulysses members (whose motto is “growing old disgracefully”) for the week-long event, which is estimated to have brought $12 million to the local economy. The event ran smoothly, with Mr Cleary commenting that the major factor in the success of the event was the close working relationship between Natcom, Coffs Coast Ulysses, Coffs Harbour City Council and its tourism and conference business unit, Coffs Coast Marketing.
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