|
Australia’s western gateway, the capital of Perth is becoming a viable and attractive C&I location not only on a national level, but with its close proximity to Asia – Perth is as close to Singapore as it is to Sydney – the city is drawing in a lot of interest from international groups wanting to conference Down Under.
“Perth has many attributes that make it appealing to delegates, particularly those from overseas,” says Christine McLean, general manager of the Perth Convention Bureau.
“Our reliable Mediterranean style climate – we’re Australia’s sunniest capital – and our green, clean, safe environment and relaxed lifestyle are big attractions, plus the fact that we have an international reputation as one of the world’s friendliest cities.”
The city’s location on the banks of the Swan River where delegates can enjoy a whole host of recreational activities, its free city bus service and its compactness are other attributes which delegates rate highly.
“Perth is also blessed with excellent meetings infrastructure and a vast range of suppliers,” Ms McLean says, “So we’re able to offer a world-class conference experience without burning a hole in delegates’ pockets.
“The fact that many conference organisers are surprised at the record numbers of delegates they attract, particularly to national meetings, demonstrates that Perth holds great appeal as a destination.”
The total number of delegates going to Perth for conferences annually has levelled out at around 44,500 over the past five years, and the total number of conference being held in the city has hung at around 150. But don’t be surprised if these figures double in the coming years, what with the State Government’s recent move to substantially increase its funding commitment to marketing Western Australia as a business tourism destination.
The Government has committed an additional $11.9 million over five years to attract the larger, high-yielding 900-plus delegate conferences, to be matched by an industry contribution of $2.2 million over the same period. This has effectively seen the Perth Convention Bureau’s annual Government-private sector funding increase by 58 per cent from $2.6 million to $4.5 million in the 2007/08 financial year. The bureau is hence overhauling its structure and operations in the wake of this development.
The additional funding will be used primarily to target larger business events which will be suitable for Perth’s major venues such as the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Burswood Entertainment Complex and the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle. At the same time it will help the bureau to secure conferences that can be accommodated in other venues both in Perth and in the regions.
“Given the massive boost in funding to market Perth and Western Australia as a C&I destination, the bureau is anticipating a period of sustained growth in these markets over the next five years,” Ms McLean says.
“The funding boost will allow us to appoint in-market representatives in our key markets of the UK, Europe and Asia and develop stronger international brand awareness of our destination.”
She also says the ability to offer substantial cash incentives to attract the larger, 900-plus delegate association conferences will ensure continued growth in this particular market segment.
“We’re excited about the future and the opportunities to substantially increase our share of the C&I business.”
Perth has played host to a variety of major conferences and incentives over the last two years, including:
NATIONAL
Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia National Conference (November 2006), 1456 delegates.
22nd Annual Financial Planning Conference (May 2007), 1300 delegates.
Australia International Education Conference (October 2006), 700 delegates.
INTERNATIONAL
Preterm Birth – Causes and Consequences (October 2005) at Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, 100 delegates.
Global Iron Ore and Steel Forecast Conference (February 2006) at Sheraton Perth Hotel, 200 delegates.
Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies (APRICOT) 2006 (March 2006) at Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, 1000 delegates.
7th World Merino Conference (July 2006) at Burswood Entertainment Complex, 600 delegates.
Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Annual International Conference (October 2006) at Sheraton Perth Hotel, 225 delegates.
INCENTIVES
Singapore based international law firm (August 2006), 300 delegates.
Double Crane, Taiwan (August 2006), 180 delegates.
Hong Kong based insurance company (February 2007), 250 delegates
Australian Light Machinery dealers (March 2007), 180 delegates.
Singapore banking group (August 2007), 450 delegates.
There’s been a lot of talk recently around the housing boom in Western Australia and the record growth that its capital city is experiencing in terms of inner-city living, development and industry. And it’s not just the residential sector that’s getting all the attention; tourism accommodation is also receiving a lot of interest from developers.
In fact, more than $1 billion of tourism accommodation is being planned throughout Western Australia’s five tourism regions, with an additional $290 million worth of projects under construction.
In March this year, Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said that 162 projects were either in the planning phase or under construction.
“There are 109 projects in the planning phase and if they all materialise, an extra 7375 new rooms will be available, which will boost tourism and create more jobs for Western Australians,” Ms McHale said.
The coastal city of Mandurah, located one hour’s drive south from Perth, continues to grow, with three major projects worth almost $100 million in the planning or construction phase, namely Port Bouvard Resort Hotel, stage two of the Seashells Resort, and the Peninsula Hotel.
“Broome is another development hot spot,” Ms McHale said, “With 10 projects worth more than $115 million either in the planning phase or under construction.”
With plenty of time to go before these developments come onboard, Perth is by no means lacking the accommodation and meetings venues that are needed to stage conferences and events of various sizes. And many of the properties in the city’s study portfolio are continuing to recreate and reinvent themselves years after their inception into the C&I market.
Officially opened in 1985, the Burswood Entertainment Complex, with its hotels, casino, concert showroom, night club, restaurants and golf course, has long been a popular conference and incentive venue. The venue has spent millions of dollars in recent years upgrading and expanding the resort’s accommodation, meeting and recreational facilities. Being touted as the Australia’s most intelligent venue, The Astral was recently unveiled – Burswood Conventions & Events’ technologically-unique room featuring displays of lighting architecture. With 15 custom-made, retractable chandeliers, The Astral’s LED lights mirror the stars to create a myriad of special effects and infinite colour combinations.
 Michael Altieri, director of conventions and events at Burswood says their goal is to focus on bringing the largest corporations from around Australia and the world so that the only venue that comes to mind is The Astral.
“High-end businesses will use this space to reflect the value and stature of their brand alongside The Astral – unique, innovative and a market leader,” he says.
Opened in 2004, the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre (PCEC) is another popular for both meeting and event planners and now hosts many of the annual public exhibitions. The last 12 months has seen an increase in business for PCEC of more than 60 per cent, according to general manager, Robert Clifford. The three-level venue is Western Australia’s only purpose-built convention, exhibition and meeting venue, and with six exhibition pavilions, a 2500-seat tiered auditorium and 23 meeting rooms, it can cater for up to 5000 delegates.
Located about 20 minutes from Perth’s CBD, the four-star Esplanade Hotel Fremantle is a popular venue, able to accommodate meetings of up to 1000 delegates. The historic port city of Fremantle, with its strong arts and cultural heritage, micro-breweries, waterfront facilities and relaxed alfresco lifestyle, attracts plenty of corporate business. The hotel itself is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary of its “Green Journey” – a series of initiatives undertaken to become an environmentally-friendly property. Their first step of its ongoing commitment was to sign as a member of the Federal Government’s Greenhouse Challenge in 1997; an initiative for Australian companies to help lead the way by reducing millions of tones of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Building on their commitment, the hotel secured its AAA Tourism Green Star accreditation in 2001, the first in Western Australia.
The Esplanade Hotel Fremantle began its extensive guest room refurbishment in 2004.
Sheraton Perth Hotel
207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth.
www.starwoodhotels.com
Capacity: 390 guest rooms and 11 meeting spaces, including the Golden Ballroom catering for up to 1000 cocktail-style.
USP: Five-star comfort only 10 minutes’ from Perth’s CBD.
Citigate Hotel Perth
(formerly Hotel Grand Chancellor Perth)
707 Wellington Street, Perth.
www.mirvachotels.com.au
Capacity: 278 guest rooms including 20 suites, and seven function rooms catering for up to 300.
USP: Newly-rebranded and furnished, opened on June 28, 2007.
Seashells Resort Mandurah on Cornet Bay
16 Dolphin Drive, Mandurah.
www.seashells.com.au
Capacity: A range of self-contained apartments and villas, and meeting facilities for up to 60.
USP: Situated on the beach at Comet Bay, right next-door to the award-winning Mandurah Ocean Marina.
Rendezvous Observation City Hotel
The Esplanade, Scarborough.
www.rendezvoushotels.com/perth Capacity: 33 guest rooms, and two large ballrooms and 12 meeting rooms which accommodate from 10 to 1000 delegates.
USP: Located at Scarborough Beach on the Sunset, 15 minutes from downtown Perth.
 Perth revs up for this year’s Red Bull Air Race.
After last year’s Red Bull Air Race generated more than $14 million and attracted nearly 9000 additional visitors to Western Australia, the state is looking forward to hosting the thrilling spectacle of aerobatics for another year.
Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said as a result of the 2006 event they expected a return of about $10 million in direct visitor spending and media exposure – but achieved a result far greater than that.
“Visitors spent nearly $13 million and the media coverage generated a further return of about $1.12 million – excellent considering the Government’s investment of $2.75 million to get the air race to WA,” Ms McHale said.
In its third year, The Red Bull Air Race World Series 2007 will again conclude in Perth over the Swan River. The event will run over two big days with qualifying taking place on November 3 and Race Day on November 4.
Ms McHale said last year’s air race generated huge excitement among Western Australians while simultaneously delivering financial benefits across the tourism, hospitality, transport and retail industries – and the same is expected for 2007.
Besides the massive economic benefits, the spectacle is set to thrill more than 300,000 people on the banks of the Swan River. The 2007 series has switched to a higher gear with new pilots and a new race format, with 10 instead of eight races, and a knockout final will top last year’s sensational success.
This year’s event will also include a High Flyer’s Lounge, an exclusive hospitality package providing five-star service and a unique VIP atmosphere, plus a Race Club which will offer an impressive vantage point, plus sound and on-site entertainment including food and beverages. Aside from these options, the race will be a free event, with plenty of vantage points set up along the river banks.
<< Top
|