 World renowned Australian scientist Alan Trounson is to become the first international member of an exclusive invitation only club to promote Melbourne as a business events destination. Trounson leaves Melbourne in December to take up the world’s top stem cell job in the US. Formerly director of stem cell research at Monash University in Melbourne, Trounson was an early pioneer of both invitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research. Trounson was first appointed a member of the exclusive Club Melbourne Ambassadors Program when it launched in 2005. The program was established by the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau, as a way to optimise Melbourne’s involvement in the lucrative business events market; where an average sized convention with just 4000 delegates can boost an economy to the tune of close to $25 million. The club started with 20 members and now boasts 80 of the intellectual leaders in the science, medical and research fraternities in Victoria. They include the likes of former Nobel Prize winner Professor Peter Doherty, member of the UN General Assembly and founder of the first drug for type two diabetes Professor Paul Zimmet; and the creator of the first intelligent software agent to fly a space mission on NASA’s space shuttle Professor Michael Georgeff. Trounson will be the first international member.
The Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau has opened the new financial year with spectacular results, achieving A$47.1 million in new conference business in the first quarter. At the SCVB’s 2007 AGM managing director, Jon Hutchison, said the bureau was already on track for a prosperous 2007-08, having secured 13 major conferences and incentive events between July 1 and September 30. Together the events will bring an additional 10,880 delegates to Sydney between now and 2011, representing an economic injection of A$47.1 million. The result is the bureau’s best opening quarter in five years and one of its best on record. Mr Hutchison said the first quarter had been excellent not only in terms of the number of the events secured but also because of their size and value.
Six European CEOs and high level corporate executives recently travelled to South Africa for a four day orientation trip designed to give them a taste of the world-class corporate meetings, hospitality and incentives offerings available to them leading up to the 2010 World Cup. The group, guests of South African Tourism, represent offices in at least five European countries where they currently rotate their regular corporate business meetings. Most have their European head offices in Germany, one of South African business tourism’s core international markets. The high level contingent includes representatives from Coca-Cola, Gries & Hessel Bankers, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Siemens Computers, LG Electronics and LHS Telekom GmbH. Their itinerary includes site inspections of the mother city’s venue for the 2010 World Cup, the Green Point Stadium; award-winning five-star hotels in Cape Town and Johannesburg and fine dining experiences in both cities. It also features elements of the Business Unusual proposition that underpins South Africa’s differentiation in the international market.
An apparent growth in naked sleepwalking among guests has led one of Britain’s largest budget hotel groups to re-train staff to handle late-night nudity. Travelodge, which runs more than 300 business hotels in Britain, says sleepwalking rose seven-fold in the past year, and 95 per cent of the sleepwalkers are scantily clad men. “We have seen an increased number of cases over the years, so it is important that our staff know how to help sleepwalking when it arises,” Leigh McCarron, the chain’s sleep director, said in a statement. One tip in the company’s newly released “sleepwalkers guide” tells staff to keep towels handy at the front desk in case a customer’s dignity needs preserving. Studies have found that sleepwalking can be brought on by stress, alcohol, eating cheese or consuming too much caffeine.
The 2008/09 edition of the Queenstown and Southern Lakes Product Directory, Meeting and Incentive Planner is now available and will be distributed over the next few months. The new product directory is also available for download from the Destination Queenstown website www.queenstown-nz.co.nz
Following the recent announcement of the Sheraton Fiji Resort refurbishment in mid-2008, the resort management has made a further announcement that it will be closing the property between May 1 and re-opening it on November 1. Closure dates were previously April 1 to October 1, 2008. This decision was made to allow six full months’ notice to travel partners and guests.
Staging Connections Group Limited has acquired 100 per cent of UK-based Essential Lighting Group Limited for a cash consideration of A$17 million and acquired the 30 per cent minority interest in Singapore based The Event Company for A$3 million in cash and shares. The acquisitions, which were effective from November 1, 2007, were expected to boost annual EPS by two cents, given the mix of cash and shares used and based on pro-forma annualised performance for the 12 months to June 30, 2008. Established in 1993, Essential Lighting is the UK’s premier event lighting organisation and is expected to deliver annualised revenue of A$14 million with strong margins. The company is a leader in the European live events market, providing full service lighting solutions for the region’s major corporate and entertainment events. The move to full ownership of its existing Asian businesses (The Event Company, Techmex in Singapore and Malaysia and Techmex Event Production in China) completes the second phase of STG’s expansion strategy in Asia, positioning the company to pursue further growth in the region via acquisitions to further develop its now unparalleled event services offering in the region. The south east Asian and China region now accounts for annual revenue of A$40 million.
Renowned for its unique brand of authentic Asian hospitality, Meritus Hotels & Resorts promises its guests an experience of its trademark Asian grace, warmth and care at any of its hotels and resorts. Strategically located in the heart of some of the world’s most vibrant cities and idyllic hideaways, Meritus hotels and resorts are said to be the ideal location for any business function or retreat. Whether it is meetings, incentives, conventions or exhibitions, Meritus is committed to the success of your event with its state-of-art business facilities. With meeting packages exclusively tailored to meet your every business need and your own dedicated meetings specialist offering personalised assistance and advice, next business day response time to your proposal, you will certainly see why doing business is easier with Meetings at Meritus.
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