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Coffs Coast famil You’re invited: Shout out to Coffs Coast and they’ll shout you and your partner! Coffs Coast, located half-way between Sydney and Brisbane and one hour by air, offers so many activities and attractions, some of which can’t be found anywhere else. There are endless options for unique and memorable functions and programs for your delegates. With a subtropical climate, Coffs Coast enjoys near-perfect weather year round. Add its sublime backdrop of beaches, mountains, golf course or marina, and a talented entertainer to an outdoor delegate dinner or cocktail party, and you have created instant WOW. The familiarisation program is planned to run from May 29 to 31. PCOs will need to register their interest at www.coffscoastconferences.com.au.
The Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority (ACTA) has announced the appointment of three new directors to its board. Joining the Authority are Douglas Gautier - chief executive of the Adelaide Festival Centre, Chris Ehmann - general manager of the Hilton Adelaide, and Stephen Yarwood, Adelaide City councillor and principal town planner at the City of Playford. The new directors join Richard Green (Vice Chairman - manager SA Malaysia Airlines); Adam Myott (general manager Hyatt Regency Adelaide); Michael Sfera (general manager Sfera’s Park Suites & Convention Centre); and Alec Gilbert (chief executive, Adelaide Convention Centre).
The PCO Association, established primarily for professional conference organisers, welcomed 200 members after only four days of opening. The national group says it is not in competition with MEA because PCO members of MEA are only about 20 per cent of its total membership. Individuals eligible to join the PCO Association include: • Directors/owners of independent conference and event management companies • Employees of independent conference and event management companies • In-house association conference and event managers
• In-house government conference and event managers • In-house corporate conference and event managers • Conference and event management educators .
The group is primarily concerned with the exchange of information between members, and is working towards creating industry-wide, standardised documentation, including venue and client contracts, that will be free to members. The PCO Association will hold an annual conference in December that will be heavily education-based and minus the bells and whistles of major social events. Membership is free. For details visit www.pco.asn.au.
Perth has won the right to host the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists’ (ASCEPT) National Conference in 2011. Traditionally held in Melbourne or Sydney, Perth last hosted the conference in 1992. The conference runs over four days and will attract more than 300 delegates with a significant number of these being students. The delegates are expected to inject $450 000 into the state’s economy. The Perth Convention Bureau worked closely with local host, Dr Lynette Fernandes, senior pharmacology lecturer at the University of Western Australia, to secure the conference for Perth.
The Exhibition and Event Association of Australia (EEAA) is urging all organisations in the exhibition and event sector to gain risk management accreditation, a requirement for EEAA members which aims to provide a safe working environment for all in the industry. Eighteen months ago the EEAA launched an industry risk and safety management system in conjunction with Marsh Risk Consulting, one of the world’s leading risk and insurance firms. More than 30 EEAA member organisations have already attained accreditation through the EEAA’s risk management program. More information on the program is available at: www.eeaa.com.au.
A new industry association for the incentive marketing community will be officially launched at the Incentive Show this coming June. The Incentive Marketing Association of Australia (IMA Australia) is a division of the US based Incentive Marketing Association - the global voice of product suppliers and incentive management companies. Full details are yet to be released however spokesperson for IMA Australia, Mark Harvey said the association has been formed to provide education to corporate Australia on the value of using professionally designed and managed incentive and performance improvement programs. “IMA Australia will play a leadership role in strengthening the Australian incentive industry by assisting corporations in finding new methods to maximize their key relationships with employees, customers and channel partners,” Mr Harvey said. For more information visit www.incentiveshow.com.au/imaa.
Well-known event producer Bridget Hart has launched a new business - Royalty. Royalty specialises in high-end business communication events and awards nights, which Ms Hart has delivered for clients across the world for many years. She regularly stages major business events in locations like Beijing, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and many others, as well as numerous trips around the Australian roadshow circuit. “Locations like these are a test of your planning systems and your ability to supervise suppliers across language barriers because our clients expect the same level of show quality that they would get in their home city,” she said. She can be contacted on email - bridget@royalty.net.au.
Following the introduction of its smoke-free policy across all its properties nationally, Metro Hotels has declared the move a resounding success, with the majority of guests in favour of the new smoke-free environment. According to Metro Hotels’ COO, George Bedwani, Metro’s non-smoking policy has certainly not hurt business and has been extremely well-received by most guests. “We now receive no complaints from our non-smoking guests and we don’t have to worry about running out of non-smoking rooms,” he said. Mr Bedwani did concede that not all guests had embraced the changes. “Recently one of our guests offered to pay the $200 fine upfront so that he could smoke in his room!” Metro Hotels refers to the $200 penalty fee as a spring-cleaning fee for “de-smoking” the room.
Business to Business (B2B) marketing agency M&a have fallen for their new Melbourne location in the heart of Richmond. The expansion coincides with the launch of the new look M&a brand – “We Love What We Do”. Heading up the operations in the Richmond studio will be marketing and design specialist, Kevin Spendier. Previously, Kevin has held pivotal roles in M&a working closely with key clients across the group. M&a has a strong presence in the Melbourne market servicing customers such as PACNET, GEON Group, Attachmate, GE Money, Uecomm and Motorola.
The Transplantation Society has announced a record number of Abstracts received for its XXII International Congress organised by The Meeting Planners and due to be held in Sydney 10-14 August 2008 at the Sydney Convention Centre www.transplantation2008.org. The call for abstracts began over a year ago when the website submission opened on March 1, 2007. On the closing date of March 10, 2008 this figure had risen to 2494 with still more coming in. Chair of the 2008 committee, Dr Jeremy Chapman, was thrilled with this result stating “2500 abstracts signifies a strong level of interest and a 20 per cent increase on our last meeting. This is great news for our projected final attendance.”
Sydney Prop Specialists has announced its regional operation will be opening in the Hunter this month (April 2008). Hunter Prop Specialists will provide the latest innovative theme packages and props to venues located as far as Scone, and central as the vineyards.
The 2007 James Squire Restaurant & Catering Industry Association (R&CIA) Awards for Excellence took place in February in Perth with the Perth Concert Hall, managed by AEG Ogden, winning the award for Best Venue Caterer for the seventh consecutive year. As well as this award, Perth Concert Hall also won the Best Event Caterer award for their efforts during the Perth International Arts Festival. Both of these awards are among the most prestigious of those presented by the R&CIA.
Down Under Tours continues its renowned customer service success story with an exclusive fleet, Down Under By Appointment. These vehicles are unparalleled in the region and are designed to cater to the unique and exclusive needs of the discerning client, and are a perfect alternative for the conference and incentive market transport needs and pre- and post-touring options. They have introduced for the first time full leather interior and timber flooring as standard on all new vehicles. The fleet presents a diverse selection of new vehicles handpicked to accommodate every requirement. For intimate touring, the Sahara Landcruiser; for small groups, a nine-seat Mercedes 4WD sprinter; for medium size groups, a 25-seat Mercedes Sprinter; for larger groups, a 44-seat luxury two door coach; and, for the adventurous group, a 23-seat 4WD. For details visit www.downundertours.com.
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