Townsville has more sunny days than any city in Australia. Heard that before? Well it’s an event planners’ dream, as our mice.net and Virgin Blue famil participants experienced on their recent trip to the region. Nearly every major dining occasion, from breakfast to dinner was held outdoors. Top deck ocean cruises, mountain top breakfast (arriving by Harley), lake-side dinner, breakfast among the fishing trawlers, and dining with the koalas, were all enjoyed in the open and in the warm tropical climate of the region. With a range of specialty suppliers to support your unique event, it’s never been simpler to host a unique occasion outdoors. With marquee and furniture hire at Ede’s Marquee and Party Hire, technical production at Talkin Audio, five-star catering at Roux Blond and professional event management from ARTY Productions, all you have to do is decide which location to enjoy. So if you want to truly experience your next destination, discover Townsville and North Queensland at www.townsvilleonline.com.au or contact the Townsville Convention Bureau on (07) 4726 2732.
Have you registered to attend Victoria’s MEETING MART? If you book most of your meetings and events in Victoria then you should be attending MEETING MART 2006. With the largest number of exhibitors ever, this year’s MEETING MART tradeshow includes more than 40 regional Victorian conference venues as well as 70 of Melbourne’s best conference and event venues and leading events product and services providers. The event will be held on October 24 at the Melbourne Park Function Centre. A full program, exhibitor list and registration details are available at the MEETING MART website at www.conferenceworks.net.au. As well as the exhibition component the event also includes a speakers’ showcase courtesy of ICMI Speakers & Entertainers, workshop seminars, a cocktail party and an entertainment showcase.
A hotel’s name has a lot do with whether people choose to stay there or not if the BDRC Asia Pacific Business Guest Survey is to be believed. Particularly for Australian business travellers a hotel’s brand plays an important part in the selection process. Over four in five respondents said the hotel brand name has a “great deal” or “fair amount” of influence on their choice of hotel.
TAFE NSW students from the Sydney Institute, Ultimo College, raised close to $10,000 from three fundraising events organised as part of the Statement of Attainment in Event Management and Certificate III Meeting and Events training programs. Event management course co-ordinator, Kathleen Hurd, said the students organised a Latino Fever night at the Spanish Tarrazas Restaurant in Sydney, a Splash of Red cocktail party at the Wallaby Bar in Cockle Bay, and raised about $8000 for Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets charity. “Planning events such as these provides students with the opportunity to work together to execute a real event,” Ms Hurd said. “Students gain valuable practical experience and the opportunity to raise funds for worthwhile charities.”
Leading audio-visual and theming company, Solution RED has taken a 50 per cent stake in Avantage with the remaining 50 per cent owned by Haycom. The partnership between these two well-respected companies is said to provide a powerful and welcome alternative for the premium hotels and venues striving to command their share of the lucrative but competitive conference and convention industry. “Both Haycom and Solution RED have made their mark supplying audio-visual and event services to corporate clients, producers and event organisers,” said managing director of Solution RED and now director of Avantage, Rhona Walker. “While both companies are renowned for their technical depth, Solution RED adds colour and creativity through its well-known theming and theatrical capability. The combination brings together the best of the independent staging companies, with a blend of services that will create synergies for hotels and other venues.” She says Australian venues have been in need of an alternative to the current suppliers. “By engaging Avantage, venues will be able to offer value-added event services to their clients, creating the differentiation necessary to attract the largest and most significant corporate events.”
A group of event planners and PCOs were treated to a country-style retreat recently as part of a famil to The Sebel Kirkton Park Hunter Valley. Their adventure started with a helicopter ride from Sydney to the picturesque Hunter Valley. After arriving at The Sebel Kirkton Park Hunter Valley the group were treated to a picnic lunch under the trees with extensive views of the Hunter Valley vineyards below. They were then divided into two teams to take part in a variety of activities over the two days. The first team event was a wine-blending exercise conducted at nearby Brokenwood Winery where teams were given a tour of the vineyard and winery. After learning the ropes of wine-making, teams were asked to blend four white and red wines. The teams were then put through their paces with a ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ challenge where each team bought the ingredients for their competitors to cook as an entrée. With the assistance of Steve Kane, head chef at Infuzion Restaurant, the winning team was chosen and the group then had free time to enjoy the hotel grounds, the views and their rooms. At dusk the group gathered for pre-dinner drinks in front of the outdoor cinema specially set up on the hotel lawns. After watching a movie under the stars, guests were served dinner matched with a selection of Brokenwood wines. The next morning the two teams took part in some signature team-building activities including The Sebel Synergy – an activity specifically created to take advantage of the Kirkton Park grounds and involving archery, water rescue and catapult catch. The group was then transferred back to the city in private limousines, creating the perfect end to a superb weekend.
The Alice Springs Convention Centre recently announced Staging Connections as the exclusive audio-visual services and technology partner at the centre. The appointment of Staging Connections represents a significant investment by both companies, ensuring the long-term viability and success of business events in Alice Springs.
Best Western Australia has unveiled a new marketing strategy to its member hotels, with internet marketing a clear winner. Designed to leverage the $11 million Best Western International spend annually on the internet, the new strategy includes search engine marketing, enhancing all websites and viral campaigns.
Picture this – you’re an event planner at a conference centre. You have 150 attendees arriving in half an hour. One of your guest speakers has just phoned to say that she is stuck in traffic and is going to be 30 minutes late. This is going to create confusion for the attendees and push back an already tight schedule. You’ve had the agenda printed into the handbook, but you need some way of communicating the updated schedule. Stressed?
Avoid the hassle and complications and take advantage of the new and exciting Electrasign. The Electrasign uses the latest LCD technology and allows customers to tailor the information that is displayed on a screen size ranging from 18cm right through to 150cm that meets the needs of almost any occasion. Ideal for presentations, billboards, displays, and used in restaurants, retail outlets, hotels, the Electrasign is one of the most versatile marketing and information tools available today. Positioned as either portrait or landscape, the Electrasign can display static, slideshow, or movie presentations. If multiple screens are required, customers can choose to have each screen running its own presentation, or have multiple screens running the same information simultaneously.
The best thing about the Electrasign is that you can update the information displayed in minutes, ensuring timetables, specials or directions are up-to-date at all times. TR Vidcom can design, manufacture, install and maintain an effective Electrasign solution that is tailored to your personal or business’s specific needs. The Electrasign can provide solutions to almost any activity and will soon become the most popular way to communicate or present information in every industry.
<< Top
|