The business events industry is full of acronyms. Great for those who have been working in the sector for a while, confusing for those who are new to the industry. In our October edition, Brad Foster included a list of acronyms and asked readers to see how many they knew. And so, here’s the complete list. Check out the end of the story to see how you ranked. MICE – meetings, incentives, convention, exhibitions (or events) BE – business events PCO – professional […]
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Lido unveils strategic partnership
Effectively immediately, a new strategic partnership was announced today with German-headquartered, global hotel solutions provider HRS and leading Australian hotel booking and payment solutions provider, The Lido Group. Both privately owned companies. The Lido Group, with more than 7,000 hotels across Australia and New Zealand, provides integrated hotel booking and payment solutions to major Australian corporations and government organisations, while HRS offers corporate customers more than 300,000 hotels in 190 countries, including hundreds of hotel chains and approximately 180,000 independent properties. In addition, they […]
Tease me, engage me, then teach me
Meetings have changed in line with the audience. Keep up, says Nigel Collin. As a young whippersnapper in the events game I remember the legendary Glen Lehman saying to me that every 40 minutes you need to change tack, shift gear, and give the audience something different otherwise they’ll get bored. And he was right of course because the attention span of most people was about 40 minutes. That was back in the 90s. Today the attention span of participants is a lot less – […]
5 Christmas Party No-nos
Tis the season, but a corporate Christmas party isn’t the occasion to get carried away with festive cheer. Nor is it an excuse for sloppy event organisation or cheap booze. We ask three event experts how to plan, execute, and attend the office Chrissie do without regrets. David Addison Director of Strategic Development and Corporate Services Sane Event Group Wednesday – the new Friday: Those starting to plan now are really asking for disappointment as there just aren’t enough Fridays in December. But don’t say […]
Event professionals not using sensory experiences to full potential
Just 27 per cent of event professionals believe the five senses of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch are being used effectively by the industry, according to new research from London & Partners, the official convention bureau for London, and global meetings and events agency, CWT Meetings & Events. Despite this small number, the survey of more than 600 event organisers revealed that 78 per cent believe multi-sensory events deliver more memorable and creative experiences for event attendees, while 42 per cent say sensory activations […]
Productive meetings are a matter of survival
David Pointon considers the survival imperative of running productive meetings at a time when business focus is on costs and productivity. It’s no secret that most corporate service providers in the conference and meetings industry are finding business tough. At a time when businesses are watching their costs like low flying hawks, productivity becomes critical. Productivity is the ability to maximise outputs for a given input. That means getting maximum business impact from the time, effort and ingenuity of staff. It means extracting bottom line […]
Non-golfers set to rock with INXS front man at industry day
Non-golfers at the March 2016 business events industry golf day Meeting On The Green (MOTG) will be searching for their Inner Rock God with the help of INXS front man Ciaran Gribbin in a hands-on workshop that is set to bring the house down on the host Hunter Valley venue. This 2016 experience will certainly be very different from previous workshops with Ciaran leading participants on a journey through rock ‘n roll, with music, anecdotes from his life working with INXS, Madonna, Snow Patrol, Paul […]
Styling… Inspiration or Aspiration
To make it in the events business you have to find your own style. So start looking, says Stu Katzen. Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to Las Vegas to attend and speak at an annual events trade show/fair. I was even luckier enough to attend a seminar/class hosted by floral luminary, Preston Bailey. However, despite his floral designs being incredible, I must say I was a little underwhelmed by the general look, style and feel and ideas of the fair in […]
Health at the heart of Alice famil
Looking to promote Alice Springs as a destination for health conferences, Northern Territory Convention Bureau hosted PCOs and executives of health-related organisations to gain an understanding of local health issues, many of them related to Indigenous health. Having previously covered Alice Springs as a conference destination, you never tire of flying into the vibrant red centre, ghost gums shimmering white against the ochre hues of the MacDonnell Ranges backed by the bluest skies – as an opening scene it is a showstopper every time. And […]
Esplanade Hotel Fremantle – by Rydges wins big at industry awards
Esplanade Hotel Fremantle – by Rydges wins big at industry awards Esplanade Hotel Fremantle – by Rydges has won the Marketed Accommodation Hotel Award and Management Team Award at the Australian Hotels Association 2015 WA Accommodation Industry Awards (AHA Awards) which was held in Crown Perth on August 10. The hotel’s staff also enjoyed success in the Management Employee Awards. Belle Johnstone, wedding sales coordinator, was the recipient of the Conference and Events Award, and Eliza Caldwell, Ball & Chain bar manager, won the Food […]
Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley wins best regional conference hotel
Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley was awarded Conference Hotel of the Year (Regional) at the 2015 Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) NSW Awards for Excellence, which was held in The Westin Sydney on July 29. Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, which is managed by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), was recognised for being industry leaders in catering for business events in regional NSW. General manager, Robert Coates, said he was thrilled with the win as it highlighted the resort’s excellence in providing outstanding business event solutions. “Since the Crowne […]
Tasmanian government increase funding for business events
The Tasmanian government last week pledged an additional $400,000 over four years to increase Tasmania’s share of the business events market as part of the 2015-16 budget. Business Events Tasmania (BET) CEO, Stuart Nettlefold said this significant investment “shows that the Tasmanian State Government has great confidence in the business events sector in Tasmania, representing close to a 19 per cent increase to core funding provided annually to BET.” “It’s great to see that the potential of our sector is being recognised at this level […]
Accor celebrates National Reconciliation Week
Accor Hotels celebrated National Reconciliation Week (NRW) from May 27 to June 3 at its hotels across Australia. In its fifth year, hotels and their employees around Australia were ‘Changing it Up’ (the theme of this year’s NRW) and worked with their local communities to bring awareness and engagement with Australia’s Indigenous history and culture. “Since we launched our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2011, Accor has grown its Indigenous workforce to beyond 300 employees nationally,” Simon McGrath, chief operating officer of Accor said. “Following […]
MEA announces exhibitor pricing for Event Show Sydney
Meetings & Events Australia is keeping exhibition stand rates low, at $3500 + GST, for its Event Show Sydney set down for September 1 and 2 at Royal Randwick. MEA CEO Linda Gaunt said there will be just 80 booths available, and while exhibitors from around Australia will be able to have custom stands, the focus will be on uniformity to ensure that the business agenda of the show is maintained. “This show will not be a one hit wonder,” Ms Gaunt said. “Many associations […]
Business events recommended as key to Brisbane’s growth
The Brisbane 2022 New World City Action Plan was launched last week to shape Brisbane’s economic development strategy for the next seven years, and has recommended business events will be a key part of the city’s plan for growth. The action plan recommends the city will win more conferences by consistently hosting 40 international conferences per year and striving towards an average of 50,000 delegate days per month by 2022. Part of the strategy is for Brisbane to aim to consistently earn a top 50 […]
NEWS: The Gold Coast soars in world rankings
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has ranked the Gold Coast 152nd out of 2246 cities from across 90 countries in terms of meetings held in 2014, jumping 113 spots from 265th in 2013. It now ranks higher than Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Honolulu, Osaka and Houston. The Gold Coast secured 16 international conferences in 2014 doubling the number of events hosted from the previous year. Nationally it ranks equal 4th with Adelaide, ahead of Perth, Canberra and Cairns but placed behind Sydney, Melbourne […]
Singapore to host 2020 Lions Clubs International Convention
Singapore has won the bid to host the 103rd Lions Clubs International (LCI) Convention in 2020. The Lions Clubs Singapore will partner with the Singapore Exhibition and Conventions Bureau (SECB), a group under the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), to present one of the world’s largest non-governmental organisation’s annual convention in mid-2020. It is expected to generate more than SGD$58 million in tourism receipts and draw an estimated 20,000 foreign attendees, making it the largest association congress to be held in Singapore. International director of LCI, […]
More Holiday Inn hotels for Australia
The InterContinental Hotels Group has announced a partnership with an international investment company that will see a new 245-room Holiday Inn Express hotel constructed in Adelaide. This is the third property to be signed under an agreement between IHG and Pro Invest which will see the development of 15 Holiday Inn Express hotels built across Australia by 2025. The first two hotels will open in Sydney’s Macquarie Park in North Ryde in the first quarter of 2016 and Brisbane’s Spring Hill in the third quarter […]
NEWS: Australia’s convention bureaux seek NEXTPractices
Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) recently hosted a strategic-level workshop in Adelaide with the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) and its member bureaux to gather input for the DestinationNEXT scenario model and its phase 2 NEXTPractices. The workshop, attended by convention bureaux CEOs, focused on the future of the global destination marketing industry. The DestinationNEXT vision is to provide Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) with practical, clear actions and strategies for sustainable success in a dramatically changing world. “DestinationNEXT is an international collaboration seeking DMO intelligence from […]
VENUE UPDATE: New Sofitel for Adelaide
South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill, this week announced a new Sofitel Luxury Hotel will be built in Adelaide’s CBD – the first internationally branded luxury hotel to be built in the city in nearly three decades. Scheduled to open in 2018 in the heart of the city, the $140 million hotel development will form part of Adelaide developer and investor, Palumbo’s 106 Currie Street development in a 32-storey tower and managed by Accor. The tower will comprise 80 apartments over the top eight levels with the remaining […]
NEWS: Air NZ Dreamliner flies to Fiji
Air New Zealand this week announced it will introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Auckland – Nadi route this summer (November – March) adding 8000 more seats to the route. When Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 787-9 lands at Nadi International Airport on November 27 it will be the first time this aircraft has operated to the Pacific Islands. Air New Zealand chief sales and commercial officer, Cam Wallace,said: “Fiji continues to be a hugely popular destination for Kiwis with the number of Kiwis travelling […]
NEWS: Luxperience introduces awards
Luxury travel trade exhibition, Luxperience, is introducing a gala dinner and awards ceremony at this year’s event in September, The inaugural Luxperience Awards will acknowledge excellence in the development and promotion of luxury travel products and services and will be judged by a panel of travel industry experts. There will be six awards for buyers and suppliers in three categories: ‘Inspiring’, ‘Meaningful’ and ‘Connections’. Winners will be announced in front of more than 500 guests at the Luxperience Gala Dinner and Awards Evening, set to take place at The Star’s Event Centre. […]
DESTINATION: Hong Kong luxury
Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan metropolis with a culturally-rich history and incentive delegates will be blown away by it’s impressive skyline and harbour, award-winning cuisine, and luxury hotels. Wooloomooloo Steakhouse: Located in Wan Chai with breathtaking views of Hong Kong, Happy Valley Racecourse and across the harbour to Kowloon, Woolloomooloo Steakhouse in Wan Chai is the perfect place for drinks in a relaxed environment. Hooray Bar & Restaurant: Located on the fifth floor of the World Trade Centre in lively Causeway Bay, Hooray Bar & […]
NEWS: ibtm africa kicks off
International hosted buyers from 16 countries including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, North America, and Russia arrived in Cape Town this week to attend ibtm africa (April 13-15). “Quality is priority and we have worked to bring together attendees who will not only enhance our offering through their attendance from both a buyer and supplier perspective but who will also be able to gain the maximum amount of business from their participation,” exhibition manager, Shinu Pillai, said. ibtm africa kicked off on Monday (April 13) at the […]
NEWS: ICC Sydney steps up Asian engagement
Following from its Asia Pacific launch in February, the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) will visit cities across Asia in the coming weeks to meet with business event decision makers ahead of its December 2016 opening. The ICC Sydney team will be participating in Business Events Australia’s North East Asia Showcase in Shanghai (April 19-21) and the South East Asia Roadshow in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore (May 3-7 ). ICC Sydney chief executive officer and AEG Ogden group director of convention centres, Geoff […]
NEWS: Delegates flock to Brisbane
Brisbane is exceeding expectations as a conference destination, with two upcoming international business events reporting a surge in delegate numbers. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the two events – the RCOG World Congress 2015 and 40th IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP) – would attract thousands of business visitors to Brisbane this month. The RCOG World Congress 2015, a joint event co-hosted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians […]