Daily News & Opinion

Auckland has been named the best destination in Oceania for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) at the inaugural World MICE Awards, 2020, which took place earlier this month. The recipient was determined by votes cast throughout the year by global members of the MICE industry as well as high-end consumers. Head of Auckland Convention Bureau, Anna Hayward, said the award and nominations for Auckland businesses across other categories is testament to Auckland’s reputation as a desirable business events destination.

Following the detection of a new COVID-19 cluster in the state, the South Australian government has re-introduced a number of restrictions on gatherings. These include private gatherings at licensed venues being capped at 50 with a limit of one person per four sqm; hospitality being capped at 100 per venue with one person per four sqm; and gatherings at private residences being capped at 10 people. All activities and events with an approved COVID Management Plan scheduled for the next fortnight have been cancelled.  

This Monday Crowne Plaza Adelaide officially opened its doors, marking the brand’s return to the South Australian capital. The hotel was opened by minister for finance, trade, tourism and investment Simon Birmingham. With 329-rooms, Crowne Plaza Adelaide is housed in the city’s tallest building at 138 metres, and boasts a rooftop infinity pool, two food and beverage venues, high-speed Wi-Fi and 450 sqm of flexible event space.

IBTM Asia Pacific will now take place between June 8 and 9, 2021 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. It was previously scheduled for April 2021, and, before this, April 2020. In a statement, organisers said that the dates have been moved to allow time for travel restrictions to be eased so that as many as possible of the event’s international audience can attend in person.

Cecilia MoSze Tham and Mike Wittenstein have been announced as the two latest keynote speakers for IBTM World Virtual. Cecilia is a technologist at Alpha Telefonica, and will present a session on the future of human connectivity. Mike is the founder and managing partner at Storyminers and a former e-visionary at IBM. He is an expert in customer experience and will present a talk to help leaders gain support for their boldest ideas and strategies.

Swift Digital has released updated research into the Australian business events market, with a key finding being that event managers are pushing back the resumption of in-person events by a further six months. The findings follow a survey Swift Digital conducted in mid-September. In the September report, 10 per cent of respondents indicated that their in-person events were likely to resume in October 2021 or later, and in the latest survey this percentage had risen to 30.

Yesterday the doors opened to Crystalbrook Collection’s newest hotel, Flynn. Originally scheduled to launch in April 2020, Flynn is the third Cairns property in the Crystalbrook portfolio and features 311 rooms as well as a 150-pax meetings and events space. The ground-level restaurant, Boardwalk Social, opened in January, proving an instant hit with locals. The market-style food and beverage hub is home to live music, local ingredients and brews, with 40 different kinds of gin to sample.

The EEAA has announced three key events that will take place on December 8, 2020. The events will follow a hybrid format, with the in-person components taking place at the ICC Sydney and the online portion being broadcast live via the venue’s production facilities. The event program includes the EEAA Annual General Meeting and the election of the EEAA Executive Committee; a forum with CEOs of venues, suppliers and organisers; and the 2020 EEAA Awards for Excellence, which will feature two award categories.