Daily News & Opinion

In the lead up to its October 2020 opening, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has appointed leading international representation company, Worldwide Convention Specialists, to assist with generating leads in Europe. The decision follows Te Pae general manager Ross Steele’s attendance at IMEX Frankfurt, and research which confirms that more than half of international associations are headquartered in Europe. Worldwide Convention Specialists is based in Germany, and assists convention centres and bureaux around the world, such as Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Cape Town and Stockholm.

Further cementing its reputation as an industry leader, Grand Hyatt Melbourne has unveiled a dedicated MICE micro-site showcasing its events capabilities. Highlights include a complete virtual reality tour of the hotel and a curated program of signature experiences, such as digital mapping, which has been pioneered by an in-house team from Encore Event Technologies. Grand Hyatt Melbourne offers 15 flexible event spaces as well as innovative culinary menus.

The 12th Annual PCO Conference & Exhibition, set to take place at the ICC Sydney between December 8 and 10, is now open for registrations. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Anything is Possible – where ingenuity, creativity and unpredictability meet’ and the program will explore new ways of thinking, working and creating. The 2019 program will be released at a later date. To register, click here: https://www.pcoaconference.com.au/12th-annual-pcoa-conference-exhibition-2019/reg/Site/Register

Around 500 global paediatric health experts will gather in Brisbane in March 2021 following the city’s successful bid on the AG Bell Global Listening and Spoken Language Symposium. This will be the first time the US-headquartered symposium takes place in the Asia Pacific region, and the bid was led by Brisbane Marketing along with Hear and Say, a local non-for-profit providing early intervention services for children with hearing loss. The event is expected to pump $890,000 into the local economy.

The hotly-anticipated Hayman Island by InterContinental, a 166-room resort located at the northern most point in the Whitsunday Islands, has welcomed its first guests. The lucky group of visitors stepped off a luxury catamaran and onto the white sands of the private island resort, which has just undergone a $135 million refurbishment. Hayman Island by InterContinental joins more than 200 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts worldwide and is the first of four InterContinental Resorts to open this year.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C has announced the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Xi’an in one of China’s most historic cities, and the home of the country’s legendary 2000-year-old Terracotta Warriors. In addition to 283 guestrooms, the hotel boasts four signature dining experiences, a fitness centre and event spaces, including state-of-the-art banquet facilities that can host business meetings to large social gatherings, and the Junior Ballroom, which has access to an outdoor garden area.

For the first time in almost 20 years, Melbourne Airport is getting a brand new hotel. The ibis Styles/Novotel facility is slated to open by the end of next year, and will be located within a new 2.3 hectare precinct called The Hive. The hub, which will be a four-minute walk from Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 4, will also be home to office facilities, a café, a pub, a bar, a restaurant and conference rooms.

Baillie Lodges has announced a four-month closure for Silky Oaks Lodge while it undergoes a significant refurbishment. Expected to run to more than $10 million, the project is designed to align the features at Silky Oaks Lodge and the guest experience of the Daintree Rainforest with Baillie Lodges’ existing portfolio of Australian luxury lodges. Newly inclusive rates, premium suites and a more stylish experience of the World Heritage-listed Daintree are all slated, with Port Douglas-based architect Gary Hunt engaged for the design.