cim news magazine december 2012

Official Australian publication for the PCO Association CAB Audited Circulation 16,837 March 2012 – Readership 58,929 monthly Nielsen Media Research

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Rendezvous Grand Hotels

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Forward thinking 2013 forecast

Centre stage

Uluru Meeting Place opens

2 Convention & Incentive Marketing, December 2012 www.cimmagazine.com

c&i briefing

Australia’s biggest Cellar Door will be created when more than 150 South Australian wineries come together under one roof at the 2013 Cellar Door Wine Festival Adelaide, to be held from February 22-24, 2013. The Cellar Door Wine Festival is managed and hosted by the Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC). Centre chief executive Alec Gilbert said the Festival is developing into the biggest of its kind in Australia. “The Festival differs from other wine events because it’s educational and gives people a greater understanding of the characteristics of each region and the varying winemaking styles of the local wineries,” he said.

More than 750 Australian and international delegates converged on the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre last month for the 7th National Housing Conference, co-hosted by the Queensland Government and the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. Organisers incorporated a number of key environmental and community initiatives into the program including utilising the Centre’s already established partnership with Australia’s largest hunger relief agency, Foodbank in donating unused prepacked meals from the conference to feed Brisbane’s homeless.

Palm Cove and the surrounding region around Cairns and Port Douglas looked after an extra 60,000 visitors who descended on Tropical North Queensland last month for the recent solar eclipse. Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) worked with NASA and the Astronomical Association of Queensland to present a live web broadcast for those unable to be there in person. “The seamless handling of this spike in visitor

numbers by our region’s operators justifies Cairns & Great Barrier Reef’s leading position in tourism,” said TTNQ chief executive officer Rob Giason.

Hobart’s Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel has taken out the Business Tourism category at this year’s Tasmania Tourism Awards. This is the fourth time the property has won the award since opening its meeting and event facilities in 2001 and it will now go on to compete against winners from all Australian states and territories at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, to be held in Hobart in February, 2013.

As part of its push to lure Australians over the Pacific, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LATCB) has signed up as a sponsor of the Sydney Kings basketball team. “As to the common threads that bind the two cities, the climates are similar, the people on both sides of the Pacific know how to have a great time, and best of all, they are very welcoming,” said LATCB director for Australia and New Zealand, Craig Gibbons.

Prague Convention Bureau has negotiated free wi-fi internet access for conference delegates in the majority of its member hotels and venues, following the results of a survey which found that 50 per cent of respondents mentioned free wi-fi for delegates as very important. The move is aimed at boosting the congress tourism industry and meeting clients‘ needs.

Sleep was on everyone’s mind when the Darwin Convention Centre welcomed the Australasian Sleep Association (ASA) and Australasian Sleep Technologists’ Association for their 24th annual

meeting last month. The event attracted 569 sleep experts from around the world and featured presentations on the latest research and clinical updates on all aspects of sleep health and sleep disorders from Australian and international experts. Conference convenor Maree Barnes praised the Centre for pulling off the event without “any technical glitches”, as well as for their outstanding, personal service.

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore has had its busiest month for business events since the Sands Expo & Convention Center opened in April 2010, with 13 tradeshows and several key conferences running throughout October. The tradeshows attracted an estimated 46,000 delegates from industries as diverse as architecture, property, travel and hospitality.

Australia’s South West region has launched its new Conference Planner’s & Incentive Guide for 2012/2013, packed with options for conferences, team building, incentives and events. A digital edition can be found at http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/82412.

The Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) has hosted Qatar’s largest conference to date, the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change 2012 (COP18/CMP8). The event, which took place from November 26 to December 7, attracted more than 17,000 delegates to Doha. All the spaces and meeting rooms in QNCC were utilised during this event including 40,000sqm of indoor exhibition space and the 3500sqm outdoor exhibition area, with the Centre operating on a 24-hour basis

to accommodate late meetings.

The Business Events Australia trade famil program kicked off last month with delegations from South East Asia and Korea, when 14 corporate delegates from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore travelled to the Gold Coast and Melbourne. The famil program continues this month with visits from New Zealand (Melbourne), and China and Hong Kong combined (Brisbane and the Whitsundays).

Sydney venue Australian Technology Park recently hosted and sponsored the Black Horse Foundation’s “Art of Making a Difference” gala dinner, which raised $80,000 for charities supporting financial literacy and assistance, education and disadvantaged communities in Australia. The Black Horse Foundation is Lloyds International’s charitable foundation, which has given over $5 million to charities since 2006.

European business events expo EIBTM has launched its first Hybrid Conference at this year’s show. The virtual conference streamed five key education sessions as they happened live, allowing virtual delegates to join over 150 physical attendees for a dedicated interactive experience. Participants joining the streamed keynote and interactive panel discussions were able to ask questions live to the conference hall via a virtual Master of Ceremonies, network real time with other participants within the communications centre and earn credits for each seminar they attend. A highlight of the event was a session on “Making Digital Events Happen”, outlining the key building blocks essential for hybrid events.

To register visit: artofgreatmeetings.com

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The Northern Territory’s Meetings Muster road show, held in late October, has been deemed a success, with more than 250 guests attending events in Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. “This year’s Meetings Muster road show was a huge success and proves that we’ve got the right formula for these events,” said Scott Lovett, director of business events for the Northern Territory Convention Bureau (NTCB). “They enable us to gently introduce the NT to the uninitiated as well as build relationships with our existing client base, whilst also relaxing and having some fun.”

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) wowed attendees at the recent IMEX Las Vegas with a Malaysian “Spice Market” networking event. A modern interpretation of the historical market that thrived 600 years ago along the Silk Road, visitors were provided with a specially created currency and encouraged to negotiate for the best deals with the costumed traders speaking in different languages. Items “sold” in the booth denoted the cultural make-up of the country such as Songket/Batik (Malay), chopsticks (Chinese), Saree cloth (Indian) and beaded work (Indigenous Borneo), according to Ho Yoke Ping, general manager of sales and marketing, MyCEB.

www.cimmagazine.com Convention & Incentive Marketing, December 2012 3

So we come to the end of another year. I don’t know about everyone else but 2012 has been a

very busy, very long year, in which we have seen not only challenging conditions but also game-changing developments such as the announcement of the Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct.

While it has felt a little like we’re treading water over the last 12 months, I feel confident about 2013. The buzz across all sectors of the industry is that there will

Season’s greetingsa lot of exciting things going on in 2013 and I know I’m looking forward to seeing how the year pans out.

From all of us here at CIM we wish you a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you in 2013.

Alexandra Yeomans, Publisher

contents04 Industry news

06 International news

08 New Zealand news

10 Cover story — Rendezvous Hospitality Group

11 In the air

12 Venue update

14 Product update

15 Technology

16 Macao

18 2013 forecast

22 Sell TNQ

24 Uluru Meeting Place

26 Making the most of famils

28 PCO Association notes

30 Meeting people

31 Calendar

16Macao

Publisher’s word

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Delegates are arriving in record numbers for international conferences held in BestCities’ destinations, according to data collected by the 10 members of the alliance.

All BestCities bureaux have noted significant increases in delegate attendance across the international conference market with some recording numbers exceeding expectations by more than 30 per cent.

BestCities board chair Jerad Bachar puts the increase down to the proactive approach to boosting delegate numbers taken by BestCities partners.

“All BestCities partners understand that a conference’s success depends on turnout, so we advise and help meeting planners recruit delegates and build attendance through a range of marketing activities; often providing access to promotional material such as brochures and videos at no charge,” he said.

“The destination itself also plays a key role in driving attendance and the many outstanding qualities of our partner cities combined with the expert assistance of the bureaux makes a BestCities conference almost impossible to resist.”

The World Diabetes Congress held in Dubai last

year has gone into the record books as the most successful ever held. The congress attracted an unprecedented 15,100 delegates – 3500 more than any previous World Diabetes Congress and almost 30 per cent higher than what was forecast by the International Diabetes Federation.

In the Asia Pacific region, both Singapore and Melbourne have also recorded positive results with delegate attendance increasing across many of their international meetings.

The 2012 International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Melbourne was attended by 5374 delegates which was 34 per cent higher than expected, while the Global Chinese Conference on Computers in Education doubled their expected attendance at their Singapore meeting.

Results from the 2011 BestCities Client Survey also showed that respondents rated BestCities bureaux eight out of 10 for delegate boosting, while 25 per cent said their meetings had exceeded attendance forecasts.

Members of the BestCities Global Alliance are Berlin, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Houston, Melbourne, San Juan, Singapore and Vancouver.

BestCities destinations a winner with delegates


industry news

Perth Convention Bureau turns 40Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) has celebrated 40 years of promoting Western Australia to the world at an event held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, attended by West Australian Premier Colin Barnett.

The Bureau was officially established in September 1972, making Perth one of the first Australian State capitals to form a dedicated convention marketing organisation.

“I am proud to lead an organisation that has done so much to promote the State and to bring such an enormous legacy to Western Australia in terms of economic and social benefits,” said PCB’s chief executive, Paul Beeson.

“The event will not only reflect upon the success of the last 40 years of helping Western Australians bid and secure conferences for the State, we will also use the opportunity to thank our major stakeholders and members for their continuous support.”

Darwin Convention Centre bags third BrolgaDarwin Convention Centre has taken out the 2012 Brolga Award for Excellence in Meetings and Business Tourism for the third consecutive year. The announcement was made at the 26th Brolga Awards ceremony and gala dinner held on November 17 at the Darwin Convention Centre.

“It is great to see the continuing hard work, commitment and excellent results we have achieved recognised in this manner; we’re delighted to receive this prestigious award,” said the Centre’s general manager, Malu Barrios.

“The Brolga Awards is an opportunity to showcase the strength and outstanding qualities of Darwin as a business destination, we’re proud to be a part of it.”

As the 2012 award winner, Darwin Convention Centre will represent the Northern Territory in the Meetings and Business Tourism category at the Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Hobart in February, 2013.

Exhibition industry optimisticA new report by the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) has revealed increasing business optimism among its members, as the NSW Government enters the final weeks of bid evaluations for the Sydney International

Convention Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct at Darling Harbour.

The EEAA Market Monitor showed that organisers expect to launch 27 new shows in 2013. It also reported that 38 per cent of trade shows and 10 per cent of consumer events included a paid conference and that EEAA members hosted 649 events.

This is the second report produced by the Association and covers the period of January to June 2012, with consolidated results for the 2011/12 financial year.

“Sixty four per cent of event organisers report the sectors they are operating in are growing, compared with 52 per cent in the previous six months,” said EEAA general manager Joyce DiMascio.

“The NSW Government is to be commended for its vision to invest in expanded facilities at Darling Harbour and the interim site at Glebe Island at a time when expos and events are on a growth trajectory.”

Arnhem Land behind Indigenous tourism Indigenous communities from across Arnhem Land have united behind a new vision for cultural tourism at a landmark conference in Nhulunbuy last month.

More than 100 people joined some of Australia’s most respected tourism industry figures at the two-day Mulwat conference, the first major step in the development of the Yolngu Cultural Tourism Masterplan.

The plan aims to create as many as 50 sustainable cultural tourism businesses throughout Arnhem Land over the next 20 years, providing economic independence for Yolngu people while allowing them to share and reinforce traditional culture.

“Traditional owners and community leaders have come together because they see this as a huge opportunity to develop a strong economic future,” said Chairman of the Lirrwi Yolngu Tourism Aboriginal Corporation Djawa (Timmy) Burarrwanga. “This is a new pathway to Indigenous tourism in Australia – it’s about learning and listening together to create a new economy.”

Speakers included the manager of the Masterplan, former Australian Tourist Commission managing director John Morse, who told delegates Arnhem Land had

enormous potential as a cultural tourism destination.

“People from all over the world will want to visit this remarkable land,” he said. “This will be the place to come for an incredible experience, connecting with people who have lived here for tens of thousands of years.”

Adelaide’s gold rushThe Adelaide Convention Centre (pictured below) could be just a year away from becoming the first convention centre in the world to achieve Gold Certification under the globally recognised EarthCheck environmental program.

The Centre has just received its annual EarthCheck Benchmarking Assessment Report and has been EarthCheck Certified Silver for a fourth year in a row. The Centre has to retain Silver for a fifth year to be awarded Gold.

Adelaide Convention Centre chief executive Alec Gilbert said the Centre continues to reduce its environmental impact alongside increasing business levels.

In order to achieve EarthCheck accreditation, the Centre is required to submit a year’s worth of operational data across eight key areas, which is then benchmarked against industry best practice. These areas include environmental policy, energy and water use, waste and community engagement. The latest report shows that the Centre has achieved a 16 per cent annual reduction in energy consumption, 26 per cent reduction in water use, and that 90 per cent of the Centre’s waste is now being recycled, reused or composted.

ICCA Forum targets young professionalsThe International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) will hold its annual Forum for Young Professionals, pitched at career-minded people under 30, in Melbourne prior to the Asia-Pacific Incentives & meetings Expo (AIME) in February.

After the success of last year’s event, Forum manager Elizabeth Rich says she expects another sell out.

“We leverage off the AIME trade show to develop a quality program using senior industry experts visiting Melbourne 2013 theme is ‘Revitalise Your Thinking’ with a focus on new approaches and innovative case studies in the meetings industry,” she said.

Running from February 24-25, the course is offered free to staff of ICCA members, while there are limited spaces for non-members, at a cost of $330.

Full program and registration details can be found on the ICCA website, www.iccaworld.com.

Melbourne to host BestCities WorkshopMelbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau will host the first of two BestCities Client Workshops scheduled for 2013, from April 9-12.

BestCities Client Workshops provide an opportunity for international association meeting planners to experience one of the 10 BestCities destinations; meet key partners, and learn more about their convention facilities and bureau services.

Clients attending the Melbourne


workshop will visit areas such as the Docklands, the Yarra Valley and Port Phillip Bay. Site visits to venues such as the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Crown Entertainment Complex are also on the itinerary.

According to BestCities chair Jerad Bachar, the client workshops have proven to be one of the most successful services offered by the alliance for both meeting planner and partner.

“The workshops enable clients to gain an insight into BestCities as well as a particular destination,” said Bachar. “The hosting partner showcases their city, conference facilities and business acumen to a handpicked audience and all 10 BestCities partners have the chance to build a stronger relationship with meeting planners they may not have had the opportunity to meet without this program.”

A second workshop will be hosted by Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau following IMEX America 2013 in October.

MCEC wins Tourism AwardMelbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has been recognised for its contribution to Victorian tourism at the RACV 2012 Victorian Tourism Awards, receiving top honours for the William Angliss Institute Award for Business Tourism.

“This is great recognition for the MCEC and the contribution we make towards the success of the Victorian tourism and business events industry and the community in general,” said MCEC’s chief executive, Peter King.

The Centre, which has hosted 1500 events and welcomed more than 250,000 visitors in 2012, champions a collaborative approach to business, working closely with key industry organisations to promote and build tourism and the business events industry for Melbourne and Australia.

The Victorian Tourism Awards recognise and reward organisations that contribute excellence, innovation and commitment to the Victorian tourism industry. MCEC will go on to represent Victoria at the Qantas 2012 Australian Tourism Awards in Hobart in February 2013.

The Star’s Event Centre launched to Melbourne buyersVictorian event buyers and corporate event planners were taken on a virtual

tour of The Star’s new Event Centre, part of the Sydney venue’s multi-million dollar transformation, at an event in Melbourne last month.

The Event Centre, which is set to open in January, boasts 1077sqm of column-free space, a capacity of 4000 and a range of high-tech features including a retractable seating system, making it ideal for events ranging from international meetings and exhibitions to award ceremonies.

During the event Jakki Temple, executive director of sales, Nik Rollison, general manager of food and beverage, and Andy North, director of culinary, participated in a Q&A session about the significant changes that have taken place at the Sydney venue and new opportunities which the new Event Centre offers.

Temple said the event, held at Vue Events at Rialto, was an important part of The Star team’s strategy to connect with the Melbourne market.

“Nothing beats the opportunity to meet face to face,” she said. “The Melbourne events industry is constantly evolving so it was particularly important for us as a team to come down, meet the people we speak with regularly and give them a personal introduction to the Event Centre and The Star.”

Staff key to sustainable business practicesEmbedding sustainability into your business plan is the best way to ensure a sustainable future, according to experts at the Australia Sustainability Conference and Exhibition. The inaugural event, organised by Reed Exhibitions, was held in Sydney last month to highlight the growing opportunities and challenges in sustainability in Australia.

Speaking at a session called “Drive Employee Engagement and Fostering a Sustainability Culture in Your Organisation”, Jacqui

AIME announces new pre-touring itineraries for 2013Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) have announced that there will be five new additions to the popular pre-touring program for Hosted Buyers to choose from in 2013.

The pre-tours are designed to showcase regional Victoria’s premier business events destinations and facilities to event planners prior to their attendance at AIME.

New in 2013 are tours to

Daylesford and Macedon Ranges, Mildura, Gippsland, Wangaratta, and the Great Ocean Road. The new options will join existing tours including Phillip Island, Mornington Peninsula, Bendigo, Ballarat and Melbourne, and will take place on February 22-24, 2013.

Karen Bolinger, chief executive of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau, believes the pre-touring program provides the perfect opportunity to experience

Melbourne and regional Victoria first-hand.

“We appreciate that many of our buyers travel to Melbourne for AIME from overseas and interstate, so we endeavour to provide them with unforgettable experiences and most importantly, valuable opportunities, showcasing not only Melbourne but regional Victoria’s business events capabilities within a 90-minute radius of the city,” she said.

Correction: In the November issue of CIM we referred to Donna Kessler’s company as Travel Portfolio. The company’s correct name is Tourism Portfolio. For more information visit www.tourismportfolio.com.au.

The Great Ocean Road.

Fegent-McGeachie, sustainability manager for Kimberley-Clarke Australia and New Zealand, said that sustainable business practices should be a non-negotiable facet of how you do business.

The panel session also discussed practical ways to engrain sustainability, including encouraging people to make sustainable habits; empowering people to have conversations and understand people’s stances on issues; measuring results and report on them; and utilising social networking by looking at what is trending, what people care about and how they want to see change.


MyCEB launches new campaign

international news

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has launched a new campaign named “Malaysia – Asia like never before.” Targeting global corporate and incentive markets, the integrated campaign is supported by a new Corporate and Incentive Guide as well as a series of print and digital advertisements campaign.

According to Ho Yoke Ping, general manager, sales and marketing of MyCEB, the campaign focuses on four themes – “Team Building”, ‘Theme Events & Experiences”, “Unique Venues” and “Corporate Social Responsibility” – for corporate and incentive clients planning an incentive trip to Malaysia. Furthermore, the campaign is designed to emphasise the essence of Malaysia, which is often referred to as a microcosm of Asia.

“Clearly, what makes Malaysia unique is definitely its diversity of cultures where one can get a taste of all of Asia and all its other unique and rare elements, in a single destination,” she says. “At MyCEB, we constantly try to promote this idea to our clients internationally and think of innovative ways on how to bring this experience to life. If you are looking to ‘wow’ your client, look no further and bring your event to Malaysia.”

The guide is available from www.myceb.com.my/corporate-incentive-guide.

IMEX insights could help destinationsThe IMEX Group is urging destinations to use its report on the findings of the IMEX Politicians Forum discussion, held during IMEX in Frankfurt earlier this year, to

increase local political support.

With meetings and business events integral to the development of knowledge-based economies and increasingly central to the prosperity and future growth of nations and cities around the world, the annual IMEX Politicians Forum in Frankfurt provides a platform to review industry progress.

The latest report provides an overview of the days’ content, including the case studies and papers presented by Business Events Sydney, Bordeaux, the European Society of Cardiology, Excel – London, Germany, Mexico and San Diego.

Along with industry insiders, 36 politicians and government officials from 16 countries including Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan and the UK also participated, the largest number to date.

Together with its partner associations, the IMEX Group hopes that destinations and convention and visitor bureaus in particular will use the report to encourage further political engagement in, and understanding of, the industry among their local political representatives.

A copy of the IMEX in Frankfurt Politicians Forum Report can be found at www.imex-frankfurt.com.

KLCC goes mobileKuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) has launched a mobile app, further expanding the Centre’s technology spectrum to allow users to access its website from smart phones.

Earlier this year the Centre upgraded its complimentary wi-fi and revamped its website

to improve user experience with the latest in design features and usability.

In addition to the content rich information on the current website, the mobile app also features an interactive locator that provides directions and displays a map to the Centre from the user’s location. Users can also access the daily weather in Kuala Lumpur.

“With the mobile app, our users will enjoy the ease of access to up-to-date relevant information on the Centre anywhere, anytime,” adds Alan Pryor, deputy general manager of KLCC.

Sands Cotai Macao hosts pharmaceutical giantSands Cotai Macao has hosted one of Macao’s largest business events ever, welcoming around 6000 staff members from one of the world’s leading multinational pharmaceutical companies.

The delegates, who travelled from throughout China, attended event sessions at both The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena and the Sands Cotai Central, over the course of four days.

“This is yet another milestone event for Sands Cotai Macao, and for the city,” says Brendon Elliott, vice president of sales and resort marketing, Venetian Macau. “With Macao making a strong push to become a world centre of tourism and leisure, events of this magnitude have a home in Macao, at the expansive and comprehensive facilities provided by Sands China’s integrated resort city on Cotai.”

AIBTM experiences surge of interestFollowing the announcement that the Americas Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (AIBTM) will relocate to Chicago in 2013, organisers say they have received unprecedented levels of interest, with a significant number of new exhibitors signing up early to secure their place at the show.

New exhibitors to the show this year include Experience Grand Rapids, Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission, Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Orient-Express, Visit Anchorage, United Airlines, Travizon, Dayton/Montgomery County CVB, Snowmass Tourism, Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau, Bloomington MN CVB and

Tokyo shows off large-scale event capacityMore than 10,000 people were given a warm welcome to Tokyo as they participated in the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group held in October.

The meetings marked the first time the Tokyo International Forum (pictured) has been booked for one event, with all the facilities reserved for the sole use of the IMF and World Bank Group.

Starting with the Sendai Dialog to witness the resilience and reconstruction efforts of local people, the meetings in Tokyo ran for a week from October 9 to discuss global challenges and solutions to promote economic growth and reduce poverty. More than 200 meetings, including the Group of Twenty Four (G24), took place successfully. The Annual Meetings also brought the opportunity for a large number of ancillary meetings among financial and other industries.

“The joint Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group have been a great opportunity for all participants to witness the

safety and the high quality of hospitality of Tokyo,” said Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau president Yasuyuki Matsumoto. “It is clear that all participants considered the Tokyo meeting as extremely successful. By playing the role of host city for these Annual Meetings Tokyo proved its qualifications and capacity to be host city for future leading meetings and congresses.”


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Michael Lyons, Reed Travel Exhibitions, AIBTM’s recently appointed exhibition director said he was “delighted to have joined the team at such an exciting time for the show”.

“Chicago is one of the world’s top destinations for meetings, incentives, conventions, and events and we are pleased to be bringing together over 3500 meetings industry professionals from across the globe for three days of intensive business, world class educational sessions and numerous opportunities for networking,” he said.

Reed Travel Exhibitions launches ILTM JapanFollowing the success of ILTM Americas, Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of the leading luxury travel events International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) and Australia’s Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) has announced the launch of ILTM Japan, which will take place from March 11-13, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan.

Japan is noted for being one of Asia’s largest outbound travel markets, spending around $26 billion in 2011. This year, a strong yen, lower fuel surcharges, and increased air capacity is contributing to a further significant increase in the growth of Japan outbound traffic, already 15 per cent up year on year.

Clowns on the move The World Clown Association, which has around 3000

members, will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2013 at the Merdeka Palace Hotel and Suites in Kuching, Malaysia.

Clowns from Canada, England, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Singapore and the US have so far registered to attend the convention in February, with special skills including juggling, mimes, magic, acrobatics

and physical comedy.

The event will offer lectures and classes on clowning to their members, clowning demonstrations and host an evening charity performance. The final day will feature a clown competition called “paradeability”, which will be held in the local Merdeka Plaza Shopping Centre.


nz news

TRAnS-TASMAn TALK

When PCOs and convention centres collaborateAs we all know, the process of planning and executing a high quality, yet cost effective, convention has become increasingly complex and competitive.

However, as often happens in the face of adversity, more collaboration and stronger partnerships emerge.

The relationship between PCOs and convention centres is a good case in point as both parties, through their combined efforts, strive to deliver both an excellent educational experience and an enjoyable destination experience for the end user, the delegate.

Key principles such as good communication and an appreciation of how their roles complement one another have always been central to the partnership.

That is now extending into a more collaborative approach which I think benefits both parties. Thought is being given to creating appealing environments such as comfortable lounge-style areas, work spaces for delegates where they can plug-in and deal with those pressing business concerns or light and airy exhibition areas where it feels good to spend time. Both parties are helping one another deliver sustainability initiatives which are acknowledged as really valuable by both host organisations and their delegates. When centres are planning to expand or new ones are on the drawing board, a meeting of the minds between PCOs and the centres means the final results better serve the delegates of the future.

Between them PCOs and convention centres have a wealth of knowledge about what works and what is possible. It’s a real case of the “whole being greater than the sum of the parts”. What better outcome from collaboration than that?

By Jan Tonkin, founder and managing director of leading New Zealand PCO, The Conference Company and vice-chair of the IAPCO Training Academy.

Auckland bid fund pays dividendsAuckland has secured the 23rd International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences 2016, with the successful bid aided by the recently established Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB) Bid Fund.

The four-day conference is to be held at SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre (pictured, right), with a minimum of 1000 delegates expected to attend. The estimated economic value of the event is more than NZ$4 million ($3.2 million).

“The Bid Fund was created for the purpose of attracting more conference business to Auckland, and securing a meeting of this scale is fantastic,” said the Bureau’s manager, Anna Hayward.

“Without adequate and dedicated funding, it can be difficult to compete internationally. However, with the ACB Bid Fund we are able to sell Auckland and all it has to offer by putting forward bids of the highest quality.”

Club Med targets NZ group marketClub Med’s new Groups and Incentive Department, based in Sydney, will be responsible for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, with a dedicated account manager for group bookings.

To promote the new initiative, the company took a stand at last month’s Pacific Area Incentives & Conferences Expo (PAICE) 2012.

“It’s a really exciting time to be working for Club Med, especially in the groups and incentive department,” said Brendon King, groups and incentives manager. “We are now seeing the results of the upscale strategy implemented by Club Med five years ago and can now boast we are the only four and five trident properties across Asia Pacific.

“All of our key properties in Asia Pacific can now facilitate professional and successful events for groups ranging in size of 20 – 900 delegates.”

Club Med offers an all-inclusive product which includes conference facilities, meals, team-building and entertainment.

“Being an upscale all-inclusive product everything is included from a Club Med escort to greet you at the airport, to all meals, tea breaks, team building, sports, conference facilities, elegant cocktail functions and exclusive four-course dinners with entertainment,” says King. “Club Med takes the stress

out of organising an event with no hidden cost for you or your client.”

According to Club Med New Zealand sales and marketing manager Kaarin Gaukrodger, Club Med New Zealand has eight groups already confirmed for 2013, with Club Med’s new China resort in Guilin, due to open next year, creating a lot of interest.

Third win for Appellation Central Wine ToursQueenstown wine tour company Appellation Central Wine Tours has won the Best of Wine Tourism Award for “Best of Wine Tourism Services” in New Zealand.

The annual awards honour outstanding wine tourism businesses nationally and internationally, and are run by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.

Chief judge of the awards, Joanna Fountain, said the award reflected the “consistently excellent service” Appellation Central Wine Tours provided to guests.

Owner and manager Wendy Johnston said that not only did Appellation Central maintain “consistency” but constantly strived to improve that quality of service.

“Our tours are as much about people as they are about wine,” she said.

“We’re as flexible as we can be to tailor tours to the individual

needs or tastes of the client, and it’s the personable approach of our guides that ensures an outstanding wine experience for each and every client.”

Winners of the New Zealand sectors of the Best of Wine Tourism Awards go on to compete in the International Awards.

Day trips to Antarctica launchedAntarctica is one of the most spectacular, pristine and diverse places on earth, but few people are lucky enough to have the chance to see it.

Now, visitors to New Zealand will have the opportunity to visit it in one day, flying from Auckland to the south polar region with Antarctica Sightseeing Flights.

The company will introduce its first day tour from New Zealand on February 3, 2013, with flights offering unparalleled views of icebergs, coastal cliffs, majestic glaciers and spectacular mountain ranges, most of which have never been visited by humans.

“Seeing Antarctica is a lifelong dream for many people, but the cost of a cruise and the length of time spent getting there means the closest that most will ever come to seeing the world’s last great wilderness area is via the media,” said Phil Asker, the company’s director.


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“Our flights showcase Antarctica from the comfort of a specially-themed Boeing 747 aircraft, enabling people to fulfil in one day what is often a lifelong dream. The full majesty of the landscape is seen from the aircraft, as we fly figure-eight patterns above the ice and expert Antarctic expeditioners on board provide commentary about the terrain, as well as stories of their own experiences living and working there.”

To maximise viewing opportunities, there are 19 approved flight paths, with selection based on weather forecasts the night before departure then again on the morning of departure and during the flight, when the pilots are in contact with meteorologists to obtain regular satellite picture updates showing clear areas.

360 degrees website goes liveA new website aimed at promoting Queenstown and Wanaka’s attractions to the world using the latest in panoramic photographic technology has been launched.

Keith Stubbs, owner and operator of www.360queenstown-wanaka.com, described the site as “Google Maps

meets Google Street View and the Yellow Pages rolled into one”.

Stubbs said the site incorporates stunning 360-degree interactive panoramic photography with maps, detailed information and editorial, as well as regular updates on weather, river, lake and snow conditions.

“This is much more than a directory with attractive visuals,” said Stubbs. “We’re dedicated to promoting Queenstown and Wanaka as a world-class destination.”

An events database and accommodation booking engine are also in the pipeline for the site.

CINZ targets AustraliaSharon Auld, manager of the Australian office of Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ), has told attendees at the recent CINZ conference that the Australian business events sector is important to New Zealand for three major reasons.

Auld said that not only is Australia the largest source of business events delegates for New Zealand, but international convention delegates spend considerably more on a daily basis than other visitors, and arrivals generally occur during New Zealand’s off-season months of March through October.

CINZ will target the Australian market in 2013 by participating in the Asia Pacific Incentive Meeting Expo (AIME) in Melbourne, with a stand featuring “100% Middle Earth – 100% Pure New Zealand” branding, referencing The Hobbit movie, set to be released later this month.

Big Splash opens after dark for groupsRotorua’s Rainbow Springs’ The Big Splash water ride (pictured, right) is now available for exclusive hire by conference groups after dark.

“We’ve just installed a series of spotlights and floodlights throughout the ride which lights up the whole experience in the dark,” said Kat Hicks, Rainbow Springs event manager. “The Big Splash is amazing at any time of the day but it’s extra special and exciting at night and really adds a ‘wow’ factor to an event, it’s a perfect pre- or post-dinner thrill.”

The ride is available for group hire after 5.30pm when the park closes to the public.

A popular addition to the park since opening in 2011, the Big Splash water ride takes riders on a nine-minute narrated

journey through time and the ecological evolution of New Zealand featuring state-of-the-art animation bringing to life dinosaurs, moa and the haast eagle, and an adrenalin boosting plunge at the end.

Events spaces available for groups at the Park include the recently extended Wairere Cafe, which is located near The Big Splash queuing race and splash-down viewing area and is suitable for cocktail functions; a lawn adjacent to the cafe which is large enough to accommodate a marquee, and a covered, tiered 384-seat outdoor auditorium suitable for plenary sessions, award ceremonies and performances.


Get smart

Rendezvous hotels have launched Smart Meetings as part of their push to make planning a business event as simple and seamless as possible.

cover story

View slideshow in the CIM iPad app.

Innovation and investment are the two key platforms that Rendezvous Hospitality Group (RHG) is using to signal its commitment to the business events market.

There are 13 Rendezvous hotels located in 10 key destinations across Asia Pacific including Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Port Douglas, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Christchurch, Singapore and Shanghai, with RHG launching an extensive refurbishment program and a dedicated online enquiry service to help make planning, booking and managing business events easier and faster.

Tim Birley, associate director of meetings, incentives, conferences and events, says the fresh, new approach was driven by their customers, “who have told us that above all else they want genuine value”.

“We understand our customer’s emphasis is on location and affordability. That’s why it is our aim to constantly provide cost effective solutions and innovative offers that are unmatched elsewhere,” says Birley.

Rendezvous hotel’s Smart Meetings ensures a truly successful event at

every property that matches RHG’s brand promise of providing superior value with a personal approach.

Smart Meetings event planning services include the initial concept and design of the event to match your vision and budget, personalised menu development and the matching of all dietary requirements, client status reports to ensure approval of each step, pre- and post-event meetings onsite with a dedicated Smart Meeting event manager to guarantee the flawless execution of the event, VIP handling, from hotel and transportation arrangements to

last-minute requests, and state-of-the-art technology and onsite audio-visual support.

This comes in addition to Smart Meetings signature inclusions such as 24-hour unlimited internet access in guest rooms, free local telephone calls and low-cost international calls, wi-fi access in all public spaces and a conference concierge to attend to any requests.

Whether it is a major business event or an intimate meeting, RHG’s friendly and professional Smart Meeting event managers can provide tailored proposals and customised services to ensure every aspect of the event is a success and within budget.

Browse the latest Smart Meetings offers available at all Rendezvous hotels, book an event and go in the draw to win a $5000 holiday to Singapore.

To celebrate the newly revitalised Rendezvous Hospitality Group simply quote CIM and receive 25 per cent off when you confirm a Smart Meeting Residential Conference in Auckland, Melbourne or Perth, (terms and conditions apply and more information can be found at www.rendezvoushotels.com).

Cover image: The Grand Vestibule at Rendezvous Grand Hotel Melbourne.

Tui Suite at Rendezvous Grand Hotel

Auckland.

The new Club Room at Rendezvous Hotel Perth.


in the air

The Qantas Wallabies (pictured) unveiled a Boeing 737-800 aircraft sporting a giant moustache that flew around the country during November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and men’s mental health.

This is the second year that Qantas has supported the Movember campaign as an extension of its partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

“As a survivor of prostate cancer, I am passionate about bringing greater awareness to this issue,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

Air Adventure’s Great EscapePrivate charter airline Air Adventure Australia has added its Greatest Escape tour to its permanent itinerary schedule following a successful trial tour earlier this year.

Popular with incentive groups and high-end corporate rewards, The Great Escape combines Air Adventure’s outback air safaris with a seven-night exclusive charter of the luxury vessel Great Escape. The itinerary includes staying on 404,686 hectare cattle station Home Valley with exclusive use of the Bush Camp at Faraway Bay, and a private helicopter ride over the top end.

“We aim to take our guests where other tour groups on coach trips and larger aircraft can’t, and our new Outback Jet (Cessna Conquest II) enables us to do this,” said John Dyer, managing director of Air Adventure Australia.

“Its exceptional short-field capabilities means that we can land on shorter runways, giving us access to remote outback air strips. Giving people an authentic outback experience has always been our mission.

“We get people deep in to the ‘real’ outback so they can experience it how it was meant to be – without all the crowds and accessing the most picturesque and remote parts that this vast country has to offer.”

Scoot to promote North Coast of NSWNorth Coast Destination Network has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore Airline budget subsidiary Scoot to develop visitor markets from Asia.

“The agreement is a framework to meet our shared interest in growing international visitor expenditure on the North Coast

of NSW and encourage use of the direct air services of Scoot through cooperative marketing,” said North Coast Destination Network international marketing spokesperson Russell Mills.

“With Scoot flying directly into Gold Coast Airport as well as Sydney International Airport, there are fabulous opportunities to promote iconic holiday destinations on the North Coast such as Byron Bay, as well as the legendary Pacific Coast touring route between Sydney and Brisbane.”

NCDN has also signed an MOU with Gold Coast Airport, a strategic partner in the regional network’s initiatives to grow international visitors, which have declined by 11 per cent in the year to March 2012.

Tiger hits TasmaniaTiger Airways Australia touched down in Tasmania last month marking the recommencement of twice daily services between Melbourne and Hobart. Tiger’s twice daily services between Melbourne and Hobart will provide over 5000 visitor seats through Hobart Airport every week.

Tiger Airways commercial director Carly Brear said the airline was “thrilled to be back”.

“Tasmania is a magnificent location and having recently won the Lonely Planet’s Top 10 accolade it is clear that Hobart and the island state are going to be one of Australia’s most popular tourist destinations in 2013. We’re glad to play our part in boosting tourism by offering consistently great value fares to and from Tasmania.”

Tiger Airways Australia also touched down in Adelaide in November, marking its return to South Australia with two daily return services from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. The airline’s twice daily return services will provide over 5000 visitor seats weekly through Adelaide Airport in time for the peak holiday and Adelaide festival season.

Air New Zealand changes Hong Kong-London routeAir New Zealand will withdraw services between Hong Kong and London from March 4, 2013, as the airline focuses on returning its international network to profitability.

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Wallabies kick off Qantas Movember campaign

of Air New Zealand’s strategy to implement an alliance-based network with a Pacific Rim focus, the airline has also formed a strategic agreement with Cathay Pacific on services between Auckland and Hong Kong.

“The agreement will see both carriers continue to operate the same frequency between Auckland and Hong Kong while introducing code share on each other’s flights as well as opening up excellent connections between New Zealand and Mainland China,” said Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe.

“Hong Kong is a key strategic Pacific Rim port and an important gateway to Mainland China for Air New Zealand. This agreement with Cathay Pacific will provide our passengers with a huge range of additional connections through Hong Kong to Mainland China, as well as access to better-value fares on these connections on Cathay Pacific or its sister airline Dragonair.”

Air New Zealand has also recently taken out the title of Australasia’s Leading Airline for the fourth year in a row at the World Travel Awards in Singapore.


venue update

Pullman heads to Brisbane

refurbishment underscores our commitment to attracting an even larger segment of meetings and corporate business in this vibrant city,” said Mantra Group chief executive Bob East.

New look Novotel in WellingtonNovotel Wellington has completed a major refurbishment of its 139 rooms. The 4-star hotel’s rooms have new beds, designer headboards, bold feature artwork, and red glass splashbacks in the bathrooms.

Rooms have been given the “Novotel NEXT” touch – a new design concept which has already proven very popular at the award-winning Novotel Auckland Airport hotel.

The former Sebel King George Square hotel has rebranded to Pullman Brisbane King George Square, as part of parent group Accor’s push of the 5-star brand across Australia and the world.

The Pullman Brisbane King George Square is now set to undergo a $7 million upgrade which will involve renovation of all the Sebel rooms to Pullman standards, the creation of a new lobby and Pullman lounge, a total renovation of the hotel’s meeting and exhibition facilities, new exterior painting and signage. Half of the rooms have already been completed, with the remainder due for completion by the end of the year, while the function centre upgrade will take place in January and February, 2013.

“From the refurbishment of the lobby to the makeover of the old Sebel tower and the conference spaces, the hotel is going to look fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing our guests enjoy the Pullman 5-star experience,” said general manager Grant Parnell.

“As it was Brisbane’s first international hotel in the ’70s, it seems fitting that in 2012 the hotel once again is setting the pace for Brisbane’s international hotel sector.”

The adjoining Citigate hotel has also been rebadged to Mercure, following Accor’s acquisition of the Mercure brand earlier this year.

Mantra on Kent looks a million dollarsMantra on Kent, Sydney has unveiled its $1.5 million hotel refurbishment which includes a floor-to-ceiling transformation of the hotel’s 105 guest rooms, restaurant, meeting facilities and lobby.

The hotel’s studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments have received a major makeover which includes new furniture, widescreen televisions, revamped laundries, new carpet and fresh paint to complement the upgrades.

“Mantra on Kent’s comprehensive

Integrated connectivity panels which enable portable digital devices to connect to the television, iPod docking stations and wireless internet access have been added to cater to the growing number of tech-savvy travellers.

“The refurbishment combined with the hotel’s central city location on The Terrace places us in a winning position to cater to the influx of travellers coming to the city for major events such as the World Premiere of Peter Jackson’s latest blockbuster film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” said Novotel Wellington general manager Philip Hilton.

New dining option at Four Seasons Sydney Located on the ground floor of Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, The Woods restaurant is set to open its doors this month.

With the restaurant’s ethos set to revolve around wood-fired cooking, executive chef Hamish Ingham is being supported by his restaurateur partner Rebecca Lines who is already overseeing The Woods’ management.

“We have engaged talented exponents of Australia through its cuisine and design to bring The Woods to life, aiming to provide Sydney diners with an appealing stand-alone restaurant that further extends this city’s reputation as a cuisine capital,” said Four Seasons Hotel Sydney general manager Vincent Hoogewijs.

Radisson Resort Gold Coast to rebrandAccor will take over the Radisson Resort Gold Coast from December 18 and re-brand the hotel to Mercure

The new lobby at Pullman Brisbane King George Square.

Mantra on Kent, Sydney.


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Gold Coast Resort, making it Accor’s 200th in Australia. Accor was appointed manager of the resort by GC Hotel Management.

The resort is affiliated with five championship golf courses, including the adjacent world-class Palm Meadows course, which has hosted a wide range of international tournaments over the last 25 years.

“For Accor it is a very strategic new addition to the network, both because it represents a significant landmark for Accor’s expansion in Australia, and also because it adds to the group’s portfolio in the Gold Coast,” said Simon McGrath, Accor Pacific’ chief operating officer.

“The addition of the Mercure Resort will allow us to cater for growing demand in the mid-market, especially for conferences, events and groups.”

Fame for Novotel Cairns Oasis ResortNovotel Cairns Oasis Resort has been awarded the Hall of Fame Award at the 2012 Tourism Tropical North Queensland Awards. The 4.5 star resort was presented with the title after they won the North Queensland Deluxe Accommodation award for three consecutive years, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“This award is a tremendous honour for each and every member of our dedicated team who reliably deliver the best standard of service with a smile and ensure that our guests needs are met and on most occasions exceeded,” said James Murphy, general manager at Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort.

Four Points headed to BrisbaneStarwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of an operating agreement with Felicity Hotel, in which Starwood has a long-term management contract to debut a Four Points by Sheraton in Brisbane. Slated to open in January 2014, the hotel will be the first internationally branded, new-build property to enter the Brisbane CBD market in over a decade.

Located in Brisbane’s central business district, the 32-story 246-room hotel is to be designed by Brisbane-based Noel Robinson Architects,

James Murphy, general manager Novotel

Cairns Oasis Resort (front row far right),

with colleagues from other Accor properties.

and will include 200sqm of conference and meetings space.

“The new hotel will provide international and domestic visitors with a well-known and trusted lifestyle brand, offering them comfortable and stylish living as well as value for money when visiting the city,” said Sean Hunt, regional vice president, Starwood Pacific Hotels & Resorts.

Upgrade for Cumberland’s conference facilitiesCumberland Lorne Resort has just completed a major refurbishment of its conference centre and a number of apartments. The refurb included carpeting the entire conference centre, re-upholstering the 350-seat tiered auditorium (pictured, right) and fresh paint.

After a number of years of external operation, Cumberland Lorne Resort is also back under direct control of resort management.

“Since reassuming control of the Conference

Centre we have received a great deal of positive feedback and I am pleased to be able to build on that with a freshened up and contemporary facility,” said general manager Lee Gordon.


catering

Mega cooking event breaks record

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of international street food. Guests were encouraged to drop in to any stall and quickly make a dish to eat and share, leaving plenty of time for networking.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in this style of event, which we call ‘Networking with Sizzle’ – giving guests a variety of opportunities to engage by cooking with each other and sharing fantastic food, without spending the whole night cooking,” said VictorsFood chief executive and executive chef, Victor Pisapia (pictured, second from left).

Former royal chef for RACV Royal PinesFuture events at RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast will benefit from the culinary skills of a former chef to the royal family of Bahrain after the appointment of Mark Rowsell-Turner as executive chef.

Rowsell-Turner will oversee the operation of the resort’s eight restaurants and bars, along with banquet and conference catering.

He comes to the role after having spent two and a half years as executive chef at Bahrain’s Al Rawdha Palace, orchestrating the daily operations for six kitchens, four staff canteens and an outside catering division providing multi-cultural cuisine to Bahrain’s royal family, their

VictorsFood has broken Australia’s record for the largest hands-on cooking event, putting more than 600 delegates from The Property Council of Australia’s annual conference in November through their paces at a networking event.

“The Property Fiesta is one of the key highlights with over 600 people in attendance,” said Carlita Glode, national events coordinator at Property Council of Australia. “This year we wanted The Fiesta to provide more opportunities for the guests to connect with each other, so we worked with VictorsFood to create an interactive cooking event with a networking focus.”

The Fiesta social networking event, which was held on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, saw delegates help cook and serve an array

guests and 500 staff members.

“My brief in Bahrain was to never repeat a menu and to ensure each menu had a unique style,” he says.

“At RACV Royal Pines I want to create an award-winning culture about food, wine, service and the customer.”

James Kidman joins Doltone House teamLeading venue and hospitality group Doltone House has announced the appointment of high-profile chef James Kidman as group executive chef.

Kidman has previously been executive chef at the National Gallery of Australia and the Sculpture Garden Restaurant.

Kidman will work closely with Doltone House’s owners, the Signorelli family, returning to his passion for authentic Italian cuisine with a modern edge.

“I am very much looking forward to directing the style of food across the group and being a part of Doltone House’s continued success into the future,” said Kidman.

The Doltone House group is set to open three more venues by 2015, including Doltone House Hyde Park in early 2013.


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Australian multimedia company Laservision has won first place at the 2012 International Laser Display Association (ILDA) Awards ceremony in San Antonio, Texas.

Designed, created and installed by Laservision, the “Wonder Full” Light and Water spectacular, shown nightly at the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort – Singapore, beat over 150 entries to take top honours in the Multimedia category.

The free 13-minute show is a water, land and sky based 360 degree audio-visual experience that showcases the mediums of water screens, high powered lasers, searchlights, flame effects and high definition video projection among its many special effects.

ILDA executive director Patrick Murphy said that Laservision’s entry “was a clear favourite”, describing it as “an inspirational, highly polished artwork, exciting, innovative and stimulating to watch. It is outstanding in its conceptualization – perceptive, articulate and imaginative”.

“Judges were very impressed with the technical scope of the project and the artistic finesse with which it was executed,” Murphy said.

Laservision has also taken out the top honours at the recent Australian Business Awards being named Business of the Year.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts releases Android appHong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has released the Android version of its smartphone app following the recent launch of the first-generation iPhone and iPad Shangri-La apps. The free mobile app is available in English or Simplified Chinese and offers all the functionality of the hotel group’s website, plus additional features such as location-based offers.

The app allows users to explore, book, view and edit room reservations, view special promotions, enrol in the group’s Golden Circle loyalty programme and redeem points for complimentary stays. A Blackberry version will also be available shortly.

“Introducing an Android app was critical to our global mobile strategy,” said Wee Kee Ng, director of corporate loyalty and partner marketing of Shangri-La International Hotel Management. “Our guests value connectivity and convenience, and many of Shangri-La’s 2.2 million Golden Circle

loyalty programme members are Android users, particularly those in mainland China, where 33 of our 75 hotels are located.”

To celebrate the release of the Android app, existing Golden Circle members who download the Android app and log-in through December 15, 2012, will earn 200 GC Award Points.

iVvy’s new online surveysOnline events management solutions company iVvy has launched Surveys, a new tool for collecting data from exhibitors and clients at an event. The new online tool uses a drag and drop editor to create and publish online surveys and allows respondents to skip questions or pages based upon the answers given to the previous question and then validate the responses, with the results able to be seen and shared in real time.

“Surveys is another step for iVvy towards building the ideal event solution for business,” said iVvy CEO Lauren Hall. “It is a great tool to gain access to valuable information and feedback before, during or after you’ve held your event.”

Surveys can also be used to send surveys, polls and questionnaires to current or potential customers and is being offered free for a short time to all existing clients using iVvy Events and Venue Management products.

Toga Hotels launches free iPad appSelected Toga Hotels are now offering guests free wi-fi in the hotels’ bars, restaurants and lobbies. The move will initially be available across 25 Toga Hotels, with plans to roll out to the remaining 28 Toga Hotels shortly.

Rachel Argaman, CEO of Toga Hotels, said the group was “continually raising the bar for our guests”.

Toga Hotels is also working with International Hotel Technologies (IHT) on the new GuestView in-room technology system which allows guests to access content from their own devices on the television in the apartments at Adina Apartment Hotel Norwest.

This follows the group launching a free iPad app, allowing guests to access information about all of Toga’s hotels and apartment hotels including making bookings and sourcing information about each property and their conferencing and events facilties.

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macao

East meets westIf ever the phrase “east meets west” was appropriate, it’s in Macao’s heady mix of Chinese-Portuguese culture, UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites and glamorous Las Vegas-style entertainment. With its own international airport, as well as being easily accessible via a high-speed ferry from Hong Kong, Macao has been an international hub since Portuguese traders established a settlement there in the 1550s. While the Portuguese merchant ships may have moved on, the special administrative region of China continues to draw international attention with its world-class business events facilities.

In the first half of 2012 alone, there were 505 meetings and exhibitions held in Macao, attracting nearly 300,000 attendees. The recently released IBTM Global Meetings Industry Research, which surveyed mostly Asian buyers, saw Macao named as one of the top 10 countries in Asia for events.

Such positive figures are a clear testament to the success of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions, which was established in March 2010, with a goal of developing the convention and exhibition industry in Macao. In August 2011, responsibilities for promoting the convention and exhibition industry have passed into the scope of Macao Economic Services.

As part of its policy of facilitating growth in the industry the government introduced

the “Convention and Exhibition Stimulation Program”, which aims to provide assistance and support to organisers and planners of conventions and exhibitions held in Macao.

Both confirmed meetings, conventions and exhibitions, and potential events are eligible for financial support; however confirmed events receive additional support.

Having dramatically boosted its business events capacity in recent years, Macao now boasts exhibition and convention spaces that aggregate over 150,000sqm, housed in more than 30 hotels, along with more than 25,000 hotel rooms provided by over 100 hotels ranging from budget to luxurious.

First stop for many events planners is Sands Cotai Macao, named Asia’s Leading Tourism Development Project in the recent World Travel Awards 2012, which consists of five hotels: the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, Conrad Macao, Sheraton Macao Hotel, Holiday Inn Macao and Four Seasons Macao. Together the properties have 120,000sqm of flexible meetings space, suitable for events of every size.

Leading the way is the Venetian Macao, which was recently named the Best Meetings & Conventions Hotel in Macao for the fifth year in a row at the annual TTG China Travel Awards. The hotel is home to CotaiExpo, which has more than 75,000sqm of exhibition space,

making it one of the largest exhibition centres in Asia.

It also features 7000sqm of

pillar-free

With its world-class facilities, accommodation and exciting mix of post-conference options, Macao is fast becoming one of Asia’s most popular business events destinations, writes Ylla Wright.

ballroom space and 108 meeting rooms with almost 25,000sqm of flexible meeting space. The CotaiArena has seating for up to 15,000 people, making it ideal for major corporate events and product launches.

The newly opened 3863-room Sheraton Macao Hotel (the largest hotel in Macao and the world’s largest Sheraton) also offers 20,000sqm of flexible meetings space, with the Kashgar grand ballroom offering nearly 4900sqm of pillarless space alone, while the Conrad Macao offers 6500sqm, made up of 53 separate conference, meeting and boardooms.

When the day’s work is done, Macao has plenty more to offer delegates, ranging from special events such as the “Titanic The Exhibition” and the “Human Bodies Exhibition” (open until February 24, 2013) at the Venetian Macao, to tours of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Historic Centre of Macao, and Night Bungy at the MacaoTower, the world’s highest bungy jump at 233m.

Keen to see Macao’s competitiveness as a business events destination continue to grow, The Sands Cotai Macao hosted an educational workshop on the international associations market in collaboration with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) earlier this year

The International Congress Sales & Marketing Workshop was designed to provide education and training for Macao’s meetings industry professionals, improving participants’

understanding of the latest trends and developments in the global associations market, and focusing on the skills and techniques needed to win more international associations meetings. Insights into working with governments, collaborative marketing, dealing with cultural differences in international bidding and how to make bids stand out from competitors were on the agenda.

According to organisers the event was an important opportunity for members from across the region, including Macao’s local labour force, to develop their professional skills, especially important in light of the rapid pace of Macao’s development. Skills learnt would hopefully play a key role in increasing Macao’s competitiveness and an international business events destination.

In co-hosting the workshop, the Sands Cotai Macao hoped to “play a role in helping to bring more international meetings to Macao in the future, enabling the city to become a primary destination for congress organisers”, according to Natasha Tome, executive director of MICE marketing for the hotel.

With events such as the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum and the International Yacht Import and Export Fair already up and running in the city, it seems only a matter of time until Tome’s wish comes true.


2013 forecast

Uncertainty is the byword for the current global economic situation, but despite the many challenges both at home and abroad the business events sector continues to remain bullish about the future, writes Sheridan Randall.

Home and away

“There are known knowns... there are known unknowns ... there are also unknown unknowns.” That Rumsfeldian quote may often be ridiculed but it does encapsulate the tricky business of forecasting the future. To help gain a clearer insight into the “known knowns” and “unknown knowns” of 2013, CIM spoke with some business event industry leaders to pick their brains on what the next 12 months may bring for the events industry.

Currency exchange is one “known unknown” that has wrong-footed many an economist, and the unexpected surge in the Australian dollar caught some by surprise. But with the high Aussie dollar looking set to stay for a while it appears the business events sector has adapted to it in a fairly short space of time, according to Penny Lion (pictured above), head of Business Events Australia (BEA).

“The [business events] industry knows how to sell Australia to overseas markets and they know that compared with many of the markets we compete with in terms of attracting business events, Australia has a strong offering in regards to our total package including customer service and quality of product,” Lion says.

“It is the whole package and our ability to deliver creative events that inspire participants and decision makers can’t ignore the fact that Australia is at the top of the ‘bucket list’”.

Despite the continuing economic uncertainty in the US, Europe and the UK, “people really want to come here”, she says. China continues to demonstrate its importance as the third largest, and fastest growing, market for inbound business events visitors into Australia with more than 67,000 business arrivals into Australia in the year ended September 2012. Convention and conference arrivals from China were also strong in this period, increasing by 27 per cent to over 16,000 arrivals.

Other Asian business events markets also show encouraging signs of growth with convention and conference arrivals from Korea increasing by 13 per and arrivals from Japan increasing by 17 per cent in the year ended September 2012.

“While China and the Asian markets are at the forefront of Tourism Australia’s focus we will continue to maintain a balanced portfolio with in-market representation in key western markets such as the US, UK and New Zealand – which are all growing in terms of business event arrivals into Australia,” Lion says.

InvestmentThe cranes are up across Adelaide as a massive investment in infrastructure across different areas of the waterfront precinct and beyond start to take shape. Adelaide Convention Bureau CEO and Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) president Damien Kitto (pictured, right) says that the high level of infrastructure investment will directly benefit the business events sector. A redeveloped Adelaide Convention Centre will be able to host larger events up to 4000 delegates and have the flexibility of hosting more events at the same time, due to its innovative design and the supporting venues across the Riverbank Convention Precinct.

With that additional capacity Adelaide is set to carve out its own niche in attracting events that support the key economic industries of the state, according to Kitto.

These include both domestic and international conventions, with an almost doubling of the number of international conferences being held in Adelaide over the past few years.

“The Bureau hopes to continue this trend and in doing so will continue to attract world and Asia Pacific conventions aligned to key state economic industries,” he says.

“In particular, the Bureau will focus on medical research conventions that are aligned to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the South Australian Medical Health Research Institute (to house 700 leading researchers) both due to come on line in the next few years.”

However, Kitto is firmly aware of the impact the strong dollar is having on the business events

sector, saying “we need to be in a position to offer a more compelling

proposition through value adds in the highly competitive global industry we operate in”.

Noting the importance of China and its flow on effects for

Australia, Kitto maintains that Adelaide will also target shorter haul markets with Asia, particularly

South East Asia.

“The Asian Association market is maturing

for Adelaide and all being well this will take off in the next five years or so,” he says. “Australia should be working harder to engage Asian delegates to

attend Australian conventions,

however to do this we must respect and work with the many Asian cultures to invite their


participation at events. Australia should have a goal of converting many of our domestic events to Asia Pacific events by opening our arms to Asian neighbours.”

This applies as much to regional South Australia as it does to Adelaide, with the former performing well over 2012, according to Kitto.

“Regional South Australia has some unique product that is well established to attract small- to medium-sized conventions and incentive groups. Recent delegate surveys indicate that Barossa, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Kangaroo Island are popular amongst delegates for pre- and post-touring. South East Asia and New Zealand are key target markets for incentive groups with some good success recently being achieved from these markets.”

Regional dispersal is also a key issue for Australia, he says, with more needed to be done to spread the benefits across the whole country.

“It is something that happens naturally within a state however more can be done on a national level. The key gateway cities of Sydney and Melbourne attract many international events where in an ideal world other cities or regional areas should benefit from satellite meetings or indeed delegate pre- and post-touring.

“AACB enjoys a strong relationship with Business Events Australia in promoting the amazing business events experiences available around the country. In particular BEA have successfully grown their digital program off the back of ‘Nothing Like Australia’ and whilst it is early days we will need to continue being creative and innovate in the way we collectively market Australia to be competitive in this fast moving world. This will assist to not only win more events but promote regional dispersal around Australia.”

At the Top End, Darwin is set to cement itself as an economic powerhouse for the nation on the back of a massive resource-led investment boom, with a forecast annual growth rate of 4.8 per cent over the next five years. However, this economic performance and growth potential is not always recognised and neither are the strategies that are in place to maintain the pace of this growth, according to Darwin Convention Centre manager Malu Barrios (pictured, right).

“In July 2012, the Northern Territory Government launched its ‘Gearing Up’ program designed to attract wider attention for its 10-year, almost $10 billion, infrastructure commitment to roads and transport strategies and their role in supporting long-term development and expansion of essential services, transport and community facilities to provide a basis for increasing access to remote and regional areas and strengthening industry engagement in developing capital works programs,” Barrios says.

This includes the redevelopment and terminal expansion of Darwin International Airport,

major mining and oil and gas exploration projects, as well as road, rail, hotel, tourism and cruise ship projects.

“There is a related need for skilled workers, educators, and of course accommodation to be built for them. Such projects are underpinning the significant growth in the Territory and businesses are preparing to meet the further ongoing opportunities.”

Darwin’s close proximity to Asia and its role as an emerging hub for the region’s natural gas resources has positioned the city as the gateway to Australia for Asian business opportunities.

“The Centre has been benefitting from Darwin’s proximity to Asia since it opened almost five years ago,” says Barrios. “National conventions hosted [in Darwin] are experiencing progressively increasing attendances from Asia and beyond, given direct access to Darwin from Singapore, Denpasar and East Timor. Mining and resources are focal priorities for the NT Government and the Centre is aligning its marketing initiatives in attracting business from these industries with the Government’s own plans.”

DiversityWhile Adelaide Convention Centre is well into its redevelopment, the three-year closure of Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at the end of 2013 has forced Sydney to look beyond the Darling Harbour Precinct and showcase its “dynamism and diversity”, according to Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Events Sydney (BESydney).

“I believe the development announcement has offered Sydney a double-barrelled benefit,” she says. “We are set to welcome events into a world leading, brand new convention precinct in 2017, and it has also acted as an opportunity for Sydney to step up to the plate and showcase the flexibility and variety of high-quality venues available throughout the city.

“There is a true wealth of dedicated function and event spaces; our hotel stock offers fantastic meeting and event facilities, and there are a

number of new venues about to come online.”

This includes the recently announced Glebe Island Expo, which Lewis-Smith describes as “a fantastic demonstration of the New South Wales Government’s commitment to the business events sector”.

Glebe Island Expo is set to offer a “world-class” interim facility from late 2013 to 2016, with BESydney currently managing booking enquiries for the facility until the operator takes over in March, 2013.

With so much focus on China, BESydney is far from having its eggs in one basket when it comes to future growth, with broad strategies that encompass the growing Asian region, including in-market offices in Mumbai, Hong Kong (soon to move to Singapore), Shanghai and a dedicated team managing South East Asia from Sydney.

“Our ongoing success in Asia, particularly China, is largely based on the fact that BESydney was the first Australian bureau to establish in-market presence in Asia in 2004,” says Lewis-Smith.

“This means we have built strong relationships with a vast network of clients over a number of years, in what remains a market that is driven by the need to build connections before you can do any business. But this success is underpinned by more than understanding and connection alone. Success in this market is built on solid, long-term relationships – more so than any of our other markets. Although relationship building is obviously always part of our global strategy, Asian clients in particular regard relationships as a key determinant in decision making. This is where our in-market presence throughout the region has been invaluable, and will be an ongoing feature of our strategy.”

A strong relationship with Asian visitors, beyond the transactional, is essential to the success of both Sydney and NSW, according to Lewis-Smith, with Sydney’s events and tourism industry making efforts to become ‘’Asia ready’’.

“An increasing number of hotels, attractions and suppliers are providing Asian language or cultural study lessons for staff, integrating Asian language tours into their programs and rethinking menu and media options,” she says. “Sydney Airport is working with BESydney and Destination NSW to ensure people feel welcome from the moment they disembark. The City of Sydney is currently running seminars for city retailers to help them understand the needs and expectations of Chinese visitors. While BESydney hosts an annual international market brief for its 200-plus industry members that focuses on sharing insights into the Asian business event market. We also now have staff fluent in Asian languages in every department of the organisation, as a result of our recent restructure.”

Notwithstanding the focus on Asia, BESydney has not diverted its attention away from key national business event markets, with national corporate conferences and association business continuing to deliver strong results.

“We have not ignored our traditional European and American markets, and have maintained our key in-market presence during the economic hardships of recent times. This ensures that as we begin to see signs of recovery, our team has retained the relationships that will deliver the results.”

... decision makers can’t ignore the fact that Australia is at the top of the ‘bucket list’.


On factors outside their control, such as the strong Australian dollar, Lewis-Smith says it is “an opportunity to be innovative with our city’s proposition and think creatively about how we can meet our clients’ event objectives, whilst also satisfying budgets”.

“Sydney’s destination proposition is based on offering strategic value and a high-quality product to association, incentive program or corporate meeting clients. The inherent value of this proposition extends beyond satisfying budgets. Clients come to Sydney expecting world-class products, and our suppliers continue to innovate and deliver, raising the benchmark for excellence even higher.”

Lewis-Smith cites The Darling, which recently won the Best International New Hotel for Construction and Design award at the International Hotel Awards in London, as an example of the quality on offer, but acknowledges that the city’s appeal goes beyond venues and properties.

“Our clients appreciate that Sydney is a knowledge and financial hub in the Asia-Pacific and are acutely aware of the value of looking beyond the conference doors to the broader Sydney community.”

Australia’s strong economic conditions have also had a role to play in the positive outlook for the national business events industry combined with business events opportunities in Asia.

BESydney secured events with an estimated economic impact of $225.6 million last financial year with business from Asia accounting for over 40 per cent of that figure, a first in the organisation’s history.

“And we want to see the growth in this market continue, which is why we now have a Chinese speaking team member at each step along the event pipeline – from business development through to event delivery. The sheer size of the market is astounding and the opportunities for incentive, corporate meeting and association events from China, South East Asia and beyond have begun to benefit those destinations ready to capitalise on the market.”

UncertaintyThe current global economic uncertainty is set to see further rationalisation in the global events industry, according to Roslyn McLeod, managing director of event specialist Arinex, with nowhere isolated from the global economic situation.

“It will be a tough few years ahead,” says McLeod. “Technology is one of the contributing factors to the turbulent times our industry is experiencing. Communication channels are changing and the way in which meetings are conducted will continue to evolve over the next few years. The new generations may not view association

membership as a vital necessity to further their careers through face to face networking – time will tell what will be their choice?”

The strong dollar has made it financially attractive for Australians to attend overseas conferences and destinations, with McLeod hoping that this will build the right connections to deliver business when the tide of influencing factors changes.

However, she is aware that Asia is emerging a strong competitor “as new venues come on-line and Asian countries harness talent, often Australian, to grow their marketing efforts and build their association bases”.

“Tourism Australia is building the generic promotion into Asia however there are a lot of factors including cultural, culinary, personal objectives and more that will influence Asians to choose a conference in Australia over other destinations,” she says.

“Australia has world-class convention venues and excellent marketing initiatives but with the Australian dollar at a new high, a highly paid labour force and accommodation that is currently good for landlords but lacking in some respects for the users we have a lot of work to do to get back to the top 10 as a winning destination.”

With numerous challenges ahead, the current focus is on the bottom line “first and foremost”, with a particular emphasis on conference income.

“What is interesting is that strategy to grow the association while a priority is not always getting the strategic focus needed to lay the right foundations,” McLeod says.

Citing examples of two association clients auditing their internal resources involved in conferences, she says it is “reassuring to come across some clients who have recognised the high cost of internal services as opposed to outsourcing”.

“One client found it was twice as expensive to provide the service internally as to outsource due to the cost of labour and materials as well as overheads that were able to be eliminated. A more streamlined approach enabled the focus to return to the strategy of building membership and member benefits. The challenge here was to take the bold step of releasing staff and diminishing the size of the internal team and recognising the need for experts both internally and externally.”

Despite the doom and gloom, the latest 2011/12 EEAA Market Monitor report, released by the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) in early November, confirms a relatively optimistic market sentiment amongst association members. Around 64 per cent of respondents believe the sectors in which they are operating are growing compared to 52 per cent in the previous six month survey period.

One of the key factors driving the positive sentiment is that organiser members expect to present 27 new events with 60 per cent of organisers expecting to hold at least one new show, according to EEAA general manager Joyce DiMascio (pictured above).

“New shows in the exhibition sector show that the channel continues to be a thriving business to business and business to client channel,” DiMascio says.

The use of social media to deliver marketing, the expansion and improvements to venues, and increasing number of events including international events being delivered by Australian organisers and suppliers are the key themes driving opportunity in the sector, according to DiMascio.

“While there is optimism, there is also clear evidence that some factors are of concern in relation to their potential impacts on business,” she says.

These include decreasing exhibitor budgets, the domestic economy, the cost of doing business and the international economy as factors that could affect their businesses.

“But fundamentally, the market needs the visitor to stay engaged with the shows,” says DiMascio. “If consumer and business sentiment is impacted by macro-economic conditions, then this has the potential to affect attendance and spending at shows. One of the greatest risks on the horizon is reduced spending by visitors attending shows.”

ChallengesNew Zealand is on the cusp of significant increases in convention infrastructural capacity with expected large convention centre developments in both Auckland and Christchurch scheduled for 2016 and 2017 respectively, according to Alan Trotter, CEO of Conventions and Incentives New Zealand.

However, Trotter says that with increasing global competition pushing more overseas organisers to meet closer to home and evolving technology resulting is some smaller corporate

... in an ideal world other cities or regional areas should benefit from satellite meetings or indeed delegate pre- and post-touring.


meetings to be cancelled in favour of technology driven events being held in house, Australia and New Zealand need to adapt to a more cooperative marketing and destination selling model and understand that globally regions are collectively marketing and adopting a bloc approach as seen in Europe and Asia.

“The combined resources of both Australia and New Zealand would barely make a dent in international convention marketing terms but without a combined approach the situation is even worse,” he says.

A point echoed by Lion, who says that for markets such as the US, Australia is exploring options with New Zealand for ways to work together.

“For example, companies like ID Events sell both destinations together as they have offices in both countries and work on excellent programmes that buyers are keen to try,” Lion says.

In a case of “you get what you pay for”, most planners have adapted to the strong dollar, according to Karen Bolinger (pictured, right), CEO of Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB). However, that does put pressure on Australia to draw on its natural strengths to prove that it is “worth every cent”.

Melbourne will continue to evolve its Melbourne IQ campaign, both nationally and internationally, as a key driver for its business development activity, with MCVB set to announce details of a major campaign to promote the industry and highlight its value to the wider public at AIME next year.

“In 2013, our biggest challenge is to remain competitive in the global business events industry,” Bolinger says. “As a country and a product we need to keep educating and adapting ourselves if we want to be a major player in these markets. MCVB has offices throughout Asia, which has helped us tap into the nuances of these valuable regions; and we will continue to listen to our staff based in these areas to continually refine our practices and improve our relationships.”

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events beyond tourism.

“As a result of this, our industry is beginning to be recognised, both locally and throughout the globe, as more than just a tourism driver,” says Lewis-Smith. “In Sydney and NSW, business events are now acknowledged as part of an aligned economic strategy, offering opportunities for knowledge exchange, professional development, skilled migration and trade and investment.

“This understanding is beginning to be seen in other global destinations as well, through government and industry engagement. Yet, the biggest challenge for these destinations in 2013 is harnessing this understanding, and converting it to actions that will enhance the destination proposal for international events.

“In an increasingly competitive international environment, business events will not be won on destination appeal alone, but by destinations that can demonstrate they can maximise the social and economic legacies of business events. This is a strategy that BESydney is already championing.”

Continued investment and constant improvement are essential to ensure Australia and New Zealand remains an attractive destination for incentive groups and other business events.

Lion cites the Australian Government’s “Tourism 2020” strategy, which aims to build the growth and competitiveness of Australia’s tourism industry and increase the overnight expenditure generated by Australian tourism to as much as $140 billion by the year 2020, of which the business events sector has the potential to contribute up to $16 billion.

“One of the key elements to ‘Tourism 2020’ is ensuring that the Australian industry remains resilient in a competitive environment,” Lion says. “Central to achieving this objective will be lifting innovation and quality by focusing on critical areas such as labour and skills and ensuring that the Australian tourism industry continues to invest in service delivery and quality of product.”

As a country and a product we need to keep educating and adapting ourselves if we want to be a major player in these markets.


sell tnq

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Odds-on favourite

Palm Cove, Cairns and Port Douglas have more than a scent of glamour about them from the days of being frontier towns frequented by literary greats such as Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad, and Hollywood swashbuckler Errol Flynn, who all found themselves drawn to the heady mix of adventure and tropical beauty.

The beautiful beaches set against lush rainforest remain and there is still adventure aplenty to be found, but the rough and tumble of the old frontier towns have been replaced by luxury hotels and resorts offering up everything from stylish retro glamour to colonial splendour, as a group of professional conference organisers found out first hand on the recent Sell TNQ 2012 famil.

The group was welcomed with lunch at Cairns Convention Centre. This environmentally pioneering centre has been attracting an even split of both international and domestic business with its flexible conference space catering up to 3500, all under the auspices of general manager Ross Steele and his team.

The real adventure was to begin in Palm Cove however, a deceptively intimate beachfront location with a wide range of luxury hotels and resorts, many with conference facilities catering to small- and medium-sized meetings.

With the ice broken, it was off to the Aussie-themed cocktail party at Cairns Tropical Zoo. With the region’s largest and most diverse collection of native and exotic wildlife, the Zoo showed itself as a great location for a cocktail-style function, as the group moved through on a roving epicurean tour that saw them cuddle koalas, stroke wombats, hand feed kangaroos and keep their distance from the large crocodiles quietly watching from the water below the boardwalk.

With plenty of exciting activities ahead, it seemed only fair that the second day was dedicated to business workshops. Split between Novotel Palm Cove Resort with meeting space catering to 500-theatre style and Sea Temple Resort & Spa Palm Cove with 150sqm of flexible event space, the workshop give everyone the

lowdown on the vast array of choice across the region.

Business and pleasure are never far apart in this corner of the world, and everyone soon found themselves admiring the palm fringed beach with a cocktail in their hand – which would become a recurring theme throughout the famil – from the rooftop at Sarayi, with catering by Nu Nu’s.

A short stroll later everyone was seated for the gala dinner at Reef House Boutique Resort & Spa. This delightful resort, with echoes from its past when Brigadier Thomson opened it in its original incarnation as a simple guest house, offers 13 event spaces catering from two to 100. Almost predictably, the potent mix of good food, alcohol and the warm tropical night led to the local karaoke bar for some extra-curricular entertainment.

No rest for the wicked, with an early call for the next day’s activity – reef or rainforest. For those choosing to explore the Great Barrier Reef, it was straight to Cairns harbour to hop aboard a

Sunlover Reef Cruises’ vessel. A bucket-list activity for many on the tour, the reef did not disappoint, with hours spent snorkelling and scuba diving on one of Australia’s greatest natural treasures. A lucky few also saw the reef from above courtesy of GBR Helicopters, who offer scenic flights from floating pontoons on the reef itself.

However, those preferring to keep their feet dry were not disappointed. Starting their journey on the multi-award winning Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, they soared over the world’s oldest living rainforest. Lunch at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, a great day-touring location or incentive option that also boasts extensive meeting spaces, introduced them to spear and boomerang throwing, as well as an insight into the Indigenous people that have called the rainforest home for many thousands of years. The leisurely trip home on board the heritage Gold Class carriages of the Kuranda Scenic Railway gave the group ample opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the rainforest as

A group of PCOs won the trifecta on the recent Sell TNQ famil, visiting Palm Cove, Cairns and Port Douglas, and taking home more than just great memories, writes Sheridan Randall.


For some this morning was to be their last in what was turning out to be the trip of a lifetime.

But a famil such as this doesn’t end with a whimper – it ends with lots of whimpering, crying and a leap of faith. It ends with a bungy jump at AJ Hackett where this group showed their mettle, as they threw themselves off the 50 metre tower into the blanket of applause of the onlookers below. Yes, there were tears, and luckily the tower camera that captured in close-up the emotion on the jumpers’ faces wasn’t equipped with a microphone, although lip readers may have blushed a little.

Now truly bonded, the group that were staying on for the post-tour of Port Douglas and Cairns were whisked off to the recently opened Mossman Gorge Centre. Home to the Kuku Yalanji community this new development incorporates traditional guided walks through the Daintree Rainforest. The group’s soft spoken guide, Harold, welcomed all with a traditional smoking ceremony and then offered a glimpse into life unchanged for millennia.

The group split for the ride back into town, with some going outlaw on souped-up trikes and others taking to the skies courtesy of Skysafari helicopters.

The group met up again for a sunset cruise on the Quicksilver Group’s catamaran Wavedancer – a more than appropriate name given the sudden choppy conditions, but smoothed out by the unflappable staff of Port Douglas Catering & Events who kept the canapés and drinks flowing but not spilling.

The dinner, which capped yet another memorable day

of adventure and amazing experiences, was held at Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, the iconic resort that started it all off in Port Douglas in 1987. Set on 130 hectares, the resort was recently taken over by Melbourne property developer David Marriner, partnering with a Chinese investor, who has long-standing plans to bring what is still a wonderfully luxurious resort out of the 80s and into the 21st century.

Breakfast the next day at QT Port Douglas introduced those that weren’t familiar with the signature style of the QT brand – in this case a fun and stylish take on a tropical hideaway shot through the prism of a ’60s surf movie. Fun and friendly staff added to the mix, as the group soaked in the quirky ambiance.

With fascinators firmly attached, it was off to Cairns for a Melbourne Cup lunch at Shangri La, The Marina Cairns, which offers meetings space for 330 theatre-style or 400 cocktail-style in its ballroom. The group set about stacking the odds in their favour by backing as many horses as they could in the local charity sweepstake. Running out of money after their third acquisition, their pluck paid off handsomely with a second placing reaping a combined win in excess of $1200.

Cairns is not short of hotels, with Hilton Cairns offering 16 conference rooms, 262 accommodation rooms, two restaurants and a cocktail bar all in their trademark contemporary style. Rydges has three properties around Cairns, with the Coral Sea at Rydges Tradewinds offering a variety of conference and event spaces all with natural lighting. For old-world charm the Pacific International

Hotel can’t be beaten. Situated on the site of the old Pacific Hotel, the town’s frontier days are echoed in the contemporary revamp of its conference and meeting facilities, baring names such as the Marlin Room and Pacific Ballroom.

For colonial luxury, Pullman has it covered, with the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino and newly rebranded Pullman Cairns International located over the road from each other, and within a short stroll to the convention centre. The 321-room Pullman Cairns offers 10 meeting rooms, while the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino’s event space can accommodate 600 delegates in 11 function rooms. The glass dome on top of the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino is home to Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome, an aerial adventure playground for the young and young at heart, with groups able to take the ropes challenge, walk on the outside of the dome or do the Power Jump from the highest platform. This is a great option for team building or a half-day activity for those that don’t want to stray too far from the convention centre or hotels.

Situated on the waterfront at Marina Point, the group enjoyed a last lunch together at Salt House Restaurant and Bar, which has an exclusive dining area for 20 as well as outdoor and indoor seating catering up to 1000. Sitting in the warm sunshine and listening the sound of the masts of the nearby yachts tinkling in the wind made it very hard to leave for the airport in time for the Qantas flight, but the perfect spot to plan a return visit.

● Sheridan Randall was hosted by Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.

they wound their way along a spectacular track built in the late 1800s for the mining sector.

To cap what had been a dream day for many, a farewell dinner was held at Peppers Beach Club & Spa, which has three meeting rooms, the largest of which can cater for 100 theatre or 150 cocktail-style. The dinner was held poolside with the high quality of food offering you would expect from a brand that recently partnered with Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine for its Peppers Gourmet Food Trail. Luxury doesn’t mean stuffy in this part of the world, with the exceptional food and wine partnered with knowingly casual service that put everyone at ease. So much so that the party refused to end, and with the beach literally over the road, who can blame anyone for carrying on into the wee hours.

Breakfast at Angsana Resort & Spa, the only property in Palm Cove to have absolute beachfront overlooking the Coral Sea and home to meeting spaces for groups up to 50 theatre-style, was a perfect way to size up hangovers.

The group at Cairns Tropical Zoo.

The gala dinner at Reef House Boutique Resort & Spa.


uluru meeting place

Get centredThe new Uluru Meeting Place, which opened last month, is set to become one of Australia’s most sought after conferencing destinations, writes Ylla Wright.

Uluru is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most iconic tourism destinations, drawing thousands of visitors from around the globe into the Red Centre every year, but with the official opening of Australia’s newest convention centre, Uluru Meeting Place, last month it also promises to become one of the country’s most popular business events destinations.

Named in acknowledgement of the local Anangu people who have used the area as a meeting place for tens of thousands of years, Uluru Meeting Place, situated in the Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara, offers state-of-the-art facilities with a distinctly desert flavour. Facilities include a new ballroom, with a capacity of 420, that can also be sub-divided into smaller meeting spaces; a smaller ballroom that seats more than 300, and three boardroom-style breakout rooms and pre-function space.

The $30 million centre is part of a major overhaul of the Ayers Rock Resort, which includes the renovation of the resort’s Sails in the Desert hotel, by owners Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which took over ownership of the property in May, 2011.

With Sails in the Desert the resort’s flagship hotel (which also features a range of

accommodation options for all budgets), all of its 231 guest rooms have been refitted with a contemporary indigenous feel, taking its inspiration from the landscape and local art, while communal areas, including an integrated bar and restaurant area, offer guests the cool comfort of an oasis in the desert.

Other new initiatives include the introduction of a suite of free Indigenous Guest Activities that include yarns, garden walks and cultural performances; a new premium under-the-stars dining experience, Tali Wiru, and Outback Sky Journey tours, which are all available to event organisers seeking to put together an event to remember.

A new website, www.ulurumeetingplace.com.au, features an interactive virtual tour as well as conference, incentive and events itineraries, a range of experiences including sunrise, sunset and Indigenous tours and full details about all the redeveloped conference venues, resorts and how to get there.

In addition to the physical changes to the Resort, the new owners have brought a change in culture; actively seeking to increase Indigenous employment at the resort, and opportunities for guests to interact with the local community.

Since taking over the resort, Voyages has increased the number of Indigenous staff from two to around 170. The goal is to have 50 per cent Indigenous staff by 2018.

That so much has been achieved in just over 18 months is testament to the commitment of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia to the project.

A new broom Voyages is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) and manages tourism and resorts on its behalf, including not only Ayers Rock Resort, but also luxury wilderness camp Longitude 131° (also at Yulara), Home Valley Station in The Kimberley in Western Australia and the Mossman Gorge Centre, in Tropical North Queensland.

The company works collaboratively with local communities to assist them to establish sustainable environmental tourism practices, respect and support the local Indigenous cultures, and offer employment and training opportunities to Indigenous people from around Australia.

Voyages Indigenous Tourism managing director Koos Klein says that the company’s mandate

Sunset drinks in the desert is a must for groups meeting at the

new Uluru Meeting Place.


View video and slideshow in the CIM iPad app.

Activities to inspire• Greet the day with a sunrise viewing of Uluru

from a secluded desert sand dune, complete with a bushman’s breakfast, before travelling to the rock itself with a private guide.

• Climb aboard a camel train for a ride through the desert dunes with Uluru and Kata Tjuta for a backdrop.

• Learn how to read Indigenous dot paintings, with guidance from artists form the local Anangu community, before trying your hand at it yourself.

• Enjoy the cultural dance of the Wakagetti dance troop as they share stories through traditional dance.

• Walk inside the awe-inspiring Walpa Gorge in the Kata Tjuta Domes, learning about the domes’ cultural significance and geological history.

• Watch the sun’s last rays light up Uluru at Tali Wiru, an intimate dining experience that combines fine-dining, Indigenous culture and more stars than you can imagine once the sun goes down.

on taking over the resort was to increase Indigenous employment and training as well as cultural engagement for our guests, while improving financial results.

“When we took over the resort it was in need of tender love and care,” he says. “We wanted to do something in the first year that made a real statement to the market that we were serious about this venue. We decided to do two things – firstly, renovate this hotel because it is the flagship of the resort and it didn’t look like it, and number two, we thought there was one market that was untapped by the resort, the conference market.”

While conference business has until now accounted for around 3 per cent of total business for the resort, Klein is confident that with the new facilities that will grow “quite comfortably” to 15 per cent in the next two to three years.

Although a problem with a contractor pushed the opening back eight weeks, Klein says they’ve already had a lot of interest in Uluru Meeting Place.

“The phones are ringing off the hook, and people who have been here and seen the facilities are really positive,” he says.

The resort had its first major conference, for 200, in mid-November, which went off without a hitch.

“Until now we haven’t really had the facilities to professionally run these events, but I believe we do now,” says Klein.

With being able to incorporate cultural elements, such as a traditional Welcome to Country, dot painting workshops with local Anangu artists as a team building activity, and traditional dance displays, into conference

Accor hotel anywhere in Australia if they choose.

Students are recruited from not just the local community, although there is an “Anangu first” policy, but from all over Australia. Training is conducted on the job and in a classroom environment, facilitated by registered training organisation William Angliss Institute.

“We’re aiming to take in 25 trainees every three months, so that means on an annual basis we take 100 young people through the academy,” says Klein.

Voyages also recruits directly from the local community, where it can, and has also worked with local communities to help them set up their own businesses, providing goods and services to the resort.

Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson, who travelled to the Ayers Rock Resort to officially open the Uluru Meeting Place and renovated Sails in the Desert last month, is a keen supporter of the initiative.

Admitting that this was his first trip to the Red Centre, Ferguson said he was “pleased to see what Ayers Rock Resort has achieved success

Indigenous Land Corporation creates a terrific opportunity.

“We now have an ongoing opportunity to create real jobs and training, not just for people from here in the Red Centre, but trainees from all around Australia, in an industry that employs, directly and indirectly, just under one million people, and offers a real career.”

Peter Garrett, Minister for Schools, Early Childhood and Youth, also showed his support, congratulating the first four graduates of the training program as he presented them with their nationally-recognised certification.

“I do believe that the ownership of this resort has finally come into the right hands,” says Klein. “Especially if you look at the Indigenous engagement activities that we do. A company that ran the resort on a purely commercial basis wouldn’t do that. Too expensive. Too hard. With semi-government ownership and a lot of government support we can put in the effort to make it all work.”

● Ylla Wright was a guest of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia.

programs a major drawcard for groups, Klein expects events held at the Centre will also prove popular with delegates.

Indigenous engagementWith Indigenous training and employment a key part of Voyages mandate, parent-company ILC has, with Federal Government support, set up the National Indigenous Training Academy to train Indigenous students in hospitality and tourism. Graduates of the nine month course receive national accreditation and are guaranteed a job at Ayers Rock Resort, another Voyages property, or an

in terms of the investment to date, a terrific meetings facility, a huge improvement in terms of the quality of the room and the restaurant, and the investment in training”.

“It’s a disgrace to think that right in the middle of Central Australia, where there is a concentration of Indigenous people, you would only have two employed in a resort like this,” he said. “The investment of the

Minister for Schools, Early Childhood and Youth

Peter Garrett presents an Indigenous trainee

from the National Indigenous Training Academy

with his certification.

Members of the local Anangu people perform

a traditional dance at the opening of

Uluru Meeting Place.

Ayers Rock Resort offers a number of

Indigenous experiences for both leisure

guests and conference delegates.

Anangu elders present Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson with a necklace.


World class facility opens in 2013

The highly anticipated relaunch of Royal Randwick will see world class racing and event facilities on offer for gala dinners, conferences, product launches, cocktails, festivals and more in 2013.

royal randwick

Delivering award winning events

With over 30,000m2 of flexible, indoor and outdoor space for gala dinners, conferences and large scale exhibitions and events, Rosehill Gardens really is the event planners’ venue of choice.

rosehillgardens

For bookings and enquiries P 1300 729 668 | E [email protected] | australianturfclub.com.au

Artist impression: The Grandstand Artist impression: ‘Theatre of the Horse’

famils

Getting the most out of familsParticipating in famils can be time-consuming but by making sure you get the most out of them, you’ll maximise your return on investment, writes Ylla Wright.

While there is inevitably fun (helicopter rides; swimming with dolphins; scenic walks) and games (Amazing race-style car rallies; bungy jumping; trivia competitions) aplenty on the average famil trip, there’s no arguing that taking time out of a busy schedule to participate in a destination- or property-based famil can be extremely useful for event organisers.

Knowing a destination inside out is vital when it comes to pitching it to a client and there is no better way of gaining that knowledge than participating in a famil. With the insider knowledge of the organisers, it’s often possible to cover off more venues, team building activities and service

providers in just two or three days than in a week of independent appointments, seeing first-hand what they can put together for business events.

With diaries being squeezed from all sides however, it’s important to ensure that the time really is being well spent. Not all destinations will suit your clients’ and not all itineraries will suit their specific needs (why see team building product for example, if it won’t be part of a conference’s mix?). If you don’t have a specific client in mind, it may still be worth taking the time out to attend, if it’s a popular or emerging destination, or one that has a lot of new product you haven’t seen. Whether event organisers will get something out

of a particular famil also has a lot to do with their own attitude; if you treat it as a junket, then you may as well have stayed home.

For Judy Hart, managing director of Victoria’s Zoom Events, attending famils has been a regular part of her 20 year career. While some have been “awesome” and others not so good, she maintains that they’re a great way of increasing your knowledge of destinations, venues and services, as well as building relationships with other professionals working in the industry (both suppliers and other buyers), which can prove invaluable in the future.

“The best famils I’ve attended have been a well balanced and well managed day/night of events

where you experience and see some amazing places, ideas, and services to then passionately sell to your clients,” she says. “The opportunity to use them, could take a month or a year, but you don’t forget those destinations and you talk about them to clients and colleagues for years to come.”

While much of the success of a famil comes down to how well it’s organised, Hart believes it’s important for participants to also abide by some basic “rules of conduct” to ensure the famil goes as smoothly as possible, and everyone gets the “return on investment” they’re ultimately looking for.

“The first rule is not to think you’re going on a holiday,” she says.

From left: Quad biking on Kangaroo Island in South Australia; Lunch at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa; Participants in The Accor Great Race serenade a stranger; PCOs enjoy drinks on the beach at a Mantra Lorne famil.


World class facility opens in 2013

The highly anticipated relaunch of Royal Randwick will see world class racing and event facilities on offer for gala dinners, conferences, product launches, cocktails, festivals and more in 2013.

royal randwick

Delivering award winning events

With over 30,000m2 of flexible, indoor and outdoor space for gala dinners, conferences and large scale exhibitions and events, Rosehill Gardens really is the event planners’ venue of choice.

rosehillgardens

For bookings and enquiries P 1300 729 668 | E [email protected] | australianturfclub.com.au

Artist impression: The Grandstand Artist impression: ‘Theatre of the Horse’

“These trips can be really hard work, especially the famils that have you in meetings and doing non-stop site visits from breakfast to midnight.”

Other things to keep in mind are airport protocol (for example, don’t demand airline upgrades at the airport, even if you usually get them, because often you’re on a complimentary or hosted air fare); punctuality, especially if it’s an early start, and be polite and friendly to everyone, even if they are a competitor or a supplier who’s product you don’t currently need (who knows what will happen in the future).

From an organisers’ point of view, one of the best things attendees can do to get the most out of their famil experience, is be completely “in the moment”, according to Annabel Sullivan, director of the Brisbane Marketing’s convention bureau.

“If someone makes a commitment to come on a famil, we ask that they leave their job behind and really commit to the education opportunity that the famil provides and make the most of getting to

experience first-hand a destination, its venues and accommodation,” she says.

With the bureau recently commencing its “Grow Famil Campaign”, a series of two-day familiarisation experiences showcasing Brisbane’s recent growth as a world-class business events destination, and focusing on the city’s new, world-class meeting venues and hidden gems, Sullivan also suggests keeping an open mind.

“People probably have a perception about our destination, but they should be open to the fact that we have changed, we are growing and we are doing things differently now,” she says.

“The other thing we do is encourage them to ask questions. We’re the experts on Brisbane, and the offering in Brisbane, so ask us anything you want to know. We have two staff that are with the famils for the whole time, and know our offering exceptionally well.”

The Mantra Group, which hosts famils each year to its properties

in regional Victoria and New South Wales, the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads, believes attendees should concentrate more on the “feeling” of a destination or property rather than room types.

“Event managers see so many hotels that for us it’s more about ensuring they remember the experience not the room types,” says Samantha Geisser, Mantra Group’s national account manager - PCO - MICE. “We can always send on fact sheets later.”

She also suggests drawing on organisers’ local knowledge and contacts within the local community to find suppliers. Even though they are a hotel group, they are happy for clients to ring up after a famil and “say, who does this well? What kind of team building can I do?”.

“We try to be a one-stop shop for event managers,” she says.

Drawing on her years of experience attending famils, Hart has a few tips for organisers as well.

“Famil organisers need to be really switched on,” she says.

“The buyers are all experienced event managers, and bad event management is just totally unacceptable.”

Over-stuffed itineraries are also a no-no.

“All of the stakeholders who are paying for the buyers to attend the famil want maximum time to sell their products, and the buyers want maximum quality time too,” she says. “However, over booked pre-scheduled appointments where you have 10 minutes to discuss your requirements as well as get a feel for the product, leave each of you with just enough time for introductions and that’s about it. Once you’ve attended over 20 of these in one day, you can start forgetting who’s who.

“And how many site visits can we possibly do in one day? If you’ve been to 15 hotels in one day, tell me what the colour of the first hotel foyer was…”

As to the best famil she’s ever been on, she says: “That too hard a question to answer, but I think it will be the next one!”

From left: Quad biking on Kangaroo Island in South Australia; Lunch at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa; Participants in The Accor Great Race serenade a stranger; PCOs enjoy drinks on the beach at a Mantra Lorne famil.


Difficult conversations and unresolved conflicts cause undue stress and anxiety for you, your colleagues and clients. They impact your bottom-line, risk your commercial relationships and are a major reason staff choose to leave.

What makes a conversation difficult differs from person to person but I am sure you have experienced the lost sleep, sweaty palms and procrastination of an impending one.

Whether it is having to cold call a senior executive, ask a team member to leave, or confront a relationship issue with family or friends, there are numerous ways we find ourselves faced with what we perceive as a “difficult conversation”.

Not only have they the potential to impact health – increasing your heart rate, contributing to loss of sleep and increasing stress and anxiety – they also have a major impact on personal productivity as we continually run “the story” of how difficult this conversation is going to be through our

heads, sometimes for hours, days or even weeks.

Not handling difficult conversations can potentially have a direct cost too.

Workcover NSW estimates that it spends some $30 million every year on psychological injury claims. Nationally, in 2003-4, the Australian Government reported that they made up 7 per cent of Workers Compensation claims; however the cost of psychological injury claims actually accounted for 27 per cent of the total claim costs. Exit interview research states that “chronic unresolved conflicts” is decisive in more than 50 per cent of the cases.

Maybe then there is value in being able to minimise and handle difficult conversations more effectively?

A good place to start is to understand what is going on in our minds when we perceive or feel a conversation is going to be, or is, difficult. In my own experience, particularly during my early sales career, I was often frustrated at how I could worry about how a conversation might

pco association

For more information, visit www.pco.asn.au

PCO ASSOCiAtiOn nEWS

Dealing with difficult conversationsNot every conversation is easy to have, but there are steps you can take to minimise the stress and handle difficult conversations more effectively, writes Hugh Gyton.

PCO 2012 National ConferenceBy the time you read this the 5th Annual PCO Conference will have come and gone. To date delegate and trade show registrations are on par with previous years, and the Gold Coast is preparing for the influx of PCOs from throughout Australia, New Zealand and further afield.

The support we receive from sponsors and business partnerships enables us to keep registration fees as low as possible, making this annual conference one of the best-value professional development opportunities our industry can provide.

One of the topics at the conference focuses on the different business models used by PCOs in calculating and presenting management fees. This topic will also be presented for discussion as part of AIME’s educational seminars in February. A review of the conference will be included in the next issue of CIM.

Everyone at the PCO Association sends you wishes for a Merry Christmas and safe and happy New Year. We look forward to an exciting year ahead for all of our members and industry stakeholders.

PCO Industry Forums: save the dateAs mentioned in last month’s CIM, the next series of Industry Forums is being planned. Due to popular demand, the Forums will again focus on the topic of “Risk Management and its application to conference and event management”.

Presented by Paul Chivers from riskfacilitator, the workshop will provide participants with techniques and tools to take back to the office.

Dates and venues have been confirmed as follows:

Fri, March 8 Rydges Southbank, Brisbane

Tues, March 12 Rydges Swanston, Melbourne

Fri, March 15 Rydges North Sydney

The topic of social media will again be included, this time with an emphasis on social media and the law – a “must know” for all conference and event managers.

PCOnline WineDon’t forget to check out the PCOnline Wine Club specials on the PCO website in the “Service” section.

go. I would procrastinate for days before picking up the phone or initiating the conversation only to discover, on having the conversation, that the other party was delightful and it all went very easily and smoothly. “Difficult” was just in my head, not in theirs at all. So why might this be so?

Fifteen years of research by the Harvard Negotiation Project has distilled it down to three key things that we are processing in our thoughts:

1. What happened or didn’t happen

Conversations become difficult when there is a different recollection of what actually happened.

This one particularly resonates for me in my role as father. With two children, I often find myself in a frustrating loop of conversation where we disagree on the “facts”.

“Can you understand my frustration? I have had to ask you three times to go to bed/clean your teeth/put your clothes in the basket/do your homework and you are still not listening.”

“Yes I am daddy; I heard you.”

The “fact” for them is that they have heard me; they are just choosing not to do what I ask. The “fact” for me is that they can’t have heard me because they are not doing it.

2. How we feel

Often we have an internal dialogue around what we are feeling: are my feelings valid? Is it okay to express my feelings? What about the other party – have I hurt their feelings or am I going to hurt their feelings if I say...?

Subject to our personality type, we can get so caught up in our feelings and how other people may be feeling that it becomes increasingly difficult to simply state what we need to happen. The irony is that if we prefer to avoid conflicts, for example, our concern not to upset someone can actually create situations whereby we do just that.

3. Your internal dialogue is struggling with identity

Often we have perceptions about what we might lose or gain, for example, the impact the conversation may have on your relationship, career or reputation, or whether you are seen as competent or incompetent.

This may show up at quite innocuous times. For example, have you ever been reticent to contribute during a team meeting or to put up your hand amongst a large audience to ask a question? Often fear of how your question may be perceived by others stops you wanting to “expose” yourself. So what might help?

Well, becoming more conscious as to how our own internal conversations can create the perception that a conversation is going to be difficult will certainly help. That said, some conversations will


Building a personal brand is vital for making sure you stand out in the industry, writes Michael Neaylon.

genuinely be difficult. What then?

At Hugh Gyton & Associates we recommend you apply the I.N.P.U.T. formula within a positive “conversation climate”. By that I mean, create an environment for success in terms of time and place for both parties then apply I.N.P.U.T. in how you have the conversation:

I How might “I” have contributed to the problem. For example, an inability to say “no” can result on becoming overloaded with work and suddenly having a “performance” conversation with the boss. What can “I” offer to help resolve things? Remember that someone disagreeing with you may not be wrong.

N Now is better than later. The longer you leave a difficult conversation the harder it becomes. The more you allow for things to be unsaid, the more emotional, more resentful, and potentially irrational it can become.

P Talk in terms of proof. Be objective not subjective; provide evidence of what’s happening compared to what should be happening.

U Allow yourself to understand the other person’s positions or reasoning. Adopt empathic listening and “seek first to understand, before being understood”. Recognise, though, that understanding is different to accepting.

T Take time to mutually agree on a solution. What might you both do or say moving forward to minimise recurrence of a similar difficulty?

Finally, some difficult conversations may be of our own choosing and some may be foisted upon you. To help create a conversation climate that shines more than it rains remember the words of Mahatma Ghandi:

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

● Hugh Gyton is founder of Sydney-based coaching, training and speaking business Hugh Gyton & Associates and a consultant to the PCO Association.

Why a personal brand is good for your business

Some people ask me, “Why should I build a personal brand?”

The first answer is, “you already have one”. But being conscious of what works for your image and appearance, being media savvy, displaying a strong personal communication and leadership style, not to mention your online presence, all contribute to helping you stand out in your industry.

Some of the significant benefits I’ve seen for our clients, and experienced myself, include less friction on fees, more referrals, more media opportunities, deeper relationships with their existing clients (who often love the fact they’re working with business owners who are growing in celebrity – especially if they continue to give remarkable experiences).

Here are some simple steps you can take to build you personal brand presence, both online and face to face.

Step one: Define your points of difference

I’m sure you’ve done this with your business, but have you done this for yourself? One of the key factors of any brand standing out is finding out what your clients love about you and making the most of that. Think Madonna’s ability to keep transforming herself or Richard Branson’s balance of high-flying, fun-loving billionaire who’s also dedicated to giving people a fair go and better value for their money. It could start with something as simple as visual signatures (you’re known for being impeccably groomed or wearing more colours with greater style than others in your field) or even simple gestures (you’re the person who sends a card to clients on special occasions rather than simply an email, or perhaps you’re

the person who always remembers their suppliers’ birthdays). These are all building blocks that add up to how you’re perceived.

Step two: Be ‘mighty real’

You might remember a dance track titled “You make me feel mighty real”. That’s what great brands do. They make people feel something “big”. The stronger the feeling, the greater connection, and the more they’re remembered. I’ve seen this first hand working with brands as diverse as Coke, Microsoft and Sony. They consistently create experiences for their market. Hopefully, you’re already doing that.

Ideally you and your business are making your clients feel well supported. Perhaps you’re making them feel truly appreciated, remembered and respected by their internal and external stakeholders.

From a personal branding perspective, the key is to focus in on the experience you personally give all your stakeholders; from your team to your clients to your association peers.

And yes, keep it real. Mighty real. That is, make the connection an authentic one, born from your personal values.

Step three: Own your own domain name

One of the first steps I took was to buy a domain name (www.michaelneaylon.com)

and link it to the business site. At this stage, the personal domain name

is a blog but we’ll be looking to do much more with it in the future. It also helps internet rankings for both searches on my name – and for our events support agency MCME – as I continue to build an online footprint.

If you don’t have your own domain name, buy yours now. Go to www.godaddy.com or your preferred domain

provider and snap it up before someone else does.

Also consider buying common

misspellings of your name.

Step Four: Build your online profile

Have a good look at your social media profiles. How are they representing you? Equally importantly, how are they positioning you? Do they reflect the person you want to be seen as or the person you’ve been in the past?

This is a common mistake many of us make, and often it’s worth checking in regularly to make sure your online profile is as up to date as your offline one.

Think about expanding the online profiles you appear on too. While LinkedIn is ideal for service professionals, Google Plus is a relatively new player that is proving a strong contender in the social media landscape. Apart from the fact that it’s outperformed any other attempts by Google, the fact it’s delivered on their platform is good for your Google ranking.

Step five: Set up google alerts

Once you’ve further developed your online profile it’s ideal to keep tracking it to find out what others are hopefully saying about you. This can be especially useful for measuring your personal profile building or seeing if there are comments – both positive and negative – being made about you online. As with any publicity, if people are saying things you’d prefer not to be said, this gives you the opportunity to have a voice, or leverage an online conversation about you by contributing to it.

Go to www.google.com/alerts and follow the prompts. It doesn’t take long and you can set the frequency of the alerts you receive. Remember to set up alerts for common misspellings here too.

There are many other elements that contribute to the dynamic growth of your personal brand, such as your image, style, etiquette, networking skills, media profile and professional presentation, but I trust these tips will help you elevate your personal brand for greater profits, increased referrals and an even stronger market presence.

● Michael Neaylon is a the founder and director of marketing and events support agency, MCME, and a consultant to the PCO Association.


responsible for developing national marketing strategies for a variety of events and performances.

Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau’s communications coordinator Cheri Wilson has recently begun 12 months maternity leave. Margot Willumsen will be stepping in to the position while she is away.

Accor Brisbane has appointed Andrew Lee (pictured) general manager of Novotel Brisbane. He brings with

him 12 years experience in the tourism and hospitality industry having first joined Accor in 2000. He has held a number of sales and marketing roles at Grand Mercure Bowral Heritage Park, Mercure Resort Blue Mountains and Summit Restaurant Sydney. Most recently he was general manager of Hotel Ibis and Grand Mercure Apartments in Townsville. Accor has also appointed Mark Wilkinson as general manager of the Ibis and Mercure hotel complex. Prior to this role he was general manager of the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast.

The Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa has appointed Jean-Francois Delahaye as the new director of food and beverage. In this position he will oversee food operations in the resort’s various restaurants and will oversee improvements to the resort’s conference and event menus.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has recently announced the appointment of Nick Berry as director of sales for Pan Pacific Perth. He brings to

the role 15 years experience in the hotel industry having worked in a number of management positions for hotels groups across Oceania and Asia Pacific. He spent 10 years with Shangri-la Hotels, most recently as director of sales and marketing. He has also held management roles with Park Hyatt Melbourne and Sheraton Brisbane Hotel & Towers. He was awarded the AHA Sales and Marketing Award in 2009 and in 2010 he was recognised as an AFTA Industry Sales Executive.

appointed general manager of Scenic Hotel Marlborough in Blenheim; he replaces Brett Inkster who is moving to Scenic Suites Queenstown and Heartland Hotel Queenstown. Gavin Barr will join him in Queenstown as executive assistant manager; he has been with the group for more than eight years, four of which as venue manager for Marlborough Convention Centre. The new general manager of Marlborough Convention Centre is Lynley Duxbury.

Business Events Cairns has announced the appointment of Amy Mail as business development executive; in this

role she will be responsible for overseeing trade activities, managing proposals and bids and coordinating site inspections. She was previously a senior event coordinator for Hilton Cairns.

Jennifer Tung has been appointed regional director North Asia for Destination NSW; she will be based in Hong Kong

and will oversee Destination NSW’s operations for Greater China and Korea. She brings to the roles experience in tourism and travel marketing, business development and sales. Most recently she was regional sales director North Asia for Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau.

New appointments have been made at Novotel Forest Resort Creswick. Albane Mahaut is the new director of sales and marketing and Paul Green has been appointed conference sales manager.

Nicole Blums has been appointed to the role of food and beverage manager at the Novotel Brisbane. She brings more than 12

years experience to the role having worked at Sebel Citigate King George Square, Carlton Crest Hotel and Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club. Prior to this position she was food

meeting people

InterContinental Fiji has announced the appointment of Dennis Wah to the position of business development executive for MICE. Prior to this role he spent four years at ATS Pacific as senior event manager.

Adelaide Convention Centre has appointed two new business development managers. Wade Galea comes to the role after

spending five years as operations manager and special events account manager for Dubai World Trade Centre. Erryn Dryga (pictured) was previously business development executive for SeaLink Group and has experience in tourism and the meeting and incentives sector.

ICMA Australasia has appointed Laura Reddaway as business development manager. Prior to this role she was

a business development executive for Staging Connections in Melbourne. She has previously worked in conference and event management roles.

Rydges Hotels and Resorts has appointed Natalie Dean (pictured) as director of sales for three Cairns hotels – Rydges Plaza, Rydges Esplanade

Resort and Rydges Tradewinds. She was previously a sales manager for the group. She replaces Debbie Irvine who has relocated to Rydges Darwin properties.

Scenic Hotel Group has recently made some key changes to its management team. Graeme Horsley (pictured) has been

appointed manager of Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands; previously he was general manager of Heartland Hotel Queenstown and Scenic Suites Queenstown for more than 13 years. John Duxbury has been

and beverage manager at the Hotel Urban Brisbane where she focused on banqueting, event sales and management and designing menus.

The Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide has recently appointed Ben Patten (pictured) as general manager. His previous

positions include hotel manager at Novotel Brisbane and director of sales and marketing at Novotel Barossa Valley Resort. The hotel has also appointed Heidi Bunce as business development executive.

Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB) recently announced the appointment of Jasmine Lim (pictured)

as director, international incentives. She has been with MCVB for the past six years, starting as regional sales manager South East Asia before being promoted to regional sales director South Asia. She has 14 years experience in the tourism and business events industry and extensive knowledge of the corporate and travel market. She will replace Edwina San who has been promoted to general manager commercial partnerships.

Two managers from Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) have been appointed to industry bodies. SCEC director of

operations Stephen Wood (pictured) is now chair of Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) NSW Branch Committee. While the centre’s business development manager Toni McAllister joins the board of International Special Events Society’s Sydney Chapter.

Brisbane Marketing has appointed Anne-Maree Moon as director of tourism and major events. She has 18 years experience in arts and entertainment marketing and was most recently associate director for ACMN Marketing and Advertising in Brisbane. In this role she was


KEY: L, Local; N, National; I, International; C, Conference; E, Exhibition; B, Both. Figures are of expected attendance. Contact details are included where available.

January 2013

2-4 Nanoelectrics Conference, IC, Singapore; www.inec2013.org

2-5 Association of Science Education, NC, Liverpool; www.ase.org.uk

5-22 Bio Fair, IE, Thailand; www.boifair2011.com

6-8 New Media Expo, IE 30,000, Las Vegas; www.blogworld.com

7-9 Biotech Showcase, IC, San Francisco; www.ebdgroup.com

7-10 Aust Geography Teachers Assoc., NC, Perth; www.agta.asn.au

7-10 Business & Economics Society Int., LC, Perth; www.besiweb.com

9-13 International Biogeography Society, IC, Miami; www.biogeography.org

13-15 AEB International Artists & Event Exhibition, IE, Eindhoven; www.aeb.nl

14-15 Process Safety Management Asia, NC, Kuala Lumpur; www.processsafetyasia.com

15-17 Gulf Industry Fair, IE, Bahrain; www.gulfindustryfair.com

16-17 Conventa, IB, Slovenia; www.conventa.si

16-17 Best of Events International, IE, Dortmund, Germany; www.bo-e.de

19-20 Brickvention, NE, Carlton; www.brickventures.org.au

21-23 Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Conference, IC, Vancouver; www.apbc2013.org

21-31 Student Conference on

Conservation Science, LC 100, Brisbane; www.sccs-aus.org

22-23 HR Directors Business Summit, IC, Birmingham; www.hrevent.com

22-24 ATF TRAVEX, IE 400, Laos; www.atflaos.com

22-25 Int. Symposium on the History of Anaesthesia, LC, Sydney; www.isha2013.com

22-25 Technology, Travel and Tourism, IC, Austria; www.enter-2013.org

29-31 LegalTech, IE, New York; www.legaltechshow.com

29-Feb 1 Computer Science Conference, NC, Adelaide; www.acsw2013.cis.unisa.edu.au

30-Feb 1 UFI CEO Forum, IC, Vienna; www.ufi.org

30-Feb 1 SemiCon Korea, IE, Korea; www.semiconkorea.org

February 2013

1-2 UK Venue Show, NE 20,000, London; www.ukvenueshow.co.uk

1-3 Breman Classic Motorshow, IE 33,000, Germany; www.classicmotorshow.de

2-4 Melbourne Jewellery Fair, LE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.autumnjewelleryfair.com.au

3-6 Australian Neuroscience Society, NC, Melbourne; www.ans.org.au

3-6 ISPO Munich, IE 80,000, Munich; www.ispo.com

5-6 Event Production Show, IE 4000, London; www.eventproductionshow.co.uk

5-20 Gourmet Abu Dhabi, IE, Abu Dhabi; www.gourmetabudhabi.ae

6-8 Australian International Furniture Fair, IE, SCEC, Sydney; www.aiff.net.au

6-8 Decorations & Design, LE, SCEC, Sydney; www.decorationdesign.com.au

8-10 Travel and Tourism Fair, IE 186,000, Mumbai; www.ttfotm.com

8-10 Hospitality India, NE, India; www.thehospitalityindia.com

10-12 Aust Library and Information Assoc, NC, Brisbane; www.newlibrarianssymposium.com

18-21 SES London, IE, London; www.sesconference.com

18-21 Drug Discovery and Therapy, IC, Dubai; www.icddt.com

18-21 Meetings Africa, IE, Johannesburg; www.meetingsafrica.co.za

18-22 Global Resistance Challenge, NC, Perth; www.ahri.uwa.edu.au

19-22 Japan Foodservice Equipment, IE 50,000, Tokyo; www.jma.or.jp

20-21 Green Universities Conference, NC, Melbourne; www.informa.com.au/conferences

20-22 Australasian Oil and Gas Conference, IC, PCEC, Perth; www.aogexpo.com.au

20-22 Subsea Australasia Conference, IC 600, Perth;

www.aogexpo.com.au

20-22 National Screenwriters Conference, NC, Mornington Peninsula; www.awg.com.au/ns

23-26 Australian Gift and Homeware Association, IE, Sydney; www.agha.com.au

26-27 greenmeetings and events Conference, IC, Darmstadt www.germany-meetings.com

26-27 Asia Pacific Incentives & Meeting Expo, IE, MCEC, Melbourne; www.aime.com.au

March 2013

3-6 Share Point Technology Conference, NC, San Francisco; www.sptechcon.com

4-5 Road Safety International Conference, IC, SCEC, Sydney; www.roadsafety-4conference.com

4-6 Excellence in Oil and Gas, NB 600, Sydney; www.excellenceoilgas.com

4-7 Women’s Mental Health Congress, IC 800, Peru; www.iawmh2013.com

6-10 International Tourism Board Berlin, IE 172,000, Berlin; www.itb-berlin.de

7-9 National Environmental Law Assoc. Conference, NC, Melbourne; www.nelaconference.com.au

10-13 Asia Pacific Cycle Congress, IC, Gold Coast; www.cyclecongress.com

12-14 NatStats, NC, BCEC, Brisbane; www.nss.gov.au

12-13 Ad Tech, LC, Sydney; www.adtechaustralia.com

14-16 TELDAP International Conference, IC, Taiwan; www.collab.teldap.tw/teldap2013

16-23 Virtual Reality, IB, Orlando; www.ieeevr.org/2013

17-21 PittCon, IB, Philadelphia; www.pittcon.org

20-22 ICF Coaching Conference, NC, Sydney; www.icfacoachingconference2013.com

21 TradeTech, NC, Sydney; www.wbresearch.com/tradetechaustralia

23-24 Adventure Travel Expo, LE, Brisbane; www.myadventureexpo.com

24-29 International Conference on Networking, IC, Portugal; www.iaria.org

25-27 Content Strategy Conference, IC, London; www.confabevents.com

25-29 Game Developers Conference, NC 19,000, San Francisco; www.gdconf.com

27-29 Data Quality Congress, IC, Sydney; www.dqasiapacific.com

Publisher Alexandra Yeomans

Managing editor Ylla Wright

Journalist Sheridan Randall

sales & Marketing Manager Jo Robinson

account Manager Sofia Alexander, Sharon Davidson

design/Production Bin Zhou

head oFFice – sYdneY

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CAB Audited Circulation 16,837 March 2012

Readership 58,929 monthly

The Asia Pacific Incentives & Meeting Expo 2013 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in February 2013.

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cim news magazine december 2012

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