business events news31st August 2012business events news
31st August 2012
editor: Jill Varleyinfo@businesseventsnews.com.auwww.businesseventsnews.com.au
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Moreton Hire getsglassed by Riedel RIEDEL, the beverage glassbrand of choice for wineconnoisseurs and hospitalityprofessionals worldwide, hasentered a supply agreement ofpremium crystal glassware inQueensland and New SouthWales, with Moreton Hire. Mark Baulderstone, md ofRiedel Australia says “We aredelighted to be partneringexclusively with Moreton Hire. “They are synonymous with theexcellence that Riedel consumersexpect and appreciate, and I’mconfident that this will be abeneficial partnership for allinvolved.” Describing Riedel as an excitingedition to Moreton Hire’s range,Ian Hoath, national manager forevents at Moreton Hire said, “AtMoreton Hire we are dedicated tooffering premium, qualityproducts to our customers andthe industry alike. “Riedel has establishedthemselves as an industrybenchmark and a brand we arehappy to partner with tocontinually strive for excellenceand deliver on our customersneeds.”
NSW seeks new venue chief THE NSW government hastoday advertised for the inauguralExecutive Director to head up anew statutory authority whichaims to “create leading venues fornational, international and localevents” across the state. Venues NSW was formallyestablished in March this year tomanage government-ownedsporting and entertainmentvenues in the Hunter, WesternSydney and the Illawarra regions. These include entertainmentcentres in Newcastle andWollongong, as well as sportsstadiums and other assets. The new authority is part of theDepartment of Education and
Communities, with the ExecutiveDirector tasked with establishingthe Venues NSW brand and“maximise commercial, operationaland community opportunitiesacross a range of sporting andentertainment venues”. A salary package of $199,701 to$226,850 is on offer, with the roleincluding a focus on “maximisingself-generated revenue tosupport community outcomes”. “The quality of servicesdelivered by the venues is a majorattractant for national andinternational visitors, as well asserving the NSW community,” thejob description states. A “demonstrated leader” isbeing sought who can “developvenues that provide facilities forelite sporting events andprofessional performances as wellas community programs and eventsthat help deliver more connected,engaged and vibrant communities”.
EEAA’s awarding event AS they prepare to celebrate their20th anniversary, the Exhibitionand Events Association ofAustralasia has openednominations for AustralianAwards for Excellence. The awards, which recogniseoutstanding merit and leadershipwithin the industry, are to be heldat the Great Hall, NGV Internationalin Melbourne, on 4 December. Open to venues, suppliers andorganisers and to be judged by apanel of independent industryexperts, EEAA general managerJoyce DiMascio said in order tokeep the awards criteria relevantand current a Member Focus Grouphas undertaken a review whichhad resulted in some refinement. “We have made some changesto the judging criteria as a resultof the review, that better reflectthe evolving nature of ourindustry,” DiMascio said, addingthat the Best Supplier Award hasbeen split into two, allowing bothlarge and small companies abetter chance to compete fairly. The night, DiMascio continued, iseven more special as they will bemarking 20 years as an association. Nominations for entries close5pm Friday 5 October - visiteeaa.com.au/about-awards.php .
Taiwan ups visitors WITH 44,412 Australiantravellers visiting Taiwan so farthis year, an 8.87% increase overthe 40,792 achieved for the samesix month period in 2011, comesthe news from the TaiwanTourism Bureau that internationalarrival figures for the first sixmonths of 2012 increased year onyear by 25%, reaching 3.58 million. It’s an increase that has led toseveral key international hotelplayers deciding to invest in thedestination over the next six years. These include hotel groupssuch as Le Meridien, Fullon Hotels& Resorts, Sheraton and CaesarPark Hotel & Resorts, all of whichhave indicated plans to startbuilding properties in 2013. Taiwan Tourism Bureau marketingrepresentative for Australia & NZ,Pearl Lee, said “Taiwan offers adistinct local culture, plenty ofoutdoor adventure activities alongwith bargain shopping and isoverall excellent value for money.’
Hidden secretsDAY four in Macauand it neverceases to amazewhat lies beneaththe city’sglamoroushotels andcasinoswith their extraordinary restaurantsand conference facilities. With the assistance of the MacauGovernment Tourist Office, andin particular Joao Sales, we havewalked through the Old Christiancity with its UNESCO WorldHeritage listed St Paul’s ruins,danced with locals, turned downsecret, narrow streets in OldChina Town, tried Tao FuPudding (sweet tofu) made bythe same family for 150 years andso much more- Jill.
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Silversea sees growth in the MICE market THE incentive andevents industry isseeing the benefits ofcruising onboard aSilversea vessel. Four full chartercruises departed outof the Asia Pacificregion within thepast 12 months forthe cruise line. Speaking with BENearlier in the week,Karen Christensen, gm & directorof sales and marketing Australasiasaid the “incentive market isgrowing” for the cruise line. The market is a “big focus” forSilversea with Christensen addingthat they are consistently“working on it”, by beingconsistent with their messageand by attending AIME each yearand hosting charter and incentivelunches and events once a yearpredominately in Sydney andMelbourne for PCOs and variouskey companies. Christensen pointed out thatthe Finance and Pharmaceuticalmarkets are big for charter cruises. The ‘ultra luxury’ all suite, allinclusive cruises can be organisedfor groups of 20+ people, with147 suites onboard Silver Cloudand Silver Wind; Silver Whisperand Silver Shadow (194 suites);Silver Spirit (270 suites) and SilverExplorer (65 suites). And for charter cruises “thewhole ship is theirs” with themedevents able to be organisedthrough Silversea’s global charterand incentive teams. MEANWHILE the Silversea2013 Voyage Atlas was releasedearlier in the week, along with adedicated Silversea ExpeditionVoyage brochure, a first for the firm. Ten new ports of call have beenadded across the program for2012 including Port Arthur inTasmania; Fukuoka, Japan;Sabang, Northern Sumatra,Laipeda, Lithuania, Saaremaa,Esponia and Soller de Majorca,Spain; with Silver Explorer alsoplanned to make maiden calls at28 new ports and return toGreenland.
The 115 day World Cruiseonboard Silver Whisper will returnto Australia in 2013 sailing intoSydney, Melbourne, Adelaide,Albany and Fremantle (Perth)between 04 and 13 February. The most “buoyant” and“exciting” market for Silversea isExpedition Cruising withChristensen saying people wantto go out and see Antarctica butcome back to Silversea luxuries,such as a butler in all of thesuites, gourmet cuisine and therest of the ship’s luxurious features.
A LUXURY high risedevelopment in Singapore offersensuite ‘sky garages’. Residents park their cars indesignated lifts that take thevehicles up to the apartments,while they take a separateelevator. But a sky high car spot doesn’tcome cheap. Apartments with two parkingspaces start at $7.1 million.
Fly fishing in theYemen, perhaps? A NEW, innovative travelconcept - ‘Mr Aristotle’, thatinspires and delivers travelexperiences that mere mortalscan only dream about, has justbeen launched. The highly attractive collectionof some of the very best boutiquetravel experiences, might includea private flight over Everest, flyfishing for trout in central Chile,learning to fly a helicopter intropical North Queensland, apersonal styling experience in LosAngeles or spending the nightinside your very own heated igloohigh in the Swiss Alps. The company’s unique sellingpoint is its concentration on high-value experiences that appeal toan affluent audience and onewhich would rather spend itstime actually living life ratherthan simply dreaming about it. For more information about themany adventures visit thewebsite www.mraristotle.com.
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Royal tech upgrade ROYAL on the Park Hotel Brisbanewill offer its inhouse, conferenceand dining guests free wirelessbroadband internet following thecompletion of an extensivetechnology update. iPads are also now available onloan to all guests during their stay.
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PO Box 1010 Epping, NSW, 1710Business Events NewsBusiness Events NewsBusiness Events NewsBusiness Events NewsBusiness Events News is partof the Travel Daily group ofpublications which alsoinclude: Travel Daily, CruiseWeekly & Pharmacy Daily.Disclaimer: While every care hasbeen taken in the preparation ofTravel Daily no liability can beaccepted for errors or omissions. BENtakes no responsibility for theopinions of its contributors/columnists.Information is published in good faithto stimulate independentinvestigation of the matters canvassed.
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Encountering South Africa’s extraordinary animals on a game safari is on a lot of people’s wishlists, and the sighting of wild animals in their natural environment is a thrilling experience,especially those known as the Big 5 - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and cape buffalo. We sighted some of these animals while on a South Africa famil with award-winning DMC,Dragonfly, after attending Meetings Africa in Johannesburg. An excellent conference destination, Johannesburg is home to some significant venues thatinclude the Sandton Convention Centre, Pyramid Venue and Conference Centre, the SinosteelPlaza Conference Centre and the Conference@TheArena. Our safari began with a three hour bus ride to Entabeni where we stayed at Legends Golf andSafari Resort. Here in addition to the Lodge is a hotel, privately owned homes, an 18 holechampionship golf course, a range of recreational facilities, a wellness centre and the EntabeinSafari Conservancy Conference Centre. Here the meeting rooms are located in Lakeside and Ravineside Lodges with a smaller facilityat their Wildside Safari Camp. Break out areas in the gardens have views of the WaterbergMountains, the open plains or Lake Entabeni. Designed to minimise the impact on the naturalenvironment, the resort is considered one of the most environmentally sensitive of its kind inAfrica. From here visitors can take part in game drives, walking safaris, play golf, go horseriding, drive 4 x 4 trails and helicopter up to their ‘Extreme 19th’ hole. Following our memorable game drive where we spotted numerous rhinos, giraffes and otherexotic animals, we flew to Cape Town from Johannesburg to experience Table Mountain andits iconic aerial cableway. It was here that Dragonfly had arranged a surprise ride back intotown on the back of Harley Davidson motor bikes. Table Mountain is the backdrop to this central area with its near vertical cliff and flat toppedsummit towering over 1,000 metres and surrounded by the Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head. Herea thin strip of cloud which sometimes forms at the top of the mountain has been dubbed the‘tablecloth’. With its warm Mediterranean climate, Cape Town and its coastline edged with impressivecliffs, has a wealth of conference and exhibition space including the custom built Cape TownInternational Convention Centre with a capacity for up to 9500 people theatre style. Our stay at The Table Bay Hotel with its stylish facilities allowed us to experience one of thefinest hotel conference venues in the city. Facilities are available for up to 300, in five rooms,each with its own audio visual equipment. Among Cape Town’s venues with excellent meetingfacilities are the Hilton Cape Town City Centre with six meeting rooms and the Good Hope withits Noon Gun rooms. The Mount Nelson Hotel is another property that has facilities for bothlarge and small meetings, wedding banquets and intimate cocktail parties.
SWISSOTEL Sydney unveiled thefinal results of many months ofwork on its corporate and meetingsofferings, with the resultsuniversally acclaimed as the usualSwissotel exceptional quality. The heritage listed BlaxlandBallroom has been refreshed,given a lift in ambience andaccessibility to improve uses forthe conferences & events market. One right hand turn on Level 8out of theelevatorfrom thehotel’sMarketStreetentranceandyou’regreetedwith avast,expansivearea oozing with charm and awelcoming atmosphere. Thick and soft carpets in theadjacent Maple Room make for apleasant feel amid an ambienceof warmth and tranquility suitedto greeting and entertainingguests prior to an event start.
In a highly competitive meetingmarketplace, Swissotel was neverexpected to falter in its continueddrive for its impeccably highstandard, capped with theappointment of AVPartners as itsaudio visual technical partner. Swissotel, as a brand, is in themidst of a large expansionprogram across the globe overthe next four years, with hotelsalready open or to be opened
soon insevendifferentcountries. For amorerelaxedmealexperiencewithtableservice,the
revamped Jpb Restaurant andCrossroads Bar boast new menusand a comfortable setting. All facilities are now open, andto make a booking, arrange a siteinspection or to discuss availablepackages, contact the SwissotelSydney on (02) 9238 8888.
Sophistication by Swissotel
KLCC’s new website A new “forward thinking” websitehas been created for the KualaLumpur Convention Centre with adesign that is visually stimulating. The sales and information toolnow offers up to date content onthe Centre’s facilities, amenitiesand value packages as well as thedestination. Additional features onklcconventioncentre.com includesa corporate video and side barwith links to key corporateinformation on the Centre’s policy. The site is also HTML based thuseliminating the need foradditional plug-ins making thesite accessible from anywhere.
