1st June 2017

business events news businesseventsnews.com.au

business events news
SILVERSEA BUSINESS EVENTS PUSH
ULTRA-LUXURY cruise operator
Silversea Cruises yesterday
launched a concerted assault
on the business events sector,
with the debut of a dedicated
brochure at a Sydney function.
Guests included key meeting
and event organisers, with
Silversea regional chief Amber
Wilson saying the company is
seeing a strong demand for
both full charters and group
bookings across the fleet.
However much of the interest
is being generated by travel
agents who regularly present
Silversea as an option to their
clients, with Wilson urging
the MICE professionals to also
consider a luxury cruise option.
The new program showcases
The Motivating Power of
Events at Sea and highlights
Silverseas fleet of nine ships
visiting all seven continents.
The product offering can be
fully customised and branded
for a particular group, right
down to crew uniforms and
even the swizzle sticks.
Silverseas largest ship carries
596 guests and the fleet offers
full butler service for every
Sunshine Coast campaign launch
SUNSHINE Coast Council and Visit Sunshine Coast have
launched a marketing campaign that will promote a diverse
passenger in every category.
Smaller options, which form
the Silversea Expeditions fleet,
start at the 100-guest Silver
Galapagos and include the Silver
Explorer (130 guests), Silver
Discoverer (120 guests) and from
Nov this year the revamped
Silver Cloud (260 maximum).
Unlike most big ships and
land-based resorts, there are no
hidden fees or extra charges,
and that includes room service
and wines and spirits.
Nor are there charges for
Todays issue of BEN
Business Events News today
has two pages of news.
PCOA opens
registration
EARLY bird registration has
opened for the 10th annual
PCOA Conference and Exhibition,
to be held on the Gold Coast.
Themed around MEETING
Beyond Tomorrow, the event
will be held between Sun 26
and Tue 28 Nov.
More than 400 delegates are
expected to attend the event.
CLICK HERE to register.
breakout sessions, AV, gratuities
or breakfast in bed, she said.
In the case of a full charter,
Silversea can also customise
itineraries to visit particular
Sold Out to
highlight destinations, with the
Silversea fleet already covering
manage GC18
a massive 800 ports across all SOLD Out National Event
seven continents. Management will be the
Copies of the new Silversea official event management
business events program are company for the Gold Coast
available on 02 9255 0600. 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Pictured above at yesterdays As the supplier, Sold Out
brochure launch are Silverseas will assist in delivering
Craig Owens and Amber Wilson. promotional and marketing
events for the Games.
Thomas Staunton, ceo of
AACB offering Sold Out, said he looked
forward to contributing to
scholarship the Games.

range of major events hosted on the Sunshine Coast. AACB has partnered up
The campaign, Major Events Come to Life on the Sunshine
Coast features television and radio ads, plus a 54 page major
with Tourism Australia Four Points Melb
and Qantas to offer a staff
events guide and a digital and social media activation.
Visit Sunshine Coast ceo Simon Latchford said the new
scholarship for a middle
to senior level convention
appoints AV
promotion was the final piece of the puzzle in the Come to Life bureau member. FOUR Points Melbourne
national campaign launched earlier this year. The successful applicant Docklands has appointed Staging
We know that events provide the perfect opportunity to not will receive a $5,500 grant Connections as the in-house
only showcase our region as a tourism destination but also and return intl flights to event services provider for the
position the Sunshine Coast as the regional events capital of undertake a professional brand new venue.
Australia, he said. development project that The recently opened hotel
Sunshine Coasts latest campaign follows the World is Coming brings benefit to their offers seven meetings spaces
marketing program, which was a finalist in the Australian bureau and AACB members. across 500m2.
National Event Awards for promoting the Sunshine Coast as Samantha Thompson from Staging Connections will
Australias regional events capital. Gold Coast Business Events invest and manage AV and
The region is hosting 55 major and regional events this year. was last years winner. lighting equipment in the
conference and meeting spaces.

business events news 1

 GENerating
Change
business events news Director of Conference Focus, Max Turpin is sharing his insights on
businesseventsnews.com.au 1st June 2017 a range of topics with a regular column in BEN. Topics include new
generation events and making events effective and valuable.

MEETINGS ON THE GO What a survey can tell us

CVENT recently released in truth, Id guess its much
CONVENTIONS and Incentives The events secured are the details from its second more than just 19% and I
New Zealands (CINZ) annual expected to bring 100,000 annual Global Events Industry could speculate why.
event MEETINGS has kicked off people into the country. Benchmarks Study compiled On the subject of challenges,
in Auckland. Ren de Monchy, TNZ director by surveying over 800 event 15% of respondents sighted
The show began with a trade, PR and major events, said professionals from around the Proving ROI as a significant
welcome event for 650 delegates NZ was performing well as a world. I admit to not having challenge (the second highest
at the Grand Millennium hotel. business events destination and read the entire report but have behind Budgeting). And when
The two-day event, which ends had secured NZ$39.7m worth of reviewed some of the headline asked how they measure ROI,
today, is bringing together 19 events this financial year plus data. Heres a snapshot of the the large majority said it was
regions of New Zealand together NZ$33 million from secured results and what I find most via Attendance Numbers and
under one roof and delegates incentive business. interesting. Attendance Satisfaction. If
and exhibitors will conduct MEANWHILE Auckland has Apparently 81% of you were to ask me, neither
more than 6,000 appointments secured the World Veterinary respondents believe meetings of these is a valid or credible
over the course of the show. Association Congress in 2020. are effective to achieving their indication of ROI. Numbers
Earlier this week it was Around 3,000 delegates are business goals. At the same attending (quantity) has
announced that Tourism New expected to attend and bring time, the top three challenges nothing to do with value or
Zealand had secured NZ$300m NZ$6.2m to the economy. facing these same planners benefit (quality) and smiling,
worth of events over the past It will be held at the NZ were Budgeting, Proving happy faces can be deceiving
four years. International Convention Centre. ROI and Event Promotion. and could mean many things.
These top three challenges As Ive said previously, many
accounted for almost 50% event surveys are poorly
Vivid events of all responses.so way
more than any others. Event
designed and are often
stacked with hospitality-
planners were also asked related questions, not more
BUSINESS Events Sydney
how they measure ROI. The meaningful ones.
(BESydney) is using the citys
top two responses were And, for me, this is where
Vivid festival as a tool to
CARTOON animal lovers are Attendance Numbers (16%) it comes full circle: Rated
attract business events.
being invited to the worlds and Attendee Satisfaction as the biggest challenge
Speaking to BEN, BESydney
largest furry convention (14%). (So you know, Leads was Budgeting ie. working
ceo Lyn Lewis-Smith said
Anthrocon 2017 from 29 Jun Generated, Revenue Generated with stagnant or reduced
the light and ideas festival
until 02 Jul. and Budget v Actual all came budgets. Proving ROI was
offered a unique backdrop in at 9%). And so for me this is
for MICE events in Sydney. a close second. Its clear to
what I find interesting me that the methods many
Aligning conference
programs to the citys If you were to ask any event planners use to measure
existing calendar of major planner if they thought their ROI is completely flawed or
events allows delegates vocation, their job, their role invalid. So is it really any
was important in as much wonder when ROI is not
to enjoy a truly immersive
The David L. Lawrence that it is effective in achieving being measured properly or
experience in our city.
Convention Center in business goals, Id say youd effectively (and as a result
Lewis-Smith said the event
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will get a biased response and not being proved), why
provided a chance for Aust
be taken over by a group of most would answer in the event budgets are not being
and foreign firms to identify
furries- people who enjoy affirmative. Even so, 19% increased? Not to me.
potential partners.
dressing up as fictional admitted they did not believe
Previous events including
animal characters exhibiting this to be the case. In reality,
the 2013 Aust Intl Design
anthropomorphic attributes.
Forum and the 2014 Rotary If youd like to learn more about how to make your
Seminars in acting, costume
Intl Convention have events fresh, innovative and effective, please contact
building, animation, writing Max Turpin at Conference Focus on 02 9700 7740 or
involved aspects of Vivid.
and more will be explored. visit the website at conferencefocus.com.au

Business Events News is Australias newest online publication dedicated to Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bruce Piper
the vibrant meetings, incentives, conferences and events sector. Managing Editor: Jon Murrie info@businesseventsnews.com.au
Sign up for a free subscription at www.businesseventsnews.com.au. Contributors: Bruce Piper, Guy Dundas, Matt Bell, Rebecca Le Bas, Jasmine ODonoghue
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Part of the Business Publishing Group. business events news
Business Events News is a publication of Business Events News Pty Ltd ABN 80 153 775 449. All content is fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken
in preparation of the newsletter no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. BEN takes no responsibility for the opinions of its contributors/columnists. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent
investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.

business events news 2