Australia's oldest and biggest city, Sydney is a microcosm of everything the young country has to offer. Truly an international destination, it mixes the coolly cosmopolitan with the unaffected warmth of its people. Sydney has all the food, facilities and activities one should expect from a city of this stature, but what sets it apart from her peers is the can-do, pioneering spirit that can turn a planner's wish into full Technicolor reality.
"With its world-class meetings infrastructure and destination appeal, Sydney remains Australia's premier business events city and one of the leading cities in the Asia-Pacific region, providing an experience that no other city can emulate," says Lyn Lewis-Smith, general manager of marketing for the Sydney CVB.
Sydney Opera House, looming over Sydney Harbour, is one of the most recognized images in the world, and because of the time zone Sydney's in most Western television viewers see fireworks blossoming over the iconic Opera House on special days like New Year's before anywhere else. No stranger to creating great first impressions in the eyes of the world, the city showed its stuff when it hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics.
"We have a very professional and experienced meetings industry, which has demonstrated its capabilities year after year with scores of events, from major international sporting fixtures such as the Rugby World Cup through to high-profile industry meetings like Sibos and corporate incentives for companies such as Amway China and ING Taiwan," Lewis-Smith says.
With a population of 4.2 million people, Sydney is on the southeast coast of Australia and often referred to as the country's international gateway to the world. According to the Sydney CVB, the city is the most cosmopolitan place in Asia-Pacific—a greater range of languages is spoken here than in any other city in the region.
"Another draw card for any meeting," Lewis-Smith says, "is our dynamic economy--as Australia's finance and business hub we are the leading center for many key industries and home to the Asia-Pacific headquarters for many international companies.
Getting here is easy. Sydney International Airport has 34 international carriers and there is a train station to the nearby city center right inside the International Terminal. Trains leave every 10 minutes, and it's only a 13-minute ride to Sydney's downtown.
Getting around is a breeze as well--the city is spacious but well-served by public transportation. The Sydney Monorail circles the Darling Harbour downtown core and stops at the Sydney Convention Centre, Chinatown and Darling Park.
Boasting an impressive roster of international hotel brands, there are 11 major hotels within a 10-minute walk from the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, located in Darling Harbour--there is a total of 17,000 hotel rooms near the center. Convention center officials like to say that the Darling Harbour area is the perfect area for attendees to soak up Sydney's goodness.
Darling Harbour is famous for its waterside dining--a number of restaurants and cafes offer everything from seafood and sandwiches to authentic Asian and contemporary Australian cuisine. For off-site events and family visits, the Sydney Aquarium, the Powerhouse Museum and the Australian Maritime Museum are all nearby, and shopping opportunities abound throughout the city--the historic Strand Arcade was opened in 1892 and has remained the pinnacle of high-class shopping in Sydney.
For an unforgettable off-site activity, BridgeClimb Sydney offers two different experiences for your attendees on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. One climb takes your group to the top of the bridge to drink in the views, and the other takes visitors into the inner workings of the world-famous span.
Other Sydney sites include Bondi Beach, where the country's national treasure of attractive people are on display (There's a nice beach, too.), and Taronga Zoo, featuring a decidedly less domesticated representation of Australia's natives.
As capital of the attraction-studded New South Wales region, just west of Sydney are the scenic Blue Mountains, and the Hunter Valley wine region beckons bacchanalians just a few hours north of the city.
It may be true that there's no place like home, but Sydney is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in the magical land of Oz.
