May 30-June 6, 2012
It took two subways, three airplanes, a high-speed launch and a golf cart to get there, but around 28 straight hours (including the mystical 15-hour flight over the Pacific from L.A. to Sydney) after leaving New York, I was on an island in the magical Great Barrier Reef. Thus began a six-day educational visit organized by Tourism Australia’s Business Events unit, in conjunction with Virgin Australia (offering twice daily nonstop service from L.A. to Australia, with one flight to Sydney and the other alternating between Melbourne and Brisbane) and Sydney-based ID Events Australia, a pioneering destination, event and production management firm.
Enhancing this bucket list journey to Oz further, I was the sole journalist accompanying seven U.S. meeting and incentive professionals on the tour, which also included three days in Sydney.
This unique opportunity to experience a far-flung “inspection” in action also promised to provide a “fair dinkum” (true blue) litmus on Australia’s group story, for my companions, with impressive global experience and credentials, came practiced at sorting wow from chaff.
While just a taste of Australia’s voluminous menu of group assets, how did the visit measure up?
At our farewell gathering—a private dinner at the Sydney Opera House, cocktails and tour included—all saluted an unqualified triumph of planning and execution. The verdict: book Down Under for top ROA (Return on Australia).
Established in 1973, ID Events Australia (www.ideventsaustralia.com) has evolved alongside Australia’s MICE industry. Remarkably, it was a conversation with an American incentive planner that inspired Founder and Chairman Bill Wright to create the company. “Our first incentive was in 1974 for the Iowa Manufacturers Association from Des Moines,” Wright relates. “Our first large incentive, in 1975, was for 1,200 Chevy dealers on a back-to-back program.”
Ahead of the curve still after four decades of operational experience—including major events like the Australia-China Summit and the Oprah Winfrey Show Down Under—the company, along with Business Events Australia (www.businessevents.australia.com), delivered a showcase engagement.
Our first stop was the private five-star Hayman (www.hayman.com.au), a private island resort on the most northerly of Queensland’s offshore Whitsunday Islands. Comprising 74 mostly uninhabited islands, the Whitsundays are a prime conference and incentive destination, with some 6,000 rooms and a range of facilities and venues for up to 1,000 conferees.
Full buyouts for 300 guests are available at Leading Hotels of the World-member Hayman (rooms, suites, villas and penthouses in its 210-unit mix), reachable via launch, seaplane or helicopter. Celebrated Australian chef Glenn Bacon oversees the second-largest hotel kitchen in the Southern Hemisphere and five restaurants including the signature Fontaine, where he creates literal magic on the plate. Distinguished by superior service and replete with hideaways and activities galore, Hayman is the consummate tropical island resort.
Another premium Whitsundays sell point: they sit in the heart of the 1,800-mile Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. While tour providers dot the Queensland coast (with Cairns and Port Douglas popular jumping-off points), the Whitsundays are among the most accessible.
Tour operator Cruise Whitsundays (www.cruisewhitsundays.com) has an event-capable pontoon moored by a section of the reef. Ferried to the pontoon via high-speed launch, we saw breaching humpback whales along the way. Greater rapture still was diving into the reef’s crystal-water fantasy of corals, plants and fish, followed by the exhilaration of a reef tour by helicopter en route back to Hayman.
Departing Hayman, we explored Hamilton Island (www.hamiltonisland.com.au), where luxury products include the striking event-capable Yacht Club and Relais & Chateaux-member Qualia (www.qualia.com.au). Boasting 60 private guest pavilions, including the VIP Beach House, this high-end retreat included the unforgettable experience of holding the resident koala, Elvis.
From Hamilton Airport, we flew two hours south to Sydney, basing at leading business and function hotel the Shangri-La (www.shangri-la.com/sydney). With most of its 563 spacious rooms panoramically overlooking the historic Rocks district and Sydney Harbour, the hotel’s assets include the 36th-floor Blu Bar and Altitude Restaurant, and the award-winning CHI Spa.
Then, the Sydney experiences. Convict reenactors, a town crier and a guided Aboriginal tour of the historic harborside Botanic Gardens. A roaring ride aback Harleys through the city to Bondi Beach; a leisurely afternoon sailing in Sydney Harbor; the breathtaking climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And to finish, the peerless Opera House—with a masterful surprise at dinner, involving some truly talented “plants”—and the enchanting play of Vivid Sydney’s (www.vividsydney.com) lights, images and music around the Rocks and Circular Quay.
“Our trade and marketing program demonstrates why ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ for a memorable and rewarding business event,” says Penny Lion, head of Business Events Australia. “We do this by presenting event planners with relevant and exciting event experiences through our educational visit program, which showcases firsthand what Australia has to offer and encourages planners to keep Australia top of mind.”
Active in the U.S. market throughout the year, Business Events Australia connects with buyers through its Tourism Australia roadshows and trade shows such as IMEX America.
According to Karen Mathieson, ID Events Australia’s director of sales and operations and a principal organizer of our tour, the overall business outlook is looking up.
“With 2012 already half over, we see a definite trend towards a tentative recovery of business events from the U.S. and positive bookings from other markets,” Mathieson says. “We are also seeing a cautious return to optimism for incentive groups to Australia—we recently signed two programs for 1,400 and 1,000 attendees, respectively.”
Upbeat, too, were the buyers on the tour. Specializing in incentives for media clients such as CBS Radio and The New York Times since 1985, Michael Day has taken clients around the globe. Based in Petaluma, Calif., his eponymous incentive firm was the first in North America to use Borneo as an incentive destination. Last in Australia in 2004, Day came for a refresher course.
“Australia is more exciting than ever!” he says. “I found a discernible rise in sophistication and an absolutely reassuring level of competence and understanding on the part of Australian suppliers. Not only did our hosts demonstrate their capability, but they also displayed a wonderful creative flair that will serve us all well when locking up new business and setting our sights on Australia.”
Chelsea Ford is a buyer for Des Moines, Iowa-based ITAGroup, Inc., a company focused on combined meetings and incentive programs. Evaluating destinations for the presale side of the business, she has high praise for her first visit to Australia.
“Well balanced between relaxation and activity, the combination of island and city destinations was great,” Ford says. “Offering an abundance of creative enhancements, Sydney is an extremely motivating destination—it’s always a top program suggestion from our clients!”
Gregarious “explorer-at-large” Gabriel Haigazian is vice president of Woodland Hills, Calif.-based The CTP Group, a 35-year old company specializing in high-end incentive programs for the corporate, association and media markets. His enviously well-stamped passport includes several past visits, incentives included, to Australia.
“You hit two huge iconic destinations in one trip, Great Barrier Reef and Sydney,” Haigazian enthuses. “With this high-impact combination of resort and city, wrapped up in perfect luxury, how could you go wrong? If Australia can wow jaded people like us, then imagine the possibilities with clients!”
To borrow, respectfully, from the Aboriginal belief system of the Dreamtime, Australia is just that—a dream time.
