Marla Hannigan
Conventions and Incentives
Mutual of Omaha; Omaha, Neb.
Event Overview: Each year, Mutual of Omaha takes its Circle of Excellence Group, comprising top life and health brokerage agencies, and its Inner Circle Group, exclusively for the presidents and chairmen of the Inner Circle companies, to a different international destination. Previous visits have included Istanbul, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa and France. The Inner Circle Group of 37 qualifiers, guests and the home office went to Qualia Resort on Hamilton Island, while the 202-person Circle of Excellence group went to Sydney, staying at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Why did you choose Australia? Australia always makes our group list. Beautiful Sydney offers plenty of tour options, organized activities and opportunities for guests to venture out in a relaxed, comfortable and safe atmosphere. We chose Hamilton Island for its convenience—and close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. It is two-and-a-half hours by air from Sydney and its airport is minutes from Qualia.
Which organizations did you work with to organize the event? Appleton, Wis.-based Creative Group, our partners for over 30 years, did their customary fabulous job handling our online registration and booking our air. Efficient, creative and responsive in handling our ground in Australia, ID Events Australia was another fantastic partner. Planning this program was a wonderful experience, with the outcome far exceeding our expectation.
How did your group handle the lengthy travel to Australia? Accustomed to extended travel, our group understands that long flights can be part of the program, so no real concerns there. Inner Circle members travel business class, while many guests use miles, pay the difference to upgrade, or pay extra for “premium” seats. We did mail all qualifiers a Kindle prior to the trip, however.
What did your attendees enjoy most about Australia? The amazing weather, for starters. Our guests loved ‘just being’ in Sydney, with so much flexibility to explore. All our activity offers—the Bridge Climb, seaplane tour, sailing regatta, Manly Beach bike ride, zoo pass and Blue Mountains tour—were well attended and received great reviews.
What unique off-site venues did you use for events? We took over Sydney’s historic Luna Park amusement park for an evening—so fun! All games and rides were free of charge, and after enjoying carnival foods like “fairy floss” (cotton candy), we moved inside for a dinner-dance.
What interesting excursions or activities did you incorporate into the agenda? Our savvy travelers took full advantage of the trip and organized their own side trips to places like Melbourne and Ayers Rock.
What advice would you give other planners bringing groups to Australia? Let the location do the work for you! Do organize tours, but leave room for your guests to explore and create their own adventure.
Would you organize another event in Australia? In a heartbeat!