ICMS Australasia (ICMSA) celebrated the strongest 12 months in the company’s 57 year history with three days of staff development workshops and fab experiences on the Gold Coast in late July.
Off the back of conferences around the country, ICMSA Owner and Managing Director, Emma Bowyer, took the entire team away to refresh, refocus and get to know the new members of the company’s Christchurch office.
The Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation is gifting a new name to what has been known as Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre returning Wadawurrung language to country. Minister for Regional Development Harriet Shing, Federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Kristy McBain, and City of Greater Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan joined Wadawurrung Elders, family and staff to announce the centre will be named Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre.
In the this edition our cover story takes you to Rotorua along with Taupo and Tauranga/Bay of Plenty. In Australia we learn more about Brisbane and take a closer look at Geelong and The Bellarine. We also report on famil visits around Australia and New Zealand. We bring you highlights from MEETINGS 2023 along with the latest industry news, events, social scene and people on the move. As always we have the latest happenings from our key partners BEIA, NZEA, PCOA and St John.
Taking place on Thursday 10th August, at Sydney Masonic Centre, Events Uncovered offers an all-star line-up of inspirational leaders and experts, a must-see, free to attend showcase of fresh and innovative trends, suppliers, and venue offerings, and the ultimate networking afterparty.
Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit, Business Events Australia, has taken on a new director of business events for North America and welcomed back a familiar face to its team. Based out of Tourism Australia’s Los Angeles office, Eric Edmunds has been appointed director of business events for North America. He has worked extensively in the hotel and business events market, including as senior manager of sales and marketing for The DMC Group.
PCO ICMS Australasia has been embedded into the organising committee since Brisbane won the bid in 2016, helping to deliver this benchmark event, achieving record global participation, sponsorship and government buy-in. The high security event is highly complex – security, stakeholder management, 13 concurrent sessions, satellite meetings, a huge exhibition component, and accredited media.
In Adelaide, where the late chef Jock Zonfrillo forged his award-winning restaurant Orana using hundreds of edible Australian native foods, Adelaide Convention Centre is taking a similar approach, but doing it on a much larger scale, serving up to 3,000 diners at a time. Gavin Robertson – like Zonfrillo, also a Scot – is executive chef of the largest kitchen in the city at the convention centre. When offered some of the thousands of edible native ingredients by a First Nations enterprise, his first question was about their supply chain.
The Cairns Convention Centre is getting ready to open its $176 million expansion, cementing Tropical North Queensland as a premiere business destination. Janet Hamilton, General Manager at Cairns Convention Centre, says the expansion adds a rooftop banquet area, outdoor terrace, three flexible meeting rooms, an exhibition and plenary space in the 10,500sqm of new floor space now available. This gives Cairns Convention Centre the ability to host multiple or larger events, with conventions and exhibitions of up to 2,500 guests now able to be accommodated in the entire venue.
The winter 2023 issue of Spice magazine is now out! Gracing this season’s cover is the talented team from the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) – Narciso Terrenal, sous chef; Michael Hevey, first year apprentice; Akashdeep Kaur, chef de partie; Stefano Perugini, chef de partie; William Beasley, first year apprentice; and Hentry Augustin, sous chef. Blending fresh local ingredients with Melbourne’s multicultural flavours, and driven by a passion for food, this iconic venue’s modus operandi is ‘Victoria’s best, flavoured by Melbourne.’
Jana Kingston has been appointed National Business Development Manager, C&I for Millennium Hotels & Resorts based in Melbourne, Australia. Well-established in market, Kingston brings invaluable experience and knowledge from her 18 year tenure with Destination Queenstown. Dubbed the ‘Queenstown specialist’, Kingston is eager to expand her reach representing all 18 hotels in the Millennium Hotels & Resorts portfolio.