Dream Programme - Sep 01

By Stephanie Roberts If there is one thing Australia knows how to do well, it is the ability to mix business and pleasure effectively. At this year's Australia Tourist Commission (ATC) incentive travel trade show Dreamtime, it was never more apparent. For the first time as an annual event, Dreamtime took place in Sydney, after the city won the bid tendered out to Australia's convention bureaus. "As Dreamtime is now a stand-alone event, the structure has changed and therefore the levels of commitment from any bureau staging the event had to grow," Sydney Convention and Visitor Bureau's (SCVB) general manager marketing Ms Karen Bolinger says. Sydney won the bid in February and, with just five months to put the event together, worked closely with the ATC to determine the programme of events. "We had to develop a programme that took into consideration people who had visited Sydney before, included the 'wow' factor but also ensured it featured activities which were affordable and sellable," Ms Bolinger adds. More than 130 international buyers attended - a 15% increase on the previous year - plus 13 corporate clients from Taiwan, China and Japan, a first for the show and a clear demonstration of ATC's commitment to the growth of the Asia market to the destination. Sellers at the trade show also increased by 26%. "Initially there's a degree of nervousness bringing in corporate clients," ATC group director, trade marketing Mr Rhett Lego admits, "but it's good for the clients to see Australia first hand. The destination is a fraction of the cost of Europe and North America and that is, essentially, who were are competing with." Mr Lego also pointed out the diversity of requirements from various markets. "We have already had big ticket events from Asia in recent months, including Pharmacia KK from Japan for 1,450 delegates to the Gold Coast and Nan Shan Insurance has been to Australia four times," he says. "Some critics in the marketplace will say that Asia doesn't bring truly incentive groups, but these groups don't come back to a destination if they don't think we're delivering what they require." Buyers from Asia to the show almost doubled over the previous year to 43. Yet the show was not only about selecting qualified buyers from the region; the challenge for the ATC was to educate corporate end users on how to use Australia as an incentive destination. "Taiwan and China, for example, are still very young incentive markets, so we need to provide them with the knowledge and show them - through Dreamtime - the concept of an actual incentive," ATC regional manager north-east Asia Mr Johnny Nee says. The ATC and the SCVB therefore prepared a packed social programme, much of it based around the icon of Sydney Harbour and, fortunately, the weather smiled on the visitors for the five days of the programme in July. Arriving on a Saturday, flown in from around the world courtesy of Qantas, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Air China and Ansett Australia, delegates were given a choice of shopping tours or golf or some leisure time before dinner at the respective hotels. Hotels hosting the delegates included the Westin Sydney, ANA Harbour Grand Hotel, Hotel Inter-Continental, Radisson Plaza, Renaissance Sydney, Sheraton on the Park and the Regent Sydney. With an early start on Sunday morning, delegates were transferred by a fleet of Cadillacs to the breakfast venue before heading off to a sailing regatta on Sydney Harbour. The racing over, a barbecue lunch was held on Shark Island, complete with fortune tellers, caricaturists, a live band and the chance to see the harbour via a jetski boat. Rolls Royce's transported delegates to Fox Studios that evening for dinner, and entertainment based on famous Australian films was the highlight of the evening; Latin American dancers from Strictly Ballroom, a mini-concert from virtuoso pianist David Helfgott, whose life story was depicted in Oscar-winner Shine, songs from Moulin Rouge by singer Bernadette Hudson and a drag-queen dance act inspired by Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Monday and Tuesday were dedicated to the trade show, held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the buyer-meet-seller sessions proved a success. Dinners were held at several restaurants at The Rocks area, including entertainment by The Three Waiters, and on a Captain Cook Cruises vessel on the Monday and Tuesday nights respectively. The final day of the programme promised to encompass both "beach and the bush". Breakfast was held at Tamarara Beach to the theme "Glamarama at Tamarama" and delegates were treated to some traditional Australian sausage-making by famous drag queen Claire de Lune. A steam train ride to the Blue Mountains followed, a three-hour journey in which the delegates enjoyed a mock casino. Lunch was held at the Hydro Majestic hotel overlooking the Blue Mountains, before delegates took their place on cable cars for a short experience of the natural beauty on offer. The grand finale of the Sydney event culminated with a gala dinner in a marquee on the Bennelong Lawn of the Botanical Gardens, offering a spectacular view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The evening entertainment comprised Aboriginal dancing, tap dancing on glass-topped tables, music from Australian favourite Patrick MacMahon and a firework display. The programme didn't end there. Many buyers opted for three-day post-touring trips, ranging from the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Tasmania, Hunter Valley, Adelaide, Perth, Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock), Melbourne or Cairns. The location for next year's Dreamtime has yet to be decided, although Ms Bolinger says Sydney is likely to bid for it again. But thanks to this year's Dreamtime, ATC managing director Mr Ken Boundy predicts US$26million worth of incentive travel business will be generated and that Australia stands in line for growth in incentive business initially from Europe and the US, but longer term from the Asia market.