Tropical Queensland's regional meeting push

Australia's tropical north is seeking a greater number of Asia Pacific conference and incentive groups by promoting its facilities and activities. By Stephanie Roberts Efforts to entice the Asian market to Australia are in full swing; with Dreamtime, Team Australia seminars and marketing campaigns throughout the region, the corporate end user is becoming more aware of the conference and incentive (C&I) scope of the destination. Generally, many first-time groups head for Sydney and Melbourne, but increasingly they are looking at combining city experiences with an incentive taste of Australia's diverse scenery, which ranges from the tropical beaches and rainforest to mountains and the outback. Yet such natural wonders are no longer the only way to tempt C&I groups to the destination - the supporting infrastructure of hotels and conference venues rates just as highly. And, while Tropical North Queensland boasts of "having it all", Cairns & Region Convention Bureau manager Ms Elizabeth Bindon-Bonney believes the Asian market is generally still unaware of the hotel and conference venue stock, although she admits the region has seen considerable interest since hosting Dreamtime three years ago. This year's Dreamtime show in Sydney also showcased the region's capacities for hosting C&I groups and Japan cosmetics firm Diana Company executive director Mr Takafumi Hatae is just one corporate who is looking at the destination with interest. "I think this destination would be good for incentives for Diana Company; unfortunately I have yet to visit Tropical North Queensland, although I hope to plan an incentive tour there in the future," he says. Boosting numbers from the Asian market is a priority for the region's C&I industry. Both the bureau - part of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) - and the Cairns Convention Centre have travelled through Asia to promote the destination's C&I capabilities and in the past three years have held roadshows in Singapore and Hong Kong. Both attend the IT&CMA show and the bureau is part of Team Australia. In addition, TTNQ has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. "We refer to the region as Nature's Theme Park," Ms Bindon-Bonney says. "We have two World Heritage sites in the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, so we obviously encourage groups to use the environment for events. But, while there is still the perception we are a leisure destination, we also have a slick meetings infrastructure." Amway Korea is one corporate which will be using that infrastructure; just under 4,000 delegates will be on their way to Cairns at the end of the year in four back-to-back programmes, a strong C&I benchmark for the destination. Part of the Amway programme will include half-day seminars and gala dinners at the Cairns Convention Centre. The only purpose-built convention venue in the region, its Great Hall can accommodate 2,330 theatre-style and 1,300 for a banquet. This venue can be divided into four separate halls, and an auditorium for 5,000 theatre-style is also available. Add to that seven meeting rooms and you have a state-of-the-art convention centre. Further proof the centre can handle large groups comes in the form of the Microsoft Australia conference held there last year and a number of conferences coming out of Asia, such as for the Federation of Asian Veterinary Surgeons. The centre's managing director Mr Geoff Donaghy admits the centre is working on winning more conference business from Asia. "Cairns is strong in the leisure market and as it is such a cosmopolitan town, we're used to dealing with the needs of the Asian market and this crosses over to the C&I groups," he says. Corporates which have already used the centre are pleased with its facilities. When the International Society for Solid State Ionics president Professor Iwahara from Japan closed their 500-delegate conference at the centre, he said "this has been our best conference in thirty years". And organiser of the 550-delegate Asia Pacific Fishing Conference and Exhibition Mr Neil Baird applauded the centre. "This place is brilliant, undoubtedly the best in the world," he says. The centre's location is an added attraction; just five minutes walk away from many of the town's major hotels, which helps cut costs with transfer transportation. One of those hotels is the Hilton Cairns; not only is it close to the convention centre, it also affords spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. The 263-room property's meeting facilities encompass a grand ballroom for 300 theatre-style and an additional four function rooms. The hotel projects the surrounding environment into its themed events, such as the rainforest, the "Aussie Beach" and the coral reef theme. These theme dinners are also popular at other hotels, and one of the largest conference properties in town, the 321-room Cairns International Hotel - which last year spent more than US$5million on accommodation refurbishment - is no exception. Alongside "Rock 'n' Roll", "Hollywood Glamour" and "Beach Party Bonanza", groups can choose from "Gone Troppo" - depicting North Queensland's relaxed lifestyle - and the Australiana theme, with every imaginable Australian entertainment thrown in, such as Crocodile Dundee, an Aboriginal didgeridoo player and a bush band. These themed dinners can be staged in the property's ballroom, which accommodates 400 for a banquet, 500 theatre-style and 600 for cocktails. This facility is complemented by an additional eight function rooms and its Daintrees PoolDeck regularly stages cocktail parties. For groups looking for a more boutique-style hotel, the Sofitel Reef Casino offers 128 rooms and seats 500 theatre-style in its ballroom yet is just as committed to providing the all-encompassing "tropical" theme in its themed dinners; "A Tropical Carnivale" and "An Australian Night" are just two ideas. Cairns is obviously one of the ports of call when visiting Tropical North Queensland but Port Douglas is also keen to showcase its C&I facilities. Relaxation is the key to this resort village, and development is low-rise - there are no buildings taller than a palm tree. One such property is the beach-side Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas. Part of the Leading Hotels of the World, the 294-room property offers low-rise villas for accommodation and for conferences, its Mirage Ballroom seats 300 theatre-style and 200 for a banquet. With one other dedicated function room, boardroom, terrace and more than 370 acres of landscaped tropical gardens, there is a wide range of potential dinner and cocktail venues onsite. Alternatively, for the small VIP incentive group Thala Beach Lodge, situated on Oak Beach, 15 minutes from Port Douglas and looking outward to the Great Barrier Reef, is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and guests are accommodated in 85 bungalows built on timber poles. Event organiser Hannaford's Special Events director Ms Amelia Hannaford believes Asian C&I groups are often looking to stage dinners and cocktail receptions in hotel ballrooms. "Perhaps groups from Asian destinations that already have their own rainforests do not find it so appealing to hold a dinner in our rainforest," she says. "But as they do like events in hotel ballrooms, we can always provide that little something extra that makes it a night to remember." Conversely, Far North Queensland (FNQ) Destination Management director Mr Byron Kurth suggests hosting dinners away from hotels. "A ballroom is a ballroom; why theme one as a rainforest when there's a real rainforest outside," he says. "However, on the whole, groups from Asia are interactive and big on team-building." Ms Hannaford agrees. "The Asian groups like fun activities in their programme," she says. These activities include "Flaming Fields Forever" where Hannaford's organises dinner in the sugar-cane fields, with the finale of the traditional burning of cane. Alternatively Hannaford's has arranged traditional Aussie barbecues in the bush, where delegates are entertained with bush tunes and can race cane toads. One group programme organised by FNQ DMC encompassed the outback, rainforest and beach all in one itinerary. After being met at the airport, the delegates were given a set of questions and a four-wheel drive and were taken on a treasure hunt through the rainforest until arriving at a gold-prospecting area, where five-star tents had been set up. "It might be very "Crocodile Dundee" but people like that," Mr Kurth admits. "Another day we held a dinner in the Aussie bush, then took delegates by light aircraft to a four-star resort on Cape Tribulation." Other popular themes FNQ DMC organises around Cairns include along the lines of Indiana Jones, where the group's bus gets "lost" and has to be rescued before being taken to the Lost City, set up in the rainforest. Mr Kurth is also keen to take groups to Port Douglas. "It can do everything that Cairns can do and is closer to the Barrier Reef, where you can charter vessels for 25-450 people," he says. "There's rafting and ballooning options too and as for dinners, there are more than 50 restaurants in Port Douglas, serving a population of 3,000." However, it is worth bearing in mind one of the challenges Tropical North Queensland faces is for six months of the year the weather is sensational while the other six months can be inhibited by rain, which means using the beaches for events are out of the question, according to Ms Bindon-Bonney. The region's C&I industry remains convinced business from the Asian market will continue to grow, although learning more about the needs of C&I groups from Asia and conversely, Asian corporate end users learning more about what the region can offer them, remains crucial. "We get to Singapore twice a year to promote the C&I aspect of the region," Mr Kurth says. "We are seeing an evolution from corporates using travel agencies to using event organisers to book incentives. But I believe more can still be done from the region's bureau and the Australian Tourist Commission in educating the end user." Cairns Convention Centre's Mr Donaghy agrees, saying while the Queensland government has done well in promoting the region as a C&I destination and built a dedicated convention centre, more has to be done as competition for C&I business increases throughout the region. "The Queensland government and the region's venue managers must now explore further our marketing approach so we capture more international business," he says. "We have a lot of competitive advantages so let's promote them to the marketplace."