Industry Leaders Check In for Serviced Apartments Summit

After 30 years of sustained growth, serviced apartments have emerged as a major component of the accommodation industry. Currently representing over a quarter of total room supply in Australia, the sector has accounted for almost 70% of all new room supply over the past decade.

Apart from successfully servicing the needs of travellers, the industry has been responsible for providing both a major source of employment for young and older Australians, as well as a source for investment in both individual serviced apartments and the management rights businesses that support them. In Queensland alone it is estimated that over 3,000 management rights schemes are in operation in what has become a multi billion dollar industry.

To discuss the future of the industry, serviced apartment owners, operators, developers, lenders, advisers and other stakeholders, as well as hoteliers and interested real estate professionals will meet in Sydney on 25 July 2012 at the 2nd annual Serviced Apartments Summit to hear from industry leaders and experts and to network with peers. The Summit is the only event of its type in the region.

A stellar cast of industry leaders will address the 2012 Summit including:

		Choe Peng Sum Chief Executive Officer Frasers Hospitality			Bob East Chief Executive Officer Mantra Group			Paul Constantinou Chairman Quest Serviced Apartments
		Rachel Argaman Chief Executive Officer Toga Hospitality			Murray Boyte Chief Executive Officer Ariadne Australia			Sid Knell Chief Executive Officer Prime Group Australia
		Ian Crooks Managing Director Resort Brokers Australia			Roland Jegge Vice President Asia Pacific Worldhotels			Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala General Manager Bus. Dev. & Marketing Hind Group
		Jose Ventura VP Asia Pac, Mid.East & Africa Bus. Dev. Preferred Hotel Group			Lindsay Leeser Director Development Asia Accor			Michael Moret-Lalli Director of Acquisitions Mantra Group

 The Summit is a pre-event to the Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Hotel Industry Conference (ANZPHIC 2012) that will be held on 26 and 27 July at the Hilton Sydney. For over a decade, ANZPHIC has been the main event on the regional accommodation industry calendar, attracting over 400 CEO's and other senior industry delegates, as well as 30 Sponsors, Exhibitors and Supporters. A majority of those delegates also attend the Summit. Subject to availability, two-day delegates at ANZPHIC 2012 can attend the Summit for free. Alternatively registration for the Summit alone can be made. The event was a sell-out in 2011 and a similar outcome in expected this year so early registration is advised.

In an industry first in 2012, at the conclusion of the Summit, delegates will join delegates from ANZPHIC and two other co-located industry events taking place at the same time to enjoy Megameet Greet, a major industry networking function to be held at the Hilton Sydney.

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Exhibiton Trade Fairs Says Event Expos Will Stay At SCEC Until 2014

Two of the event industry's leading exhibitions, the Australian Business Events Expo and Sydney's Event Showcase will continue to be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) for 2012 and 2013 following the Centre's closure announcement last week.
In a statement from the event's organisers, Exhibition & Trade Fairs (ETF)  general manager & CEO Jodie Richmond, the organisation confirmed that both shows would remain at SCEC this year and next.

"The recent announcement by Premier Barry O’Farrell to close the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre for three years, whilst it is being rebuilt, delivers certainty for the industry.  We at Exhibitions and Trade Fairs are very excited about the government’s commitment to creating a world class precinct for the future of business events and special events in Sydney," she said.

"We believe this will have a huge positive impact on the New South Wales economy and the contribution of the event industry throughout Australia.

The new facilities will help us all develop events worthy of our global reputation as leaders in event management.

Sydney’s Event Showcase and Australian Business Events Expo will continue to be hosted at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre this year and next. We are already discussing new locations and opportunities to host the shows thereafter.

We are also considering reinventing the style and format of the shows for 2014 – 2016 to highlight the dynamic and fluid nature of the industry. We believe Sydney’s Event Showcase and Australian Business Events Expo will be more important than ever in connecting people, ideas and the industry during the closure period and in supporting Event Planners explore their myriad of options for managing events.

We will keep you up to date on any developments we make to the location of the shows during 2014-2016."

$1 Billion Makeover: Sydney Entertainment Centre To Be Knocked Down

The Sydney Entertainment Centre will be demolished and the Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour closed for up to three years as the precinct undergoes a $1 billion makeover.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell today announced the development of an integrated exhibition and entertainment precinct in the city's CBD.

The fully integrated convention centre will increase the size of the existing precinct by two-thirds to 20 hectares and will include the largest exhibition space in Australia at 40,000 square metres.

"The project will mean a complete facelift for Darling Harbour - as well as the world-class facilities," Mr O'Farrell said today.

Up to 3500 jobs are expected to be created during the construction.

The 30-year-old Sydney Entertainment Centre is to be demolished while the exhibition and convention facilities will be closed from late 2013 to late 2016.

The project is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the major events industry in the state, particularly in terms of the Asia-Pacific.

"They will bring NSW an economic benefit of more than $1 billion over five years," Mr O'Farrell said.

"NSW has already lost $150 million in economic benefit over the four years to 2010-11 because the current facilities have not been able to accommodate 169 conventions and 12 exhibitions," Mr O'Farrell said.

The new facilities will include the biggest meeting room space in Australia at 6000sq m and the biggest Australian convention hall capacity.

There will be a red-carpet premium entertainment facility with a capacity of at least 8000 people, suitable for international entertainment events and 'mega' conferences.

"The NSW government is creating a vibrant world-class convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct at Darling Harbour that will keep Sydney centre stage as Australia's global city," Mr O'Farrell said.

Infrastructure NSW (INSW) will lead the delivery of the new facilities as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) tailored for the project.

During the three-year construction period, Sydney's major events industry will remain open for business, Mr O'Farrell said.

Sydney Olympic Park, Moore Park, the Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh and various Sydney hotels will play an expanded role in hosting events during the construction period.

$1 Billion Makeover: Sydney Entertainment Centre To Be Knocked Down

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre takes traffic management online

In a first for the Australian events industry, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has designed an online traffic management system for its exhibition hall loading docks.
The move is part of the Centre’s ongoing program to boost operational efficiency and recognises the high level of demand put on the Centre’s six exhibition halls, which are the busiest in the country.

The new system enables a central traffic controller to log all truck arrivals online, and advise waiting drivers by SMS when it is their turn to move to the loading dock to offload or collect exhibition material.

The system also allows exhibition organisers to easily review the flow of traffic during their event, while freight companies can access the system to assess waiting times for their vehicles.

Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said the Centre’s security team had studied venue traffic management methods worldwide before partnering with a company to tailor-make its own system, which breaks new ground.

“No other venue in Australia has an online management system and whilst some international venues use them, we discovered that none of them offered the detail we need so we decided to create our own,” Mr van Amerongen said.

“The new system is premised on the need for efficiency and safety on the loading docks. Not only does it reduce the waiting time for trucks, it keeps all the key players in the loop during the crucial days spent setting up and dismantling an exhibition.”

Mr van Amerongen said the program also provided post-event reports which could be used by organisers to assist planning for future events.

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre takes traffic management online

Sydney Conferences: Busy 2012 for Sydney

Business Event Sydney (BESydney) reports it has secured conferences, congresses and incentive programs that will see over 211,200 delegate days spent in Australia’s harbour city in 2012.

Worth an estimated A$191 million to the New South Wales economy, the events range from small incentive groups to mid-size congresses and international mega events.

“The 2012 calendar year is going to be a bumper year for the business events industry in Sydney and the economic and social legacies of these events will be substantial,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, BESydney’s acting chief executive.

The events are spread throughout the year, although March will be a stand-out month with eight international events scheduled.

In total, 9,500 delegates will spend more than 39,700 delegate days in Sydney in March. These events include the 3,200-delegate-strong USANA Asia Pacific Convention, the XVI International Symposium on Atherosclerosis that is expected to attract 1,500 delegates and a 1,500-delegate Tupperware Indonesia incentive group.

Busy 2012 for Sydney

Sydney Big Player in Business Event Market

Sydney will see over 211,200 delegate days spent in the harbour city in 2012, as Business Event Sydney (BESydney) secures an estimated $191 million worth of conferences, congress and incentive programs.

Ranging from small incentive groups and mid-sized congress to international mega events, BESydney is bracing for a bumper year for the business events industry in Sydney.

The strong pipeline of business shows Sydney remains a big player in the global business events market, with BESydney Acting Chief Executive Officer Lyn Lewis-Smith saying the economic and social legacies of these events will be substantial.

“Some of these bids were secured by Business Events Sydney over five years ago! Seeing all the cogs in motion – all our Ambassadors, stakeholders, strategic partners and government supporters – working together to make these events a success is going to be fantastic, and an opportunity to profile why the Sydney event experience is like no other,” Ms Lewis-Smith said.
March is a popular month with a total of 9,500 delegates spending over 39,700 delegate days in Sydney attending BESydney secured events.

Some events include the XVI International Symposium on Atherosclerosis, USANA Asia Pacific Convention and Tupperware Indonesia Manager’s Incentive Trip.

(Source: etravelblackboard.com)

Register Now for Global Ecotourism Conference

It is less than two weeks until delegates from all around Australia and overseas gather in Sydney for the 19th Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference and you are invited to attend.

The conference will be held from November 7-10, 2011 and brings together an outstanding program of high-profile keynote speakers and industry experts to tackle the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian ecotourism industry.

In addition, the conference will feature the Indigenous Tourism Forum as well as the ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum. Visit the website to view the conference program or to register.