BESydney expands the 2012 ABEE Hosted Buyer Program

Australia’s leading convention bureau, Business Events Sydney (BESydney), in conjunction with the Australian Business Event Expo (ABEE) and airline partner Qantas, has expanded the ABEE Hosted Buyer Program to include both Hosted and Semi-hosted Buyer Programs that will run from 14–16 August 2012.

Last year’s Hosted Buyer Program catered for a qualified number of fully hosted buyers. This year, expanding the program to two streams will introduce more local buyers to the show floor and enhance the quality and quantity of appointments for exhibitors.

“The expansion of the ABEE Hosted Buyer Program is a strategic decision to ensure ABEE’s show floor continues to be a dynamic platform for supplier and client connection, networking and business,” comments Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney.

“The two distinct programs ensure that both the hosted and semi-hosted buyer experience is productive, as well as educational, and really delivers on the modern day buyer’s needs. We’ve acted on feedback provided by previous participants and have made supplier appointments, key site inspections and networking the priorities in both programs.”

Jodie Richmond, CEO of Exhibition and Trade Fairs (the owner of ABEE) adds, “It is fantastic to work alongside Business Events Sydney and airline partner Qantas to grow the already successful ABEE Hosted Buyer Program. Our combined understanding of the business event market, paired with a savvy, concise format, will see the Program deliver enhanced results to both our Buyers and our Exhibitors this year.

Hosted buyers will receive complimentary Qantas return travel to Sydney and 2 nights' accommodation in a leading Sydney hotel. This program includes participation in the educational program that is punctuated with fantastic speaking talent, scheduled appointments, the Destination Site Inspection Tour, gala events and all ground logistics.

Semi-hosted buyers will have the opportunity to schedule appointments with suppliers, listen to selected speakers on the educational program and enjoy the ABEE Hosted Buyer Dinner. They will also have the option of participating in a full-day Destination Site Inspection Tour.

The Australian Business Events Expo runs from 15–16 August 2012 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and is the ultimate marketplace for business events in Australia.

Sydney’s Event Showcase

15 - 16 August 2012, from 10am - 5pm at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre

The best way to build successful events time and time again is to work with reliable and experienced suppliers.

Sydney's Event Showcase provides EAs and PAs with unparalleled access to the best Australian event suppliers. Over two days, the entire industry gathers to inspire event ideas, launch new products, reveal the 'must-know' trends and present the latest venues.

Sydney's Event Showcase is home to the Australian Event Master Class Seminars and will this year feature internationally renowned USA based event producer Andrea Michaels and event technology expert Corbin Ball. There are also seminars specifically designed for PA's, EA's and Event Coordinators; providing essential insights into event planning.

This year's Showcase welcomes international headliners to the Entertainment Stage. Corporate entertainment specialists Apples and Pears will feature well known artists, providing visitors with firsthand access to who could be on offer for their next event.

For more information log on to : http://www.rsvpevent.com.au/

If you are an exhibitor or delegate and are looking for accommodation then try these affordable quality properties:-

Metro Hotel on Pitt, Sydney www.metrohotelonpitt.com

Metro Hotel Sydney Central www.metrohotelsydneycentral.com

Aspire Hotel Sydney www.aspirehotel.com

Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour www.metroapartmentssydney.com

Metro Hotels Appoints Business Development Manager - MICE

Metro Hotels has appointed Mr. Div Grover to the role of Business Development Manager – MICE for Metro Hospitality Group in Australia.

In this newly created role, Mr. Grover is responsible for building and maintaining the small meetings, incentives, conferences and events business for Metro Hospitality Group’s network of properties Australia-wide.

The position reports to Metro Hotel’s National Sales and Marketing Manager Gary Long, who today welcomed Mr Grover’s appointment.

“Div brings to this role significant experience in the hospitality industry gained over the past 9 years, Mr Long said.  

“While many hotels only cater for large events, it is often difficult to find venues for small meetings and seminars.  Metro Hotels is increasing its focus on the small meetings and functions market.  We see Div’s strong background in building and maintaining business relationships as instrumental in developing this niche market to drive business and further enhance the reputation and patronage of Metro Hotel’s network of properties,” he said.

Read on at Metro Hotels Press Releases

Read other Metro Hotels News

Sydney To Get Its Own Contemporary Art Fair

These vast supermarkets for selling art are ever more popular: the past two months alone have seen the inaugural New York edition of the London-based Frieze in May; Art HK in Hong Kong just two weeks later; and Art Basel in Switzerland, the grandest modern and contemporary fair of them all, earlier this month. Galleries that took part in all three describe the gruelling sequence as a “marathon”.

For galleries wanting to tap into the growing Australian market, the marathon is about to get even longer. The first edition of the biennial Sydney Contemporary will take place next year, from April 12-14. It will start modestly, according to British founder Tim Etchells, who runs an event management company in Australia. He expects about 70 galleries, mostly from Australia and New Zealand, with a sprinkling of international ones from countries such as Indonesia and Singapore.

“We’d like to get some of the high-end galleries in Sydney like Roslyn Oxley [whose programme focuses on artists from the Asia-Pacific region] and Anna Schwartz [who represents British artists Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare, among others] – so far we’ve had a pretty positive response,” says Etchells.

But the goal is to develop the event to attract more international galleries and collectors within a few years. “We’ll try and make it really fun with lots of ancillary programming,” says Etchells. He adds that interest in contemporary art is growing in the city.

“The opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s new wing in March was a huge event, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales [which opened new galleries last year to show the contemporary collection of textile magnate John Kaldor] is very successful.”

Etchells has form when it comes to launching art fairs in new markets, with his biggest success to date being in Hong Kong. In 2007 he started Art HK after a chance meeting with an art dealer friend in Sydney. Four years later he sold a 60 per cent stake in the fair to Messe Schweiz, the Swiss company that runs Art Basel and its sister fair in Miami Beach. Messe Schweiz’s annual report for 2011 reveals that the price paid to Etchell and his partners was CHF6.6m.

World Class Entertainment on the Bill at Sydney’s Event Showcase

Visitors at Sydney’s Event Showcase will come face to face with some of Australia’s hottest talent this year due to Exhibitions and Trade Fairs (ETF) naming Apples & Pears Entertainment the official entertainment partner of the show.

With ‘sourcing quality corporate entertainment’ named as one of the top three reasons people attend the show, this exciting new development represents a complete overhaul of the Showcase’s Entertainment program. It has been designed to go right to the heart of providing the ultimate solution for busy event organisers needing to source quality entertainment.

In a very exciting ‘first’ for the show, the revitalised entertainment program produced by Apples & Pears will be presenting daily surprise performances by major Australian talent. They will also showcase a wide range of professional performers complete with full stage production for maximum effect.   

Jodie Richmond, CEO and General Manager of ETF, said the new partnership is a fundamental change in the quality of entertainment presented at the Showcase.
“Our market research revealed that corporate entertainment is one of the most vital and memorable facets to event planning and management.

“Our partnership with Apples & Pears provides the answer to event businesses wanting to find and experience firsthand the best corporate entertainment available today. The new and improved Entertainment Showcase will provide an unparalleled level of access to an extremely diverse and high quality bill of corporate entertainment,” said Ms Richmond.
 
Apples & Pears combines the experience and musical knowledge gained from having run a successful independent record company, production studio and managing a talent roster of the finest names in entertainment to produce corporate entertainment successfully across Australia.

Over 10 years, Harris Meitanis, Managing Director of Apples & Pears Entertainment has produced entertainment for in excess of 1000 events.

“Artists of the highest calibre are no longer out of reach for corporate event planners through experienced agencies like Apples & Pears Entertainment.

“We are very excited and proud to cement our position as leaders in the events industry by becoming the official entertainment partner for Sydney’s Event Showcase for 2012.

“The program we’re producing will not only excite visitors with an entertainment experience never-before-seen on the tradeshow floor, but also provide them with a taste of quality performances they can have at their next event. Our aim is to completely blow the socks off all the visitors to the show. We are really looking forward to revealing to the industry the extent of what we can do,” said Mr Meitanis.

Performances by major Australian talent will be announced closer to the Showcase date.  Seats at the Entertainment Showcase will fill up quickly across the two days. Attendees are encouraged to visit the Show’s website or Facebook page to keep an eye on the release of acts, program line ups, and show times.

Sydney’s Event Showcase, 15 – 16 August 2012 is co-located with Australian Business Events Expo at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. 
Registration is free and strongly encouraged before the show dates to avoid queues at the door.

Sydney's Mega-Events Migrating to Sydney Olympic Park

With the upcoming closure of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC), many of Sydney’s larger events have already announced their re-location to Sydney Olympic Park.

This week two major events, the 2014 and 2016 Sydney-based Australian International Motor Show and the 2014 Rotary International Convention have releases statements about the relocation.

Yesterday (18 June) Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, announced that Rotary International has confirmed its 2014 Rotary International Convention event will remain in Sydney, and will re-locate to Sydney Olympic Park.

After winning the initial bid in 2006, Sydney was required to resubmit an extensive proposal showcasing Sydney Olympic Park as the host venue, due to the closure of SCEC from the end of this year for an extensive three- year expansion and redevelopment of the Sydney International Convention and Exhibition Precinct (SICEEP).

The 2014 Rotary International Convention will be held in June and is expected to attract up to 18,000 delegates who will spend 72,000 delegate days in Sydney and deliver an economic impact of $60.5 million to the state.

“This is a great example of NSW’s flexibility and agility when it comes to hosting world-class events. Government and the private sector have rallied together to make sure that the promised Rotary 2014 event will be delivered seamlessly, despite the required venue change,” said Souris.

“This is a spectacular result for our visitor economy, with the event delivering an estimated economic impact of $60.5 million. It is also a strong demonstration that Sydney is well and truly open for business – even during the SICEEP development period.”

Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said, “We are thrilled to hear that the international Rotary delegation will still be coming to Sydney in 2014. Such a mega-event is an amazing opportunity to demonstrate the skill and adaptability of our industry.”

“BESydney worked hand in hand with the NSW Government and Sydney Olympic Park Authority on venue options. We showcased the flexibility, diversity and passion that ‘Team Sydney’ had to offer the Rotary event in 2014. This has delivered a fantastic outcome for Sydney, NSW and Australia’s global reputation,” she added.

The 2012 Australian International Motor Show in October will remain at SCEC.

“Whilst the SCEC has been our home for twenty three shows, we are very much looking forward to the opportunities presented to us and exhibitors alike at Sydney Showground,” said Australian International Motor Show, event director, Russ Tyrie.

“The Sydney Olympic Park venue will enable the Motor Show to grow and become a more diverse event, with the expansive outdoor areas giving exhibitors more room and the chance to host both on and off stand activities – the possibilities are practically endless.”

“SCEC has been a wonderful venue for Motor Shows in Sydney over the years, hosting hundreds of model reveals with almost five million visitors streaming through its doors to see the best that the Australian automotive industry has to offer,” said Tyrie.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how the plans shape up for its redevelopment; but rest assured, the 2012 Australian International Motor Show at SCEC promises to be a fantastic send-off to a great venue.”

Welcome Mat for Rotary International - Rotary Convention

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, today announced that Rotary International has confirmed its 2014 Rotary International Convention event will remain in Australia’s global city, and will re-locate from Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) to Sydney Olympic Park.

After winning the initial bid in 2006, Sydney was required to resubmit an extensive proposal showcasing Sydney Olympic Park as the host venue, due to the closure of SCEC for the Sydney International Convention and Exhibition Precinct (SICEEP) development.

The 2014 Rotary International Convention will be held in June and is expected to attract up to 18,000 delegates who will spend 72,000 delegate days in Sydney and deliver an economic impact of $60.5 million to the state.

“This is a great example of NSW’s flexibility and agility when it comes to hosting world-class events.

Government and the private sector have rallied together to make sure that the promised Rotary 2014 event will be delivered seamlessly, despite the required venue change,” said Mr Souris.

“This is a spectacular result for our visitor economy, with the event delivering an estimated economic impact of $60.5 million. It is also a strong demonstration that Sydney is well and truly open for business – even during the SICEEP development period.”

Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said, “We are thrilled to hear that the international Rotary delegation will still be coming to Sydney in 2014. Such a mega-event is an amazing opportunity to demonstrate the skill and adaptability of our industry,” comments Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney.

“BESydney worked hand in hand with the NSW Government and Sydney Olympic Park Authority on venue options. We showcased the flexibility, diversity and passion that ‘Team Sydney’ had to offer the Rotary event in 2014. This has delivered a fantastic outcome for Sydney, NSW and Australia’s global reputation.”

Chair of the local organising committee, Barry Thompson commented, “There were certainly serious discussions in the wake of the SICEEP development announcement. But Sydney’s resubmission has proven to the Rotary International team that even without the planned venue, the harbour city will deliver an outstanding 2014 convention.”

“Rotary International was very impressed by the efforts of the NSW Government, BESydney, Sydney Olympic Park and other involved parties to accommodate our event.”

If you are seeking Nearby Accommodation for this Convention for one or many, contact Metro Hotels Corporate Sales Contact:

• Richard Amour
• Business Development Manager
• Phone: 02 92880108
• Email: RAmour@metrohg.com