The Coast With The Most

Tropical neon nights and sun-drenched days make Queensland's Gold Coast and Hinterland the place
to be for conference groups from across Australia and around the world.

Conference & meeting venues on the >> Gold Coast & Gold Coast Hinterland.

Tropical neon nights and sun-drenched days make Queensland’s Gold Coast the place to be for conference groups from across Australia and around the world.

There’s always something new to do on the Gold Coast and repeat conference delegates who think they’ve seen and done it all are always in for a big surprise.

Thrills are as common as sunshine on the Gold Coast. Conference groups can swim with dolphins or visit polar bears at Sea World, enjoy special stunt shows, ride rollercoasters, partake in themed dinners with Batman, Scoobie Doo or Harry Potter at Warner Bros Movie World, or have a photo opportunity with Bengal tigers at Dreamworld.

The Gold Coast offers the best of all worlds for conferences and events and new products are launched regularly to keep customers happy.

Dreamworld’s newest corporate attraction revolves around the wildly successful Big Brother phenomenon. Big Brother is filmed in a specially constructed compound at Dreamworld and, following this year’s television season, corporate groups will be able to become Big Brother housemates.

Big Fun For Big Kids

Up to 20 people at a time will be able to hold “sleepover” parties in the Big Brother House and experience what being under the media spotlight is all about. It’s an all-night “lock-down” where guests can snooze in Reggie’s bed, cook up a storm like Chrissie and Patrick in the kitchen, chill-out in the lounge-room and dance like Jo and Saxon around the barbecue. Bookings are now being taken for mid- to late-2004.

Another great Dreamworld idea revolves around corporate functions in the park’s all-new kids’ zone, Nick Central. Nick Central is bursting with different rides and attractions based on such cartoon characters as the Rugrats, Blues Clues, Jimmy Neutron and SpongeBob SquarePants.

The biggest news on the Coast is undoubtedly the $118 million Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, currently under construction next to Conrad Jupiters at Broadbeach. Set for opening in July 2004, the Centre’s Main Arena will be able to accommodate plenary sessions for up to 6000 and banquets for up to 3500 delegates. Other features include 15 breakout rooms and a 3000 square metre exhibition hall, capable of holding 420 booths.

Conrad Jupiters recently opened a new Executive Lounge and four executive accommodation floors. The executive floors encompass 101 superbly-appointed guestrooms and suites, refurbished along stylish, contemporary lines. Located on the top four floors of the hotel, each room has panoramic views of the Gold Coast and features the latest widescreen LCD monitors, a DVD/CD player and high-speed internet access.

Natural Health And Fitness

The ANA Hotel at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast has reopened its Health and Beauty Club under the direction of Body Inc, a well-known Australian beauty and fitness operator. The new-look health club is located on level four of the hotel. Services include massage and beauty treatments, a gym and the chance to make an appointment for personal training or physiotherapy.

The Sheraton Mirage also has a new spa facility with the opening of the Golden Door Club at Mirage, a complete health and fitness centre and a sister property to the renowned Golden Door Health Retreat at Willowvale, north of the Gold Coast.

The Golden Door Club features a team of 30 health professionals including personal trainers and massage therapists, beauty therapists, tennis coaches and fitness instructors. Other facilities include four tennis courts, a 25-metre solar-heated pool, group fitness room, Australian-made resistance equipment, and spa suite with several treatment rooms.
The former Parkroyal Surfers Paradise has been re-launched as Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise. Ideally located near the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise comprises two distinctive towers – the Eldorado which offers superior accommodation and the Gold Tower offering luxury accommodation.

New Name For Old Favourites

These feature the largest hotel rooms available on the Gold Coast with a selection of six room types including deluxe rooms and suites, all with private balconies and views of the Pacific Ocean. The Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise is the 14th hotel in Crowne Plaza’s chain of properties in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.

Having undergone a subtle name change, the Hotel Watermark has also unveiled a number of new facilities. Guests now not only enjoy an international standard of accommodation, but two restaurants, two bars, two heated pools, a fully equipped gym, the executive Club Lounge, and the Ocean Dream day spa.

With 365 spacious guestrooms and suites, the Hotel Watermark is located in the heart of Surfers Paradise. The hotel now has eight meeting and conference rooms. The three Atlantis rooms can be combined to accommodate up to 400 people theatre-style or 280 for banquets. An array of other rooms includes two boardrooms and a covered outdoor terrace perfect for cocktail parties or morning and afternoon teas.

The 292-room Grand Mercure Broadbeach, with nine meeting and conference rooms, recently proved that love was in the Gold Coast air when 200 romance novelists convened at the hotel. Billed as “Passion to Paradise”, the three-day event was launched with a glittering Harlequin Night of Stars cocktail party, followed by talks from such bodice-ripping luminaries as Valerie Parv, Emma Darcy and UK author, Sophie Weston. The highlight of the conference was the Romantic Book of the Year Awards dinner.

Fringe Dwellers

On the northern fringe of the Gold Coast, the 99-room Chancellor Resort Hope Harbour has proved popular with conference groups seeking a venue that’s private and secluded yet close to the bright lights and nightlife.
The Chancellor Resort’s Ballroom, which can be divided into two separate spaces, can seat up to 300 people theatre-style or 200 for banquets. A range of smaller rooms is available while, for cocktails or functions, the Pier deck is available for 350 people for cocktails or outside dining. All guestrooms and suites have private balconies and other facilities include a gym, sauna, two swimming pools, a tennis court and the acclaimed Barefoot Bar + Grill.

At the southern end of the Gold Coast, the Greenmount Beach Resort is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2004. The original Greenmount Guest House opened in 1904 and, though the years, Greenmount has been synonymous with service and fine facilities. A soft refurbishment is transforming the guest accommodation with new paint, bedspreads and curtains.

Teambuilding programs, especially tailored to each conference’s aims and objectives, have become very popular in recent times. Greenmount’s beachfront location is ideally suited to adventure challenges; delegates recently enjoyed sharing their newly-learned skills in raft-building by the Resort’s swimming pool. The success of such endeavours has prompted the Greenmount’s conference department to further expand its teambuilding options.

Flying High

A new $10 million upgrade to Gold Coast Airport is in place. Serving more than two million passengers each year, Gold Coast Airport now has the facilities and services of a major international airport with a relaxed holiday feel.
Facilities include a larger coach terminal for more efficient group handling, permanent Customs, Immigration and Quarantine agencies, enhanced check-in facilities for smoother passenger handling and faster processing of international arrivals, two new international duty free stores, and a range of specialty stores.