A Place In The Sun

A cosmopolitan tropical destination perfect for
conference groups also has a nearby island playground.

Conference venues in Adelaide >> including conference, meeting and function venues and rooms.

Once known as the City of Churches, the appeal of the South Australian capital is now considerably wider. It can be called the City of Festivals with eagerly anticipated regular events such as the Adelaide Festival of Arts, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Tasting Australia and WOMADelaide.

It answers to the City of Fine Living with an early reputation for some of Australia’s best produce, restaurants and chefs. Much of the current Australian trend towards good food, fine wine and healthy lifestyle originated in South Australia. In addition, about 70 per cent of Australia’s wine output comes from South Australia. The wine districts are readily accessible from Adelaide, while the National Wine Centre lies on the edge of the CBD and is a great tourist attraction as well as being popular for corporate events and functions.

And as home to the Adelaide Convention Centre, the first large scale purpose-built conference facility in Australia, it can also lay claim to being the City of Meetings. Adelaide Airport, from which flights to most Australian capital cities and regional centres depart, is just 7 kilometres from the city centre. Adelaide is also a stopping point for three of Australia’s best-known train services – The Ghan, The Overland and the Indian Pacific.

HISTORY LIVES

As laid out in 1836 by Colonel William Light, the first Surveyor General, Adelaide City is easy to navigate. The square grid pattern that defines the city and North Adelaide, separated by a section of the 930 hectares of parkland that rings the CBD, makes it impossible to get lost. The easy pace of living in Adelaide can be a surprise to those from the eastern States. Most CBD hotels are within walking distance to the Adelaide Convention Centre which is, in turn, adjacent to the parklands and the River Torrens. Delegates are more likely to explore Adelaide on foot than Sydney or Melbourne, as it’s much more of a pedestrian-friendly city.

Conference groups have much to do in Adelaide and the surrounding districts. Good food and wine will naturally play an important part in proceedings. The wine districts of the Barossa, Clare and McLaren Valleys are short day trips from Adelaide and are easily accessible via excellent roads. Many of the wineries are available for functions and special events.
Food and wine master classes, hosted by some of South Australia’s most famous personalities, are a great conference option. A tour of the famous Central Markets, which spans Gouger and Grote Streets near Victoria Square at the back of the Hilton Adelaide, is a must do for out of town groups.

EATING WELL

Dinearounds, taking in some of the best known and celebrated restaurants, bistros and cafes of the city is another popular conference option.

A major component of Adelaide’s success in the convention market has been the Adelaide Convention Centre, which opened in 1987. The first purpose-built convention centre in Australia, further consolidated its success with an $85 million expansion in 2001, which effectively doubled its size.

It has brought many international conferences and conventions to Australia for the first time, especially in the medical field. Recent conference successes have included the Australian Physiotherapy Association Conference in May and the Cooperative Research Centres Association conference in June. Already inked in for the future are the Australian Association of Stomal Therapy Nurses Conference in March 2005 and the Reproductive Health International Congress in March 2006.

MEETING RIGHT

At the end of May, LEVEL 1 – the Hilton Adelaide’s conference floor – reopened following a $4 million refurbishment. Covering some 1,800 square metres, it now encompasses 12 state-of-the-art meeting and event spaces including one of Australia’s most dramatic ballrooms.

The Grand Ballroom features a 5 metre high wall-to-wall curtain of intricately woven metal that can be animated with light to change the mood of any event. The Grand Ballroom can seat up to 750 people theatre style or 570 for banquets.

The Hilton Adelaide’s LEVEL 1 is the first conference venue in South Australia to offer Wi-Fi networking technology throughout the entire conference floor, while high-speed broadband services enable video conference capability from any room. There is a gallery exhibition space for 36 trade booths and the meetings lobby can hold another 14 trade booths.

CENTRE OF ATTENTION

Hilton Adelaide’s LEVEL 1, combined with the hotel’s award-winning ‘Victoria’ room located on the ground floor, and multi-purpose meeting rooms on level 2, now offer a total of 2,200 square metres of dedicated conference and meeting space all under one roof.

The New Zealand based SKYCITY gaming and entertainment company earlier this year announced a proposed $70 million redevelopment plan for the SKYCITY Adelaide casino. The $20 million first stage of the plan, proposed over 3 years, involves the development of street front food and beverage outlets, a new bistro-style restaurant, a cocktail bar featuring live entertainment, an upmarket North Terrace bar, private function facilities, and new gaming areas.

Further stages of the proposal, still to be ratified, include a new underground car park – providing 450 spaces, improved accessibility to the Riverbank precinct and other major city attractions, a dedicated entertainment facility for premium concerts and special events, and a redevelopment of the main gaming areas.

COMING UP TRUMPS

Since purchasing the former Adelaide Casino, which opened in 1985, from the South Australian government in 2000, SKYCITY has already invested more than $20 million in upgrading the property’s facilities.

Construction of stage one of the redevelopment was scheduled to begin in December 2003 and will be fully operational by December 2004.

The Majestic Roof Garden Hotel on Frome Street, near the corner of Rundle Street, is a 120 suite property with a spectacular roof garden with views across the city to the Adelaide Hills. Close to the CBD and the Rundle Street shopping and entertainment precinct, it has 2 meetings rooms as part of the rooftop area. The Nandina East and West rooms combine to seat 72 people theatre style or 84 for banquets, and are perfect for meetings, seminars and conferences.

TOP OF THE TOWN

The Majestic Roof Garden Hotel is part of a group that includes the Old Lion Apartments, Tynte Street Apartments and The Oasis Apartments.

In June, the Holiday Inn On Hindley reopened the fully refurbished Sebastyans Cocktail Bar. With all new furnishings and decor, the bar is now a stylish place for delegates to relax after a long conference day. The new tapas menu has proved extremely popular, whilst delegates can settle back and watch Fox Sports on the bar’s new plasma screen television.

In October last year, the Grand Hotels International group expanded into Adelaide with the addition of the Chancellor Adelaide, a completely restored neo-Georgian style building in Currie Street, opposite the old Adelaide Stock Exchange building. It has 45 spacious guestrooms and 15 suites. The Chancellor One meeting room can host small meetings for up to 40 people theatre style, while recreational facilities include an indoor heated swimming pool and spa, and fully equipped gymnasium.