The Wild, Wild West

It may be isolated from the rest of Australia but there’s
a wealth of exciting experiences awaiting the canny planner.

It’s an enormous state, taking up the whole western half of the country, extending over 2½ million kilometres yet with a population barely exceeding 1½ million people. The extreme south of the state is cool and wet while the north is arid and tropical. In between, there’s vast expanses of nothing but spectacular scenery that only the very hardy or adventurous ever see.

The rest of Australia has to cross a considerable expanse of desert to get to Western Australia but the trip is well worth it. Perth, Western Australia’s capital, is a city of great charm and vibrancy. It was first settled in 1829 but the city’s growth was slow and it was not until the discovery of gold in the early 1890s that prosperity finally arrived. In the 1960s, further mineral discoveries kick-started an economy that has never looked back.

The CBD lies on the edge of the Swan River, far upstream from the coast. The Swan ambles leisurely through the city until reaching Fremantle, a former maritime suburb now refurbished and reborn as a hip, cafe packed place to see and be seen.

PRICE POINTS

Perth is a great place for a conference with prices considerably cheaper than the eastern states, yet with facilities and service standards beyond reproach. The main conference hotels are exceptional and off-site event possibilities include Kings Park, from which visitors get a great view over the CBD and city.

To the south is the Margaret River region, home of some exceptional wineries and small, boutique hotels that have won considerable acclaim as executive retreats. The Margaret River region, like the Swan Valley region just to the south of Perth, produces some amazing wines and meetings delegates will probably find at least some of their leisure time expanding their knowledge of Western Australian wines.

The Perth Convention Bureau has launched a new “business class” brand to promote the state’s convention, exhibition and incentive travel product. The brand is designed to reflect the inventory of new and expanded infrastructure that has seen Western Australia emerge as a major player for business tourism.

>> conference and function venues and rooms, Western Australia.

EMBRACE THE BRAND

“The new branding is timely and brings a fresh and sophisticated approach to how we project our destination,” says the Bureau’s Managing Director Anne-Maree Ferguson. “The Bureau’s key objectives are to build awareness of Western Australia as a business tourism destination and encourage and assist the industry to embrace the brand.

“Convention delegates can access international standard venues, bars, restaurants, and hotels almost anywhere in the world. But the delivery of all this within a business class environment is irresistible.”

Some of the more recent bid successes for Western Australia include the Australian Institute of Radiography Convention for an estimated 700 delegates in 2007, and the Australian Dental Association Conference in 2011 that is expected to attract nearly 2,000 delegates. International bid wins include the World Allied Health Conference in 2006 and the 14th DeafBlind International World Conference in 2007.

THE CAP FITS

A funding assistance package for associations launched by the Perth Convention Bureau 13 years ago continues to be a highly successful sales tool. The Bureau created its Convention Assistance Package (CAP) scheme in 1991 to provide seed capital for resource strapped associations to encourage them to bid to host their national and international conferences in Western Australia.

At that time associations could qualify for up to $4,000 in non-refundable cash, and in kind assistance. A couple of years ago, the cash incentive increased to $5,000. Since the inception of the CAP scheme, the Bureau has provided cash assistance worth $788,590 to secure 642 conferences, representing delegate generated expenditure of more than $422 million.

The Perth Convention and Exhibi-tion Centre, otherwise known as The Perth Centre, Australia’s latest large scale meetings facility, opened in late August. In the first few months of operation, it has held such high-profile events as Gas AustralAsia Pacific Exhibition and Conference (GAAP 2004), the 22nd National Insurance Brokers Association and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists 55th Annual Scientific Meeting.

AWARDS GALORE

Even before opening the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre was raking up the awards. In March, it took out 2 MIAA State Awards for Best Conference Support Products as well as for Outstanding Marketing and Sales Person.

Across at the InterContinental Burswood Resort Perth, the Grand Ballroom opened at the end of 2001 as the final stage of an impressive $96 million transformation of the resort complex, going from strength to strength. It has so impressed the meetings industry that Burswood has taken out back-to-back Australian Tourism Awards for 2002/03 and 2003/04 in the meetings and business tourism category.

The Grand Ballroom was designed as a multi-purpose event and function venue, with capacity for 1,800 people for plenary sessions or 1,200 people for dinner. It can be divided into 2 equal sized sections and offers ease of access for the installation of hi-tech audiovisual equipment; it is one of the few venues of its kind in Australia with a catwalk mounted in the ceiling for lighting installation.

BUDGET ACCOMMODATION

Opening mid next year at the InterContinental Burswood Resort Perth will be the 3½ star Holiday Inn Burswood. The new 291 room hotel will complement the existing 5 star InterContinental Burswood Resort, taking the total number of rooms available at Burswood to 704.

Both hotels are part of the InterContinental Hotels Group chain which, with the opening of the Holiday Inn Burswood, will be the largest international hotel operator in Perth with a total of 4 hotels, including Crowne Plaza Perth and Holiday Inn City Centre Perth, and 1,074 rooms.

The new Holiday Inn Burswood will span 10 levels and feature 270 standard rooms, 14 king spa rooms and 7 suites. The business market will be catered for with 2 meeting rooms, a board room and business centre facilities.

FIRM FAVOURITES

The Sheraton Perth Hotel has one of the largest conference facilities in Perth, totalling some 2,252 square metres. The conference floor features 2 ballrooms and a total of 13 meeting rooms in various sizes. The entire conference floor has broadband Internet access, ISDN lines and on-site audiovisual equipment. Event styling is another service offered to clients to ensure their functions are truly memorable and unique.

The business centre has 4 meeting rooms to accommodate smaller meetings and secretarial services such as photocopying and printing are also provided. The hotel has 386 guestrooms and suites, each with broadband Internet access, and a recently upgraded gym, now operating 24 hours a day.

The multi-award-winning Hyatt Regency Perth has new Executive Spa Suites, which enjoy Regency Club Lounge access. A quiet haven from the rest of the hotel, guests can enjoy complimentary evening cocktails, canapes, all day refreshments, and a continental breakfast.

CHOICE OF VENUES

For events, the Hyatt has 3 ballrooms and 6 function rooms enabling the catering of a corporate cocktail function in the Grand Ballroom for up to 1,200 guests or an intimate dinner for 20 in the luxury of Gershwin’s Wine Room.

The Grand Ballroom is a favourite for many conference organisers because of its pillarless design, 6 metre high ceiling, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, programmable infra-red lighting, automatic feedback suppression and computer controlled isoports for portable lighting consoles. Last year the Hyatt Regency Perth completely redesigned its Plaza Ballroom. It now has concealed high-tech equipment with Cat 6 cabling, ceiling mounted projectors, concealed screens, and an integrated custom-designed sound system.

The Hyatt has also had considerable success with its off-site catering for corporate groups, at such locations as Kings Park, Cottesloe Beach or the Western Australian Maritime Museum.

SPOILT FOR CHOICE

The Mercure Hotel Perth’s conference specialists insist that the beginning of an efficient corporate day begins with a good breakfast. For that reason, they’ve introduced a new and improved breakfast buffet in their Topiary Restaurant.

In addition, the Mercure Hotel Perth has extended until February 2005 a special offer where organisers have the opportunity to obtain a Breville Coffee Espresso Maker for booking a minimum two day conference for 50 delegates. Conditions apply and organisers should check with the hotel for details.

The Quest On James in Northbridge has recently refurbished its range of one, two and three bedroom apartments. The size and configuration of the apartments, especially the two bedroom apartments, make them perfect for small meetings of up to 10 people. The Quest in Subiaco, one of Perth’s trendiest suburbs, has also refurbished its apartments.

BY THE BEACH

Perth’s only 5 star beachside resort hotel, the Rendezvous Observation City Hotel has recently undergone a $3.5 million refurbishment. A new room design has created a contemporary, modern feel with colours of charcoal, gold and blue. New carpets, drapes, timber finishes, artworks, sumptuous beds, quilts, modern light fittings and other soft furnishings are just some of the highlights.

The hotel’s Plaza Club Executive levels, with 36 Plaza Club Rooms and 6 suites, have also been refurbished. Even the recreational facilities received a revamp with the lagoon-style swimming pool getting a makeover.

In the Margaret River region, home to some of the finest wineries in the country, the luxury Cape Lodge has recently completed a $3 million extension and enhancement program. Recently voted in the Top 101 privately owned hotels by the exclusive UK based Tatler magazine, 8 new Forest Suites have been added. Measuring 70 square metres in size, they feature exquisite furnishings, works of art from the owner’s private collection, and king-size marbled bathrooms with drenching showers and double spas.

A new restaurant, which includes a major feature being a 14,000 bottle temperature-controlled cellar stocked with premium Margaret River wines, has been built over the main lake that is a focal point of the 16 hectare property.

LODGE FANCIES

With a total of 22 luxury suites and such venues as the new lakeside restaurant, Cape Lodge is the perfect place for top level executive retreats and think-tanks. In association with the Margaret River based Firth Development Centre, Cape Lodge is now offering on-site management training, leadership programs, teambuilding activities and wilderness training events.

Moondance Lodge at Yallingup bills itself as a luxury boutique retreat, nestled in 13 hectares of natural bushland. The 8 suites are perfect for small meetings or executive retreats, while the conference room seats up to 50 people theatre style. It comes equipped with video and teleconferencing facilities, a 60 inch plasma screen television with DVD, VHS and computer projection, high-speed Internet and electronic whiteboard.

In the extreme northern end of the state, the highly respected Cable Beach Resort completed the first phase of its $10 million dollar refurbishment in March. Throughout February, the resort was closed to complete work on the studio rooms, restaurants, the introduction of the new Thai Pearl restaurant, upgrades to the family pool and more. The work complements the 2003 refurbishment on the private villas and pool terrace studios.

The resort’s purpose-built conference centre can hold up to 350 people and has 3 rooms with polished floorboards, high ceilings and French doors opening with wide verandahs. The Cable Beach Club is a magnificent setting for a conference or special event, set within 10 hectares of beautiful tropical gardens.