Snowy Mountains & South West

Country airs convention ideas

Summer or winter, snow or sunshine, there's much to do in this special part of the world.

Nature generally doesn't get much of a mention when it comes to conferences. The business part of a program is all about conference rooms, whiteboards and overhead projectors. A quick tea break or working lunch, then it's back to the business at hand.

Holding a conference out in the country gives delegates the perfect opportunity to do something a little different. In the Snowy Mountains, for example, that could mean bushwalking or skiing; in Albury, the business hub of the South-West Area, it could be boating on the Murray. Both regions are easily accessible from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra by air and road.

Leave No Trace Australia and Novotel Lake Crackenback Resort have cemented their relationship with a partnership that will see Kosciusko Alpine Guided Walks, hosted by Novotel Lake Crackenback Resort, support the national Leave No Trace program.

>> Snowy Mountains NSW function rooms

HIGH COUNTRY

Kosciusko Alpine Guided Walks provides an opportunity for visitors to the region, including conference groups, to have a walking experience equal to any wilderness area in Australia. Participants are able to experience the outstanding beauty and diversity of the Kosciusko National Park in the knowledge that it's being done with minimal impact and with adherence to the strictest environmental guidelines.

The newly renovated Denman, located in the centre of Thredbo Village, has 37 guestrooms and conference facilities for up to 100 people. The Terrace Restaurant with its panoramic mountain views can accommodate up to 110 guests, with menus highlighting the best local, regional and seasonal produce. Skiing and snowboarding stand out as obvious adventure activities in winter, with summer offering bushwalking, fly-fishing, golf, tennis and mountain biking.

ALBURY, SOUTH-WEST AREA

Albury's only purpose-built convention venue, the Albury Convention & Performing Arts Centre, extends over two levels and attracts conferences, meetings and exhibitions for up to 1,000 people. The Auditorium, adjacent to the Convention Centre, seats 812 delegates in armchair comfort and has a full range of preparation areas, a VIP lounge and a media room.

The Australian Podiatry Association, the Pharmacy Society of Australia and the NSW Palliative Care Volunteers have all held successful conferences in Albury in recent times. Their successes are indicative of what the region can do for the corporate and association sectors.