PERTH’S GREAT LIFESTYLE

They’re a proud mob, the people of Perth. They’ve lots to be pleased about: a booming state economy and a city offering a ‘big city’ experience with the bluest of skies and an unparalleled quality of life for all who call Western Australia home.

With the cost of airfares lower than ever, Perth has become a more viable conference destination for business and association meetings especially now it has the Perth Think Perth, think lifestyle. It would take barely 10 minutes to stroll from any city hotel to a park or the banks of the Swan River to enjoy great city views, while being attuned to nature. Conference organisers have for decades chosen Kings Park Botanical Gardens, which overlook the city skyline, for their welcome dinners or other networking events.

Perth was the last Australian city to have its own dedicated conference and exhibition venue, and this has been something of a blessing in disguise in that the private sector provided world-class facilities to meet the demand. Most of the top hotels have first-class function facilities and the know-how to meet the high service standard expected by conference planners and their clients. The complex at Burswood Entertainment Complex is the most comprehensive and offers hotels, a convention centre, casino and sporting facilities.

>> Conference & meeting venues Perth, WA

The historic port of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan is just minutes from downtown Perth and provides a wide array of activities for conference groups looking to experience some of the laid-back WA lifestyle. The town has maintained many fine Victorian buildings from its pioneering years, many of which have been adapted to modern usage without detracting from their architectural integrity. The old Fremantle Gaol is a popular spot for “gaol house rock” conference parties, with delegates issued with convict-stripe outfits as a pillow gift. A platoon of “mean and nasty prison wardens” are on hand to get the night going to an hilarious start.

Perth celebrates the great outdoors like no other. The Mediterranean climate allows for outdoor events for much of the year and your clients can play golf, sail, water ski, para-sail and discover the wineries and restaurants of the Swan Valley to great effect.

The Perth Convention Bureau has an innovative ‘Operation Welcome Mat’ to demonstrate the warmth of the welcome that incentive and corporate meeting delegates can expect to receive during their stay in Western Australia. On the group’s arrival, the PCB can provide letters of welcome from the Lord Mayor, pillow gifts and electronic welcome signage at the arrivals hall of the Perth International Airport.

The PCB will help with suggestions for accommodation, program ideas, off-site events, teambuilding, restaurants, transportation and creative ideas. The bureau can also facilitate access to images of Western Australia for promotional purposes and assist with contact with the Department of Immigration and other government departments.

Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Fremantle, provides another great day out for the conference delegate. Transport around Rottnest is mostly by bicycle and visitors have the chance to swim, enjoy some pampering massage, and discover the rare marsupial, the quokka, for which Rottnest is renowned.

There are any number of pre and post-meeting side trips that can be arranged to add to the experience of WA. These include the premier wine-producing region of Margaret River in the south, the chance to swim with dolphins at Monkey Mia, snorkelling on Ningaloo Reef, or discovering the many wonders of the Kimberley Region in the state’s north-west.