INTRODUCING BUSINESS TRAVEL AT AIME

Now in its 21st year, the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) is recognised as a leading event in the Asia-Pacific region for event organisers and more recently, corporate travel managers.

Industry professionals and exhibitors from all over the world will meet in Melbourne for AIME 2013 and will experience two days of business connections, valuable networking and an extensive Education Program.

Showcasing destinations, airlines, venues and a wide range of products and services from all parts of Australia, the Asia-Pacific and internationally, AIME 2012 welcomed close to 800 exhibitors from 44 different countries and held close to 13,000 business appointments over the two days.

Benefits to exhibiting:

• Meet with over 550 qualified Hosted Buyers and over 3,300 industry visitors
• Over 13,000 pre-arranged meetings between exhibitors and Hosted Buyers take place over two days
• Join over 800 exhibitors from around the world
• Attend the high level ACTE conference co-located at AIME
• 42% of Hosted Buyers organise Business Travel

For more information click on http://www.aime.com.au/businesstravel

BESydney to Manage Bookings for Glebe Island Expo and SICEEP

Business Events Sydney (BESydney) will take on broader responsibility and manage booking enquiries for the Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct (SICEEP) and Glebe Island Expo until operators of the new facilities are appointed.

Glebe Island Expo is the interim facility that will house Sydney's major public exhibitions and trade shows during the development of the 20-hectare Darling Harbour site that will be home to SICEEP - a world-class meeting place for the future. 

Infrastructure NSW, which is delivering SICEEP for the NSW Government, will recommend the successful proponent in December 2012 and the operator for the interim facility is scheduled to be announced in March 2013.

Infrastructure NSW Project Director, Tim Parker commented, "BESydney's team has extensive knowledge of the events market and the expertise to oversee both the enquiry and booking process for both Glebe Island Expo and SICEEP. Our aim is to make the enquiry and booking processes as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. BESydney is already bidding on events for 2017 and beyond that will take place in the new facilities. The company is well placed to manage enquiries."

Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney comments, "The team is pleased to be taking on these new responsibilities. BESydney will be a one-stop shop for business events. Glebe Island Expo is part of the Sydney-wide interim solution that will enable Sydney to remain a vibrant hub for business events whilst SICEEP is constructed. The new facilities will deliver great opportunities for business events in the city, both now and in the future, and the team is looking forward to working closely with the industry to ensure their success."

"We already have a dedicated Event Delivery department that assists clients with sourcing venue options for their events. BESydney has been working closely over the past months to re-home the conferences and congresses it secured for Sydney that will be affected by the SICEEP development. This team will be expanded and will have dedicated staff to take on the responsibilities of the Glebe Island Expo and SICEEP." 

Exhibitions that will be affected by the SICEEP development will have first right of refusal for bookings for the interim facility. It is anticipated there will also be scope for additional events to be secured for Glebe Island Expo.
BESydney's Event Delivery team will manage the bookings and Robyn Johnson, General Manager Event Delivery, comments, "Our first priorities will be making sure that planned exhibitions have a home and ensuring that event organisers know Sydney will continue to deliver a world-class event experience during the development period."
Expressions of interest for bookings can be submitted online at www.glebeislandexpo.com. All enquiries should be emailed to bookings@besydney.com.au or call 1300 141 583.  

Glebe Island Expo was announced yesterday by Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Brad Hazzard and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing, George Souris. Infrastructure NSW will soon issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to companies interested in designing, building, operating and then removing the interim facility. Detailed designs have yet to be developed, yet it is aimed Glebe Island Expo will provide:

• Pavilion-style exhibition space of 15,000 square metres in a high quality, air-conditioned, fully serviced interim facility
• An adjacent flat space of 10,000 square metres for exhibitors to temporarily expand the space for larger public exhibitions and trade shows
• A weather-proofed and climate controlled environment
• Flexible space that can create reception areas and meeting rooms
• Close proximity to the CBD and a unique location on Sydney Harbour
• Availability for the entire construction period
• Event-related food and beverage facilities, such as pop-up cafes and restaurants
• Full 'back of house' facilities, such as loading-dock, external storage and waste management facilities. 

For further information: 

Rebecca Mills, Marketing and Communications Manager
Business Events Sydney
rmills@besydney.com.au
Tel: +61 2 9332 5218
Mob: +61 420 960 108

Sydney Jewellery Fair Piquing Interest

Sydney International Jewellery Fair organiser Expertise Events is predicting a mixture of some returning old faces and exciting new initiatives will lead to a busy fair next week.

JAA International Jewellery Fair (IJF) organiser Gary Fitz-Roy said he’s a little surprised at the level of interest in the year’s fair. “Given that most people are saying that retail trading conditions are tough at the moment, we are seeing a noticeable increase in first-time visitors or people who have not attended [the Sydney fair] for three or four years.”

Fitz-Roy said that there has been an increase in the number of phone and email enquiries but also, “We are seeing an increase this year in visitors who have not attended for a few years. We can say that because they [visitors] must renew their photo ID badge every three years for security reasons so our staff have been more busy this year renewing old ID cards.”

Fitz-Roy was confident of a good turn out this year even if retail trading was tough and said visitors could expect some new sights and initiatives at the fair. “Maybe it’s because things are tough that people are saying I need to get proactive and get out there and look for new and interesting things.

“We've got a whole new look foyer and registration area, we've upgraded the graphics and look and feel of the fair when you come in,” he said. “I felt that it needed to happen. When times are tough you need to be putting it out there that you're still relevant, and show you're investing in the product because you believe in it,” Fitz-Roy

He added that another reason for the increased interest could be due to there being 60 new exhibitors.

Fitz-Roy explained that there is a new registration option this year. Retailers who missed the deadline for online preregistration can now preregister in-person on Saturday afternoon from 2:30 to 5:30pm at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“Retailers can come in, register and get cards on Saturday, and that means on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday they'll have automatic access,” Fitz-Roy said.

Buying Groups
 
Nationwide Jewellers managing director Colin Pocklington reports that he’s expecting to at least equal last year’s numbers. “We already have 130 stores registered, and at this stage we expect to equal last year’s figures. In 2011, we registered over 500 people from 203 stores. However another 60 members who had buyer cards, and had not registered via us also attended” he said.

“In anticipation of a similar turnout we have enlarged our seminar room for this year,” Pocklington added.

Leading Edge Jewellers director Josh Zarb also said there had been a “good response” from Leading Edge members.

“Most attendees from our annual conference [which runs from this Thursday until Saturday in Sydney] will stay on and go to the fair,” Zarb said. “We’re expecting about 75 members to be at the fair. It’s slightly down on last year, but I think that’s due to a combination of things, not necessarily a downturn. Some of our members just have other things on.”

Associations
Jeweller has reported extensively on the slew of new products and services that will be launched at the fair, but some of the trade associations also have exciting offerings for visitors.

The Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA) has put together a group of expert business consultants to provide members with free advice and answer questions and concerns. Patrick Ferguson from Goldrick Farrell Mullan will be available to discuss legal topics, including company registration and shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, consumer complaints, debt recovery and more.

Leasing Information Services will be offering demonstrations of its online platform and answering questions about retail leasing, while Finance for Life will be present to discuss superannuation, investments, business and personal loans. RISQ and OzForex will also be on hand to discuss risk insurance and foreign exchange services with members.

The National Council of Jewellery Valuers (NCJV) plans to make education a focal point at its stand too. National education officer Graham Easy told Jeweller he would be at the fair to provide advice to visitors interested in jewellery valuation and support for current members.

"We go to the trade fair to assist members that come with questions, problems, or procedural matters, and people having problems with valuations,” he said. “We are also there to promote the principles of valuing, and talk about the educational process with people interested in becoming valuers.”

Easy said the NCJV was getting close to finalising a new government accredited course, the Diploma of Applied Gemmology (Valuation), which has been in development for several years. He said he would be available to take any questions potential students had about it, while the stand would also provide short courses for valuers, helping them learn about new industry issues.

“We run a small educational section at the stand,” Easy explained. “It’s something there for valuers, a five-minute education, it’s a mini class. In the past we’ve discussed fake watches and led-filled rubies. To be a valuer, you have to do so many update points a year, this helps gain some of those points very quickly.”

The Gemmological Association of Australia (GAA) will also be promoting express learning with its new online courses. The GAA, in collaboration with the JAA, is offering a collection of short, web-only courses aimed at newcomers to the jewellery industry. The course list includes ‘Introduction to retail jewellery sales’, ‘Introduction to daily jewellery retail business’, and ‘Introduction to coloured gemstones’.

Terry Coldham, chairman Gem-Ed, a sub-committee of the GAA, will be at the fair and said early feedback about the courses was positive. “We're getting some excellent reviews on them,” he said. “At the fair we will use a computer setup to show visitors how they work.”

Coldham said he would also be giving a talk to Nationwide members on coloured gemstones, in an effort to ”instil some interest and excitement in working and selling coloured gemstones in jewellery”.

Sydney’s Event Showcase

15 - 16 August 2012, from 10am - 5pm at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre

The best way to build successful events time and time again is to work with reliable and experienced suppliers.

Sydney's Event Showcase provides EAs and PAs with unparalleled access to the best Australian event suppliers. Over two days, the entire industry gathers to inspire event ideas, launch new products, reveal the 'must-know' trends and present the latest venues.

Sydney's Event Showcase is home to the Australian Event Master Class Seminars and will this year feature internationally renowned USA based event producer Andrea Michaels and event technology expert Corbin Ball. There are also seminars specifically designed for PA's, EA's and Event Coordinators; providing essential insights into event planning.

This year's Showcase welcomes international headliners to the Entertainment Stage. Corporate entertainment specialists Apples and Pears will feature well known artists, providing visitors with firsthand access to who could be on offer for their next event.

For more information log on to : http://www.rsvpevent.com.au/

If you are an exhibitor or delegate and are looking for accommodation then try these affordable quality properties:-

Metro Hotel on Pitt, Sydney www.metrohotelonpitt.com

Metro Hotel Sydney Central www.metrohotelsydneycentral.com

Aspire Hotel Sydney www.aspirehotel.com

Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour www.metroapartmentssydney.com

AIMS To Relocate To Sydney Olympic Park For 2014 And 2016

Organisers for the Australian International Motor Show have confirmed that the 2014 and 2016 events will be relocated while the show's traditional home is redeveloped.

After considering several options, the showgrounds at Sydney's Olympic Park have been chosen as the caretaker venue.

The 2012 show (October 19-28) will be held at the regular Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre location, before the venue closes for an extensive expansion and redevelopment project.
AIMS’ new alternating city formula will see the 2013 and 2015 shows held as normal at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

"The Sydney Olympic Park venue will enable the Motor Show to grow and become a more diverse event, with the expansive outdoor areas giving exhibitors more room and the chance to host both on and off stand activities the possibilities are practically endless," said Event Director Russ Tyrie.

Sydney Olympic Park has proven credentials for large scale events, with the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show and Sydney 400 V8 Supercar round among its credits.
In the meantime, “the 2012 Australian International Motor Show at SCEC promises to be a fantastic send-off to a great venue," Tyrie said.

See 1000s of new products on display at The Safety Show Sydney

Register now to attend and discover what’s new at THE SAFETY SHOW SYDNEY. Discuss your workplace safety needs with industry experts and learn what’s on offer to help you reduce risk and increase safety.

Gain in depth knowledge at these free seminars: WorkCover NSW Seminars Attend WorkCover NSW Safety Information sessions to discover how their Ambassadors improved safety in their business, and why they spread the work safe home safe message. Find out how the construction industry will be impacted by the new Work Health and Safety Act. Get the latest information on safety issues in the manufacturing industry, and learn how small to medium businesses will be affected. Free Harmonisation Seminars Reserve your place to stay up to date with National Workplace Legislation and find out how you too can prepare for changes, including advice on how to understand key provisions. Crisis Averted - Managing the Mayhem - An Interactive Guide to Incident Management Sit in while the Norton Rose Australia team hosts an interactive role play and mock trial on incident management. Using a case study to follow the progression of an incident from the immediate aftermath, to the investigation process and ending with an OHS prosecution, the team will provide practical tips on managing an incident, dealing with the regulator and facing the consequences of an OHS breach – all as a court hearing. 11.30am, 25th October. Attendance to all seminars is free. Sessions held daily. Bookings essential. Book your seat now Plus, don't miss these dedicated feature areas: Technology & Training Corporate Health Learn safety solutions including staff induction, risk management software, contractor management, first aid and emergency response training. Reduce the number of sick days, discover how to tackle poor employee health, motivation and absenteeism.

BE SMART. BE SAFE.

BESydney information session on Dreamtime 2011 and AIME 2012

Join Business Events Sydney (BESydney) for a combined presentation from Tourism Australia on Dreamtime 2011 and REED on Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) 2012.

Many stakeholders have requested information about BESydney's involvement in these activities. This combined briefing will answer your questions about both these events at one time.

Thomas Hill, Business Events Australia Trade Programs Manager, and Sally de Swart, REED Exhibitions Event Director, will talk to you about how you can be involved in both programs.

BESydney will also detail our involvement and your opportunities to participate.

Date: Thursday 15 September 2011

Meet: Wolfies

Address: 17 Circular Quay West, Sydney

Time: 6pm-8pm

This event is open to any stakeholder who has an interest in either of these two important programs. Please RSVP by clicking on the responses below by Friday, 2 September 2011.

Email - stakeholders@besydney.com.au

2011 Canberra Qantas Corporate Travel Show Post Event Report

Metro Hotels recently took part as an exhibitor at the 2011 Canberra Qantas Corporate Travel Show which attracted 864 guests (135 Travel Agents, 263 Travel Coordinators and 466 Frequent Flyers).

Sydney hotels generate a great deal of business from Canberra and the ACT from both the government and corporate sector.

Guests where invited by Qantas and a snapshot of the companies that attended this year's show are listed below:

The Travel Agents session included guests representing over 36 agencies and

groups including ACT World Travel, AIIU Travel, Britain & Europe World

Travel, Capital Travel Manuka, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Civic Travel

Service, Corporate Traveller, Cruiseabout Manuka, Escape Travel Garema, FCm

Travel Solutions, Flight Centre - Belconnen, Capital, Dickson, Mawson,

Queanbeyan, Tuggeranong, Weston & Woden, Harvey World Travel - Belconnen,

Canberra, Weston & Woden, HRG Canberra Team, Jamison Travel Gungahlin,

Jetset Southlands, Maria Slater Travel, Mecca Travel Co Pty Ltd, QBT

Canberra, Queanbeuyan City Travel & Cruise, Reis & James Travel Associates,

STA Belconnen, Travel Makers, Travelscene Canberra City & Manuka.

The Travel Coordinators Morning Tea included guests representing over 85

companies, associations and government departments including ACT Chief

Ministers Department, ACT Executive, ActewAGL - Distribution, ACT Tourism,

Acumenta Pty Ltd, ADFA, Department of Defence, Airservices Australia,

Attorney Generals Department, AusAID, Australian Bureau of Statistics,

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Australian Crime Commission,

Australian Federal Police, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Australian

Medical Council, Australian National University, Australian Sports

Commission, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, British High Commission,

Canadian High Commission, CARE Australia, Centrelink, College of Asia &

Pacific, ComSuper, CrimTrac, CSIRO, Defence Housing Australia, Defence

Materiel Organisation, Dept Environment, Sustainability, Water, Population,

Dept of Broadband, Communications, Dept of Climate Change and Energy

Efficiency, Dept of Defence, Dept of Families, Housing, Community Services &

Indigenous Affairs, Dept of Health, Dept of Human Services, Dept of

Infrastructure & Transport, Dept of Innovation, Industry, Science &

Research, Dept of Premier & Cabinet, Dept of the Prime Minister & Cabinet,

Dept of Veterans' Affairs, Dept of the Treasury, Earlybird Conferencing &

Events, Embassy of Belgium, Embassy of Japan, Embassy of Norway, Embassy of

Peru, Embassy of Romania, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Switzerland, Embassy

of the Russian Federation, Family Court of Australia, Financial Strategy &

Business Performance, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Haddow Pipeline

Operations Services, High Commission of Canada, Indigenous Business

Australia, International Organization for Migration, International Visits

Team, IP Australia, Murray Darling Basin Authority, National Farmers'

Federation, National Health & Medical Research Council, National Library of

Australia, National Museum of Australia, NATSEM, New Zealand High

Commission, Office of National Assessments, Office of Parliamentary Counsel,

Pakistan High Commission, PHIAC, Procurement & Contract Management Branch,

Royal Danish Embassy, SABRE Pacific, SEWPAC, Sofema Australia, Supportlink,

Tetlow Tigwell Watch Lawyers, The Indigenous Marathon Project, UCELI/UCC,

Universities Australia & University of Canberra.

According to Metro Hotel’s Business Development Manager, Richard Amour, “trade shows are an excellent opportunity to make new business relationships and also to touch base with existing customers.”

700 International Travel Delegates Arrive for Australia's Premier Tourism Event

Around 700 international travel delegates from 40 countries fly in to Sydney this week to meet with 1,700 tourism operators from across the country at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) ATE is Tourism Australia’s premier business-to-business event, providing a forum for Australian tourism businesses to showcase their products, meet overseas contacts and negotiate business deals with the travel trade who sell Australian holidays overseas. Around 100,000 business meetings will take place during the event, which is being held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) from 2 to 8 April.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said ATE was important for building future demand for Australia’s tourism experiences in the international market.

“ATE is the most important event on the Australian tourism industry calendar and we estimate it will immediately inject more than $10 million in to the locally economy, but many millions more longer term,” Mr McEvoy said.

“Many deals will be done and millions of dollars worth of future tourism business for Australia will potentially be generated at ATE, resulting from the thousands of business meetings held during the event.

“It presents an enormous opportunity for Australia’s tourism industry to remain competitive internationally and will put us on track to realise the targets outlined in the 2020 Tourism Industry Potential.

“The 2020 Tourism Industry Potential sets an ambitious goal to double the overnight expenditure generated by tourism from $70 billion to $140 billion by 2020 – which events such as ATE will help us to achieve,” Mr McEvoy said.

Held annually, ATE is staged in a different host city each year, with the support of the State and Territory tourism partners and Qantas Airways. This year around 1,700 Australian seller delegates from approximately 600 companies will be participating in the event.

Tourism NSW Executive Director and General Manager Lyndel Gray said Sydney was looking forward to hosting the international travel industry for ATE 2011.  Having recently hosted ‘Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure’, Tourism NSW has developed an exciting, welcoming program for ATE delegates.

“ATE contributes significantly to continuing the growth of international tourism markets to Australia.  This year 85 NSW and Sydney businesses, alongside Tourism NSW, will be promoting an impressive range of excellent tourism experiences and destinations.  The NSW tourism industry is primed and eager to capitalise on the business opportunities that will be created by their participation in ATE. .”

As the host State, Tourism NSW has supported the delivery of ATE for 2011 through securing buyer accommodation and the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre as well as hosting buyer and seller delegates at three ATE showcase events during the seven day program.

Tourism NSW has also organised around 30 familiarisation itineraries across Sydney and regional NSW for international buyers to experience local attractions, dining and accommodation.  ATE 2011 has two modules covering the Eastern and Western hemisphere tourism markets. The Eastern Hemisphere module (Japan, Asia and the Gulf countries) will run from 2 to 4 April while the Western Hemisphere module (Europe, the Americas, Africa, New Zealand and the South Pacific) will run from 5 April to 8 April 2011.

Mr McEvoy said ATE was also important for giving the people who sell Australian holidays first-hand experience of the country.

“The beauty of ATE is that the international travel trade not only have the opportunity to meet Australian tourism business at one place but they also get to experience the destination and its tourism experiences first hand,” Mr McEvoy said.

“International buyers will get to immerse themselves in the host city Sydney during ATE and then travel to other destinations to participate in familiarisations that will help them to better sell Australia to the world.”

Australia received a record 5.9 million international visitors in 2010, an increase of 5.4 per cent on 2009, generating $24 billion in economic value for Australia. New South Wales received more than 2.8 million international visitors during 2010. International visitors spent more than 65 million nights in the State and injected more than $5.9 billion into the NSW economy.

(Source: Travmedia.com 2^nd April 2011)