| VENUE REVIEWS
OUT OF MELBOURNE
GETAWAY
Lou David recently visited Stonelea Country Estate and was reminded
of why this outstanding conference venue is so well regarded for
its conference environment. The latest edition to the long list
of recreation facilities is the private 18-hole golf course.
Recently awarded a chefs hat with The Age Good Food Guide, the
restaurant specialises in fresh regional produce accompanied by
an excellent Victorian wine list. The extensive range of facilities
ensure each conference group has a separate distraction free meeting
environment. It has on site an excellent adventure-learning set-up
with abseiling tower.
Stonelea Country Estate is ideal for residential conferences that
run for two or more days with room in the program to take advantage
of the wide range of recreational facilities including tennis, trout
ponds, clay target shooting and more.
To find out first hand more about Stonelea Country Estate call
Lou David +613 9870 4611
| “When one find’s oneself in a
hole of one’s own making, it is a good time to examine
the quality of the workmanship.” |
CENTRAL COAST
- NSW
Set on the pristine white sands of Shoal Bay in Port Stephens,
2.5 hours drive north of Sydney, is Shoal Bay Resort. The resort
is the re-development of the renowned Shoal Bay Country Club.
Shoal Bay Resort offers a large range of accommodation including
suites, self-contained one, two and three bedroom apartments, penthouses,
villas, the lodge and heritage rooms. There are 4 restaurants and
4 bars, 2 swimming pools, and a $5.5M Aqua Spa & Health Club.
Secure undercover parking is also provided.
The Resort contains the new Whitesands convention centre, providing
the ideal location for professional functions, events, conferences,
and product launches.
Activities in the Port Stephens area are wide and varied with top
class championship golf courses, charter cruisers and open boats
available for sailing, fishing, dolphin & whale watching.
Ideal for larger groups and Associations, for more information call
Sue Wall on +613 9870 4611
| “Motivation is like food for the brain.
You cannot get enough in one sitting. It needs continual and
regular top ups.” |
IN THE
HEART OF TOWN
Southbank’s only 5 star all-suite
accommodation is ideally located within cosmopolitan Southgate and
just minutes from the CBD.
The Quay West Suites Melbourne has all the five star hotel services,
heated indoor pool, gym, spa and sauna. All the suites have a fully
equipped kitchen, dining setting, three-piece lounge, entertainment
system, separate bedroom and bathroom and a balcony with outdoor
settings.
The Jarrah Restaurant and Bar offers contemporary cuisine with terrace
seating with stunning views to the city over the Yarra River. The
separate functions area is ideally set up for conferences and meetings
up to 60 people and there are two well equipped meeting rooms. A
larger area with terrace overlooking the river is ideal for functions
up to 150 guests.
To find out more call Pam Conway +613 9870 4611
| YOUR
SAY
“ To find the right conference venue I recommend people
use Key Conference Solutions. I was very happy with the pleasant
way all our requests were dealt with. Nothing was too much
bother and Sue Wall has been a pleasure to work with.”
Lynne Edgley – Merck Pty Ltd
“Pam and her team are friendly and so helpful! It was
great to be able to leave the running around and sourcing
venues to a professional and reliable team”
Claire Wentman – Novartis
"Lou David and the team at Key Conference Solutions
do a marvelous job in finding the right venue for our Epilepsy
Research Retreat. Their attention to detail, friendly approach
and efficient service make it an ideal company to work with
and they take away much of the pressure in organising a conference"
Lisa Johnson - Epilepsy Research Institute
|
| VENUES
AUSTRALIA-WIDE
Join Amcor, Hills Industries, Telstra, Vicroads, BP, Esanda,
Department of Justice, AXA Australia, Thompson Learning and
the Toll Group and many more of Australia's leading companies
who are saving time and money in using Key Conference Solutions
FREE venue finding service to find the right
venue for their business events.
|
| “If what you’re working for really
matters, you’ll give it all you’ve got.” |
|
|
CONFERENCE
TIPS
When assessing venues for a residential conference from the
comfort of your office it’s important that we are all clear
in the definitions that the industry applies to describing accommodation
rooms in the quotes they send to you. Although hotels, conference
centres, guest houses and motels all have different in-house names
they use to describe their rooms, the typical industry standards
are:
| Single room |
| a room for single occupancy, with one bed,
normally a double |
| Double room |
| a room for two occupants sleeping in the
same bed |
| Twin room |
| a room for two occupants sleeping in separate
beds |
| Executive |
| larger double or twin room, with a sitting
area |
| Suite |
| a room with a separate living/lounge area |
| Shared facilities |
| is where the bathroom is down the hall and
shared with other guests |
Making sure all delegates have the same standard of room can be
important and asking for upgrades if available for the leader or
presenter is common practice. Remember to ascertain from delegates
their preference for smoking or non smoking rooms. Some venues are
non-smoking throughout including accommodation rooms.
Closer to the event you will be asked to provide a rooming list
with specific requirements noted (single, twin share, VIP etc).
This will enable the venue to allocate bedrooms prior to your group
arriving at the venue and ensure a smooth and swift registration
for all your conference attendees.
CONGRATULATIONS
The annual Victorian Tourism
Awards acknowledge operators and businesses that make a valuable
contribution towards their sectors. The Country Place Executive
Conference Centre at Kalorama, in the heart of the Dandenongs
won the Victorian Tourism Award in the meeting's industry
category for the fifth consecutive year.
Other winners at the
recent Yellow Pages 2002 Victorian Tourism Awards included:
The Mansion Hotel - Deluxe Accommodation
Park Hyatt Melbourne - Luxury Accommodation
|
|
Meet Margot Knight
Margot Knight – is the Director of Shy Tiger an innovative
theatre company offering funny yet ‘biting’ comedies
especially for organisations.
Topics include -‘Office Politics’,
‘Motivation’, ‘Stress’, ‘Relationships’,
‘Workplace Bullying’… through to women’s
issues and depression. The short 20-30 minute pieces are perfect
for conferences, meetings or training sessions, – and
offer an alternative to comedians or speakers. The productions
are written by top playwrights and performed by distinguished
actors.
Shy Tiger recognizes that audiences have
a brain, but like to have fun, so they research the issues
thoroughly. They have plays available or can take a brief
and tailor a piece for your particular needs.
Clients have said of their plays:
‘A sharp emotional roller coaster….better
than a bex or a lie down’
‘Don’t go shopping, drink or do drugs til
you see this play’….Gavin Jennings –
MP
You can make enquiries to Margot Knight on +613 9399 9874
or by email
|
| “Kites rise highest against the
wind … and not with it.” |
|
| FREE
BOOKLET "THE CONFERENCE ORGANISER’S GUIDE”
If you haven't already got
a copy of our comprehensive guide on the nuts and bolts of
planning a conference, you can get a free copy of our "Conference
Organiser’s Guide” which talks about how
to organise a successful conference.
Call us on +613 9870 4611. We'll
happily send you as many copies as you need to distribute
around your company with our compliments.
|
|
IN
THE KNOW
To maintain our knowledge of innovations, upgrades
and newcomers on the venue scene Australia-wide, we regularly
enjoy visits from property personnel for venue briefing sessions
which lately included:
Lisa Moloney - Sebel Lodge Yarra Valley
Andrew Oster – Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove
Melissa Dawson – Cypress Lakes Resort
Victoria Anderson – Stamford Hotels & Resorts NSW
Heidi Griggs – Stamford Plaza Melbourne
Joanna Cunningham - Manor Inn Mitcham
Paul Humphreys – Le Meridien Melbourne
Fiona Stibbs – The Boulevard Sydney
Annabel Sullivan – Voyages Hotels & Resorts
Rob McKinna – Pinnacle Valley Resort
Sally Taylor – Couran Cove Island Resort
Danielle Wagemakers & Shenay Ramadam – Savoy Park
Plaza
Tania Popko – Peppers Retreats and Resorts
Leah Mallozi – Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts
Robyn Kent – Edmund Barton Centre
Colleen Freil – Surfcoast Spa Resort
Kate Wilcox – Coach House Marina Resort Batemans Bay
Ross Buchanan – National Conference & Incentive
Manager Mirvac Hotels and Resorts.
On a regular basis our team
also samples first hand the facilities of conference venues.
Sue, Lou and Pam recently enjoyed visits to Quest Apartments
Knox, Adelphi Hotel, Mt Eliza Business School – Mt Eliza,
The Stables Conference Centre Red Hill, Lindenderry at Red
Hill, Blairgowrie Boatshed, Quay West Suites Melbourne, Stonelea
Country Estate, Aitken Hill, The Country Place, Riva St Kilda,
The Royce, Sebel Suites St Kilda Road, The Mansion Hotel Werribee
Park and Carlton Crest.
This ongoing schedule of briefing sessions and venue inspections
ensures our product knowledge is extensive and current which
in turn allows us to offer you, our valued clients, a professional,
authorative and independent venue finding service. Let us
find the right venue for your conference call us now +613
9870 4611 Our venue finding service is FREE.
|
| “The greatest things are accomplished
by individual people, not by committees or companies.” |
Click here to visit the Key Conference Solutions website
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