Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events are back in full swing across Australia and around the world with more news and updates filtering through every week.
This is the latest news in the MICE industry that we have wrapped up in one easy to read update.
Who Needs Cannes When You Have Cairns
Cannes in Cairns has set the bar high for the new must-have at your next business event. The conference for the advertising industry was not about to let a COVID delay (or three) dampen their spirits, putting on a Pinterest-worthy display of luxe for the Welcome Party, complete with a 27m ferris wheel.
Rosie Douglas, General manager of Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef explained how the inaugural event, sponsored by Pinterest, was held to satiate Australian delegates who normally attend an international version in France.
“Cannes Lions is a global advertising, marketing, and media industry event that Australians in the industry couldn’t get to for the past two years due to closed international borders. The Australian representatives for the Cannes Lions, The Misfits Media Company, produced a version here in Cairns, and the conference was hailed as an all-round success for 2022.”
The sessions during the day were hosted by Cairns Convention Centre. Over 700 delegates experienced the fully refurbished Centre and the impressive line-up of speakers from the Australian media, marketing and advertising industry.
Destination Victoria on show at Melbourne event
Heavyweights of Australian tourism assembled for the 2022 Destination Victoria Conference recently, bringing together Victoria’s tourism, events, and hospitality industries at CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park. Presented by Visit Victoria in partnership with the Victoria Tourism and Industry Council (VTIC) and taking place over two days, the event’s almost 700 delegates were armed with insightful information and practical tools from industry leaders with the aim to ensure strong, sustainable growth for the Victorian visitor economy.
Hosted by Australian journalist and media personality Jamila Rizvi, the conference consisted of 33 presentations over 48 hours, activating three different spaces at CENTREPIECE, including its interchangeable Grand Hall and 250-seat state-of-the-art auditorium, in addition to Tennis HQ. The conference opened with an inspiring presentation from keynote speaker, Dr. Richard Harris SC OAM, Anaesthetist and Thai cave rescue diver, imploring delegates to focus on the goals in sight no matter the odds.
Stage and Screen ICC T20 World Cup
It was a summer of huge success for the men’s and women’s cricket teams with both squads comprehensively winning The Ashes against The Old Enemy, but not seen from the outside was the sheer magnitude of the travel plans behind the scenes, a feat that was a victory in itself. Stage and Screen began planning the travel management program, in collaboration with Cricket Australia, a good six months before the first ball was bowled at The Gabba in Brisbane as the team navigated ever-changing COVID restrictions across multiple states.
Darwin secures prestigious NBL Blitz Tournament
Darwin’s reputation as an exciting sports events destination continues to grow with the National Basketball League (NBL) choosing the Northern Territory capital as the location for its 2022 NBL Blitz pre-season tournament. It is the first time the tournament will take place in Darwin, with all 10 NBL teams set to head to the Top End in September to take part.
Combined, the teams will play a total of 15 games during the pre-season tournament, which is famous for showcasing the skills of future stars of the sport, as well as the biggest stars in Australian basketball.
The tournament is supported by the Northern Territory Government through the Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC). NTMEC CEO Tim Watsford said it is exciting news for fans of the sport, both interstate and local.
CTM extends global footprint with Japan office
Corporate Travel Management has announced the opening of CTM Japan, a wholly-owned extension to the global travel management company’s Asian footprint. As a complementary extension to CTM’s existing Asian footprint in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Taiwan, CTM Japan opens its doors in the nation’s capital, Tokyo, to meet increasing customer demand for domestic and international travel in the region.
CTM Asia CEO, Larry Lo said the decision to extend CTM’s wholly owned operations into Japan followed clear customer feedback for local, on the ground CTM servicing from Japanese businesses and international customers operating in the region. “Based on very robust customer feedback over the past few years, we have been working behind the scenes to cement our growth strategy for the Asia region, noting that when international travel impediments lift across Asia the rebound in travel activity is expected to be significant.”