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VENUE NEWS:
• Ground has been broken for the brand new Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre that also combines public space with a public exhibition gallery and cafes. The three-storey purpose-built facility will provide around 17,750 sqm of floor space, and is expected to be completed by 2022.
• In an effort to reduce plastic waste, Marriott International has announced that its single-use toiletry bottles will be replaced with large, pump-topped bottles across its global portfolio. When fully implemented, the program is expected to prevent 500 million bottles from going to landfill.
• Marriott International has signed an agreement with Iconic Hotels to open its first Canberra property, with `Midnight Hotel’ to open in September under the Autograph Collection brand. The property will offer 199 rooms, a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool, wellness centre, conference and event spaces and a guest lounge.
• The light rail stop on Sydney’s Anzac Parade is slated for completion in March 2020, connecting University of New South Wales venue the Roundhouse to the CBD. The stop will see services to and from the city every eight minutes.
• CapitaLand’s wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited, is cementing its position as the largest serviced residence operator in Singapore with a record number of openings this year. Citadines Connect City Centre Singapore will increase Ascott’s total portfolio in Singapore to 17 properties. |
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| GM appointed for Little Albion, a Crystalbrook Collection Boutique Hotel | | |
Christopher Greening has been welcomed into the Crystalbrook Collection fold, taking up the post of general manager at boutique Surry Hills hotel Little Albion, a Crystalbrook Collection Boutique Hotel.
Christopher joins Crystalbrook following a decade-long hospitality career. Most recently he was executive assistant manager for Meriton Suites, where he pre-opened two hotels.
On his appointment, Christopher said “Crystalbrook was an incredibly attractive company to work for; fresh, vibrant and progressive. The group’s brand pillars align with my core values... especially empathic and stylishly witty!” | | | |
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Imploding desserts
| | | We’ve attended a fair few famils in recent months, and each of them has featured some sort of dessert that was poured with warm syrup, beaten with a stick or set fire to, all in an effort to open it up and reveal hidden treasures within.
The benefit of this extravagance? About 99 per cent of attendees whipped out their phones and uploaded a video to their Instagram stories.
Just, erm, keep the fire extinguisher close. | |
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As we know, an event starts well outside the ballroom. This is why everyone involved - from digital marketers to keynote speakers – should be trying their best to create a favourable impression early on. Obviously a hotel concierge we encountered recently was not privy to this fact.
A couple of our team members arrived for an event 15 minutes early, only to be told to go away and come back in 15 minutes. When we asked if there was a bathroom nearby, the curt response was “no”. As we walked back outside into the cold night air we were already left with a bad taste in our mouth – one that even the best wine couldn’t eradicate – and all before the event had even started.
Not happy, Jan. | | | |
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Gin, gin, glorious gin! |
Cheap wine. |
• A common mistake we’ve encountered lately is organisers putting food in front of guests and then having someone give a speech or kick off a performance. Attendees are usually hungry and ready to tuck into their dinner at this point, but don’t touch it out of fear of appearing rude. This practice is both a huge tease and can result in the chef’s delicious creation going cold.
• Aside from flawless organisation, the one thing fellow famil trip attendees have said separates a good program from a great one is the amount of free time allocated. Now, this might seem counter-intuitive to getting your suppliers’ products out there, but humans aren’t robots and appreciate a little down time. Plus, it allows them to catch up on emails and check in on the office.
• Holding an outside cocktail function with a couple of chairs scattered around? Don’t. Either have enough chairs for everyone, or don’t have any. We’ve attended a few events where attendees zeroed their focus not on the canapes, drinks, décor or music but on stalking out an available seat. At a night-time soiree, nobody wants to be reminded of trying to find a parking spot on Sunday afternoon at their local shopping centre. |
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