Australasian Special Events

Melbourne airport passenger delays

2010-03-04T11:43:00.002+11:00

What is it with Melbourne airport security.Qantas appear to have lifted their game with processing passengers checking in but then there is an unacceptable wait in another queue to go through the security checking system.Returning from AIME on Wednesday I experienced a wait of around 15 mins to get through

AIME 2010 welcome party

2010-03-02T19:38:00.005+11:00

Last night's AIME welcome party was a mixed bagThe venue was great - utilising old/unusual buildings for events is always a great idea and the public transport goods shed on Collins St (extended) is just great for events. Plenty of space and a historic aspect to it as well.The food by Atlantic Group was excellent - plenty of it and plenty of variety.The entertainment was the big letdown - it was

Vale - William May - founder of No 12

2010-01-06T20:08:00.002+11:00

Entertainment Icon Dies - SSO 5th Jan William H. “Billy” May, world-renowned entertainment producer, director and composer, died on New Year’s Eve at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. May’s death follows a recent illness. He created Melbourne’s iconic special events centre in an 1890s warehouse in Kensington, which became one of Melbourne’s top

A tribute to the life of Michael Milburn from the Australian Event Industry

2009-12-08T20:11:00.000+11:00

Michael Milburn passed away on 3rd of December 2009 following an extended illness. Michael spent over two decades in the restaurant, catering, venue and event management industry and was highly regarded for his innovation and involvement. In 1990 Michael joined Epicure Catering as Executive Manager Brand & Marketing Development. He soon took the business to a pre-eminent

ISES Sydney goes for gold - but just what is "The Gold Standard"?

2009-08-21T09:49:00.004+10:00

The ISES Sydney chapter has a new management committee and they were determined to hit the ground running as they took over the reins last month.During the presidential handover at the RSVP breakfast incoming chapter president Jeremy Garling promoted the next ISES connect as one that would feature a stunning announcement regarding the future development of the Sydney Chapter.The August ISES

RSVP and ABEE at SCEC

2009-07-28T17:58:00.011+10:00

RSVP and the Australian Business Events Expo (nee Sydney On Sale) have made their co-location debut. So did it work?The overall feedback appears to be a very resounding yes!The two shows managed to maintain a different look and feel with RSVP really buzzing on both days while exhibitors in ABEE reported that the quality of visitors was just what they wanted.While both shows had space to spare

RSVP Sydney Party After Dark

2009-07-28T17:49:00.003+10:00

If it weren’t raining it would have been much quicker to walk from SCEC to the RSVP party at GPO in the Sydney CBD. Because of the time of day (i.e. traffic) and Sydney’s one-way streets the buses travelled from SCEC up to the Entertainment Centre then down Hickson Rd to the Harbour Bridge, then finally twisted around to Pitt St to get to Martin Place – a distance of around 6 Km. The walking

RSVP Melbourne stages a Mini seminair with bite

2009-06-26T09:37:00.004+10:00

Over the years I've seen lots of hypothetical seminars on the subject of pitching for a job. This week I watched one of the best I've ever seen. The opening session of the RSVP Event Talks in Melbourne was entitled Life's A Pitch. This was a real life pitch to be delivered by three leading event producers for a real product for a real client. It opened with Georgia Hobart - Events and CRM

RSVP Melbourne down on last year

2009-06-26T09:04:00.003+10:00

RSVP Melbourne is over for another year and although a bit flat most exhibitors seemed satisfied with the response considering this event has been staged in the Year of Austerity.Interesting to note how most of the bigger players have scaled down the size of their stands this year and more interesting was the absence of some of the bigger players from previous years - especially Staging

Industry Awards - are they worth it?

2009-06-16T22:40:00.004+10:00

I’m intrigued by awards and the process of working out who wins what.Film and book awards are pretty straight forward – the judges get to view or read the entries and base their judgment on what they observe first hand.This also applies to sports, singing, dancing, etc. Even hairdressing and other esoteric pursuits are judged by people who actually see the creations.However in our industry

2009-06-16T14:29:00.001+10:00

In 2000 I reviewed the Sydney Cabaret Convention and had this to say about David Campbell "David Campbell is young, talented, charming and gorgeous and has just returned to Australia after a meteoric career in the USA, where he toured nationally and performed at all the major cabaret venues in New York. He has also starred in a Broadway musical, Stephen Sondheim’s Saturday Night. David will

Bump-in fees for AV companies

2009-06-12T13:26:00.001+10:00

Recently Sofitel Brisbane sent out a letter to AV suppliers advising that they would start charging them $75 per hour to cover the costs of electricity, loading dock, escalators etc.This got the Brisbane ISES chapter fired up and they sent out a media release decrying the action.The Sofitel have not indicated whether or not the fee will also apply to other users of the facilities such as staging

New Melbourne Convention Centre opens

2009-06-06T22:04:00.008+10:00

The long awaited new Melbourne Convention Centre has opened the doors.It would be most usual for such an occasion to be marked by a spectacular opening ceremony - and even fireworks. But no, as 2009 has been declared the Year of Austerity it was marked by a lunch. For the owners - the Victorian Government; the building consortium (The Plenary Group) and representation of the big end of Melbourne

Meetings & Events Industry Awards for 2008

2009-04-08T20:32:00.004+10:00

What an excellent night.The Adelaide conference committee went all out to ensure we had a great conference this year and they topped that off with an excellent awards night.Following his very vocal criticism of last year's awards presentations Meri Took was invited to produce this year's event. Meri has produced a great number of high profile events over the past few decades and this was a

MEA conference casual dinner at Adelaide Showground

2009-04-07T08:03:00.002+10:00

Adelaide turned on great variety in the weather department during the conference. The weather for the outdoor party at Adelaide Showground was rather chill and then the rain came right on cue as the event wound up.Unfortunately the event was designed for summer and this was not a summers night. The event was spread out around the event space making it very

MEA conference welcome reception at Adelaide Town hall

2009-04-05T23:37:00.002+10:00

The MEA conference welcome reception was held at the Adelaide Town Hall and featured performances by Opera singers Antonio Villano and Kate Lara followed by the Town Hall's resident organist - all quite fitting in this venue.South Australian food and wine was enjoyed by the guests courtesy of Epicure Catering.The welcome address to delegates was presented by Martin Hamilton-Smith MP, who gave us

Penfold's Magill Estate

2009-04-05T21:39:00.008+10:00

The MEA annual conference curtain raiser event for accredited members was held at Penfolds Magill Estate on the outskirts of Adelaide where the suburbs meet the hills.Exploring the cellars and drooling over huge vats of Grange was a great experience.The estate was established in 1845 and although the vast area of plantings has gradually been reduced there are still around five hectares of vines

Shock and Awe in Beijing

2008-08-11T17:41:00.002+10:00

It is common practise for national and international conferences (whether corporate or government) to include a Welcome to Country by representatives of the local indigenous mob, so one would expect that an important meeting like APEC would include such a welcome. But no! Despite all the posturing by the Howard government over intervention into

APEC policing and the tourist industry

2007-09-10T23:12:00.000+10:00

Some years ago I was photographing a demonstration in Sydney. I cut through some back streets to get to the head of the demo and was surprised to come across a number of buses packed with police with riot gear at the ready. It was quite a hot day and the buses were not air conditioned. The occupants of these buses were mostly young and not looking happy. It occurred to me at the time that if

Equine Flu effects on the Event Industry

2007-09-07T17:40:00.000+10:00

From Greg CoffeyEvents Coordinator, Sydney International Equestrian Centre As someone who is involved in the equine industry (venue related) how has the Equine Influenza outbreak affected you? We have virtually shut down. All events for September & October have been postponed - that alone is in the vicinity of $100k. Of course the govt is

Want to get to know the neighbours? You need a permit

2007-08-27T10:35:00.000+10:00

Spotted this article by Jennifer Whaite in the Heckler section of the SMH. Any one else have similar bureaucratic experience? Once upon a time we used to have a Christmas street party. We have an ideal street for it: long enough so we don't know the people from the other end of the street; small enough so we can all get to meet each other; a nice flat area; and no through traffic. It was

Has David Grant created a signature for his events?

2007-08-20T10:42:00.000+10:00

These leggy lampshades do keep popping up don't they?The Australian Events Expo party (right) and John Symonds 60th Birthday (below)

Industry conferences and trade shows - all getting a bit silly

2007-08-11T13:10:00.000+10:00

The last few weeks have been rather busy with conferences and trade shows for the events industry and next year it will be insane! This year it started comfortably enough with AIME (back to the regular slot in February), Brisbane's Event ConneQion (it's not a typo, remember, to Queenslanders XXXX spells beer) in March followed by the Meetings and Events Industry Conference in April (just before

RSVP Sydney Party After Dark

2007-07-25T22:51:00.000+10:00

RSVP’s Cory Watson has developed a reputation for producing edgy parties.This year the RSVP Party After Dark went retro with sex the dominant theme - and that theme oozed from every pore of the labyrinthine venue. Home is one of Sydney’s best-known nightclubs and is just a short walk from the expo venue at SCEC.On arrival a pair of tele-evangelists implored guests not to enter the den of

Phantom of the ISES REC

2007-07-05T23:26:00.000+10:00

I'm in Melbourne for the ISES REC and we have just enjoyed the welcome party at the legendary Princess Theatre. Even for someone who has the theatre background that I have it was quite a thrill to be taken into the circle to have a look at the set-up for Phantom of the Opera.Our host tonight was Jason Marriner who's father was responsible for saving the Princess along with the theatre history of

Sydney's event venue snubbed

2007-07-03T22:34:00.000+10:00

The major event for Sydney next year will be World Youth Day featuring the Pope.And a major spat has erupted over the choice of venue. Randwick Racecourse has been the traditional venue for Papal visits in the past but with what is involved these days in presentation, staging and security organisers need control of the venue for a much longer period.When Sydney Olympic Park was proposed it was

It's Easy To Have A Scene Change

2007-07-01T20:35:00.000+10:00

The editor of Staging Connections newsletter - Showtimes - has sense of humour.Their latest edition includes this little gem...It's a Small WorldIt's Easy To Have A Scene Change. But When You're Planning Your Event - Wouldn't You Prefer Some Inspiration?Pristine sandy beaches lapped by turquoise water. World Heritage listed National Parks and magnificent rivers. Rolling hills, pristine waterways

At last Sydney takes major events seriously - maybe

2007-06-27T22:02:00.001+10:00

John O'Neill has finally been named by Premier Dilemma to head the NSW Major Events organisation and the Melbourne media has gone into meltdown claiming that he will be targeting Melbourne's iconic events.This quote from The Age..."Victoria's Formula One and motorcycle grands prix and the Australian Open tennis are in the sights of a new major events corporation announced by the NSW

Interfaith dialogue?

2007-06-13T09:21:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I attended the Interfaith Dialogue organised by the Law Dept of the Australian National University as part of the tour by the Dali Lama.A few things that struck me.The presentation attracted over 4000 attendees to the AIS arena - pretty standard for an ANU Law lecture quipped the instigator of the the event.The scheduled starting time was 2.30 pm and although only about 75% of the

More victims for Kerry Jewel

2007-05-14T11:29:00.000+10:00

Back in the 80’s I ran a small production company and went on the road with a particular dinner theatre show. The producer of the show went bust and I finished up not getting paid – I dumped a couple of grand.That producer was Kerry Jewel and he is back in the news this week as another of his productions folded and left suppliers and performers in the lurch. Kerry Jewel was also the producer

Scene Change in Hobart

2007-05-13T23:06:00.000+10:00

In a very cheeky move Hobart’s new AV company Scene Change managed to attract plenty of attention at the MEA conference. First up they postered vantage points such as bridges along the route from the airport to the city and they had more posters around the CBD area that the conference was being held in. Next they took a trade stand at the conference and they also parked their black “AV response”

MEA conference technical woes

2007-05-01T21:45:00.000+10:00

This year’s Meetings & Events Industry conference in Hobart was well received and we have many of the delegates gracing our social pages along with a full coverage of the industry awards. One sour note was the standard of production for the plenary sessions in the Concert Hall. The sound was patchy as was the lighting and the imag was feeding back on screen. Let me address those issues. The

Ministerial mumblings at MEA conference

2007-04-18T19:00:00.000+10:00

This year I attended my 10th Meetings & Events Industry conference. A number of those conferences have been attended by Federal Tourism ministers. Jackie Kelly won the seat of Lindsay from Labor in 1996 and was rewarded by John Howard with the Sport and Tourism portfolio. Kelly had represented Australia in rowing and is a keen sports person, however she had little to contribute to Tourism and

ASE February news

2007-02-08T20:25:00.000+11:00

What’s in a name? Or more to the point, what’s in a web address? Sydney on Sale has now become the Australian Events Expo and when those words are run together in a lowercase web address it is just too easy to read it as australian event sexpo. Now I know the organisers are looking at expanding the market, but… They have come up with a very clever logo though

Staging Connections – the inside story

2007-02-08T18:09:00.000+11:00

by Jon Smith – Creative Services Manager – Staging Connections Melbourne There has been a fair amount of media surrounding Staging Connections over the last twelve months. While I can understand that a company as large as ours is always going to be a talking point I am somewhat amazed by some of the things that have recently been written about us. While it is true to say there have been many

Ah, the youth of Australia. Tell them they can’t and of course they will.

2007-01-29T11:29:00.000+11:00

The media told the fans that bans would apply to the Aussie flag at Big Day Out and the Mexican Wave at the cricket. However the flag was never to be banned at BDO as the organisers stated “We are not banning the Australian flag but are simply discouraging its use for anti-social purposes at the Big Day Out.” Last year’s BDO was held in the aftermath of the Cronulla riots and some “true blue”

Here we go again – How did a major disruptive event get to be held in Melbourne CBD

2006-11-16T22:33:00.000+11:00

In 2000 protestors caused disruption to the leisurely pace of Melbourne when they blockaded Crown Casino, the venue for the World Economic Forum. Then in August last year protestors once again caused disruption to Sydney’s Circular Quay precinct during the Forbes Conference. In both these instances considerable areas of each CBD were “locked down” by

It’s a new soundsation!

2006-11-12T16:40:00.000+11:00

Recently I had my first close quarters experience with a band using in-ear foldback, and it was very disconcerting. The band was playing a corporate event at SCEC’s Bayside Grand Hall, the exhibition and function space under the main convention hall at Sydney’s Darling Harbour. The FOH sound system in the hall has been “upgraded” from a Meyer UPA system to a line array system. Now this in

Sydney on Sale and RSVP

2006-07-29T16:51:00.000+10:00

The second Sydney RSVP has created quite a buzz, with people I’ve been talking to this week saying they are very busy just trying to get through their follow-ups. A number of industry old hands were likening the event to Sydney Destination One – the precursor of Sydney on Sale (the first Destination One was held in the cargo area of the OPT at Circular Quay). The hubbub was

Games fever in Melbourne?

2006-03-10T12:18:00.000+11:00

Visited Melbourne this week and took in some of the Commonwealth Games preparations – here are some observations.The Opening CeremonyAndrew Walsh is the artistic director for the Opening Ceremony on behalf of Jack Moreton Worldwide. People in the Melbourne event industry are confident that Andrew will produce a fitting spectacular.Andrew has rejected reports in the British media yesterday that

Thoughts of NOLA

2005-09-05T22:59:00.000+10:00

It is now a week since Katrina ripped apart one of my favourite cities in the US. I have only spent a week in New Orleans, but I enjoyed it thoroughly when I attended The Special Event tradeshow in January 2001. So here are a few random thoughts on the current situation based on my experience of the city.New Orleans has two nicknames – NOLA (the LA is the abbreviation of Louisiana); and The

Student request

2005-09-05T18:40:00.000+10:00

Hi there,I'm part of a small group of students at university working with the not-for-profit organisation - Very Special Kids in Victoria. We're currently working on a marketing implementation project with VSK as to the viability of moving their major fundraising event (the Piggy Bank Appeal - 1 month duration) from September to May or another month.Would you be able to help us with some

work-life and travel-work issues in the events industry

2005-08-27T12:55:00.000+10:00

I am student currently invovled in studying a subject that looks atevent management. As part of a discussion group we need to look atwork-life and travel-work issues in the events idustry. I was hopingthat you could provide me with some relevant information or point me inthe direction of where to find relevant academic literature in regardsto these issues. Any help you are able to provide will be

SCEC loading dock a delight.

2005-07-29T16:21:00.000+10:00

Did anyone else notice the attitudinal shift on the SCEC loading dock recently? After waiting in the queue to get into the dock it was such a delight to be greeted by helpful security, who could also smile. No longer the surly Neanderthals who have dominated this patch of concrete for the past 15 years. The security are now employed by SCEC rather than booked by the expo producer and they have

RSVP arrives in Sydney

2005-06-06T10:34:00.000+10:00

Sydney's latest trade show premiered last week at Wharf 8.Anyone in the industry who is Sydney based could hardly have missed the PR blitz that proceeded RSVP.The trade show focussed on event management, production and services. Exhibitors included caterers, florists, entertainment, technical services, staging and speciality venues.The venue lent itself to the event quite nicely and there was

Event Management courses – are they worth it?

2005-05-31T10:50:00.000+10:00

Over the past decade we have seen an explosion in the number of event management courses available around Australia.This had led to many discussions within the industry regarding the worth of such courses.At ASE we receive many requests asking for recommendations regarding courses along with the inevitable “how do I get into the industry?”.We list whatever courses we know of in the event info

All Points of the Compass

2005-05-27T12:20:00.000+10:00

I was serving in the RAAF during the latter years of the Vietnam War and vividly remember the bail out by the Americans 30 years ago last month. I also remember the many (often colourful) characters from the many sides, including South Vietnam's last foreign minister, Charles Tran Van Lam. So it was with interest that I watched the documentary “All Points of the Compass” which told the story of

Introduction - How to use this forum

2005-05-26T13:37:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the ASE forum where you can have your say on issues relating to the Special Events industry in Australia and New Zealand.The rules are simple· To respond to an existing blog just click on “comments” at the bottom of the particular blog and add your comments – we encourage you to use your name (or nickname)and not sign as anonymous. · Keep your comments brief, to the point and relevant.