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in this edition...

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Conference wrap

A busy March saw the Centre hosting 15 conferences including Routes Asia 2018 billed as the worlds biggest aviation networking gathering attracting 950 delegates from 96 airlines, 146 airports and 23 tourism authorities. The conference which is seen as an opportunity to secure future new routes to and from destinations all over the world delivered on its promise with an announcement that Vietjet Air, Vietnam’s largest budget airline will fly from Ho Chi Min City to Brisbane from 2019, making Brisbane Vietjet Air’s first destination in Australia.

BCEC’s busy conference agenda continues throughout 2018 with 138 conferences on the calendar including the world’s foremost international forum on robotics and automation. 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) kicks off in May which organisers say will attract the who’s who in the world of robotics.

While March was a busy month for hosting conferences, the team at the Centre were also busily engaged in confirming new conferences, 16 in total Including the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) International Conference 2021.  ISQua will showcase Australia’s leading role in quality health care delivery and is expected to attract more than 1,000 of the world’s health care experts.

Small Meetings big impact

Spotlight on a favourite space

A variety of boutique meeting spaces, natural light, flexible menu options and professional event services, will make your meeting stand out from the rest regardless of size.

Arbour Level of Grey Street is a unique level that offers two boutique meeting rooms A1 and A2. A generously sized private lounge area provides for a great networking and relaxation space during break times. Arbour level offers an abundance of natural daylight filling the rooms and lounge area, easy access via the Grey Street entrance and sits neatly over Olio Cafe & Bar. These rooms are a perfect fit for 10-60 guests, when you need to hold a small workshop or meeting.

Learn more about room options for small meetings →

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BCEC delivers The Best of Both Worlds

The team at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre hit the ground running in 2018 launching an exciting new initiative aimed at the smaller and medium sized conferences.

The Centre joined forces with Rydges Hotel South Bank opening doors to those conferences wanting the convenience of a single point of contact for both accommodation and conference facilities.

South Bank Conferences  will see organisers benefit from  access to the dedicated boutique facilities of the World’s Best Convention Centre with the convenience of premium on-site accommodation in a unique one stop shop approach.

Visit SouthBankConferenes.com.au  for more information

Kate Hudson Business Chicks

Inspiration with a dose of glamour and fame on the menu

The Centre was proud to host the talented Hollywood A-Lister Kate Hudson at a recent Business Chicks lunch which had more than 1,100 guests filling the Centre’s Great Hall on 22 February.  The popular actress and businesswoman  delighted the audience with her thoughts on everything from fitness, to food and health and to being a Mum.

“Kate Hudson should be immensely proud of all she’s accomplished and the grace with which she’s achieved it. She and her team were a dream to work with during the tour – consummate and kind professionals. We loved every moment,” said Global CEO of Business Chicks, Emma Isaacs.

So what’s next on the menu at the Centre for Business Chicks? On 24 April we will welcome TV host and journalist Lisa Wilkinson to breakfast at BCEC in front of an already sold out audience for the Plaza Ballroom. Lisa is certainly at the top of her game, earning the respect of audiences across the country, from magazines to radio to online and television.

While their upcoming events are still hush-hush (we’re hearing exciting things!), we’re looking forward to partnering with Business Chicks on the launch of 9 to Thrive in Brisbane. Successfully running in Sydney and Melbourne for the past three years, Business Chicks is bringing their experiential expo (think of it as Instagram in real life) to BCEC on 19 and 20 October 2018. We can’t wait to be part of the action!

Learn more about Business chicks here →

Jiving back in time

It’s incredible what can be imagined when you’re handed a blank canvas and creative freedom. In March, our Great Hall was transformed into a Rock’n’Roll night for the Keno & Clubs Queensland Awards for Excellence 2018. More than 1,000 guests from across the State gathered to see successful Queensland community clubs being awarded.

Bathed in hues of hot pink, the room featured a chequered black and white dance floor with vintage cars and motorbikes. Guests were treated to an evening of entertainment, including a performance from Australian singer-songwriter Paulini Curuenavuli with Australian actor, Shane Jacobson as MC for the evening.

The fun didn’t stop there with guests treated to a mouth-watering 50’s style menu;  Classic Prawn Cocktails for entrée, Chicken a la King with White Wine Cream Sauce for main and a classic Banana Split Sundae for dessert! Forty five awards were given out during the evening culminating with a regional club from Bundaberg, The Waves, a community multi-sports club taking out the major Club of the Year award.  Congratulations to all finalists from the evening.

New ‘Fun’ Tech available for your next event

Who doesn’t love new toys! Our AV department has just taken delivery of a couple of Catchboxes. These are throwable microphones that can activate the Q&A portion of an event. Who wants to wait for a handheld mic to be passed around? Why not make it fun and throw a Catchbox and engage your audience.

The Catchbox is made from a combination of durable light foams and technical fabrics, making it extremely light for its size as well as durable. All the hard electronic components are hidden inside, ensuring that dropping and throwing the device won’t damage anything.

Most people are afraid of speaking in front of their peers, limiting discussion. The colorful playful Catchbox easily breaks the ice and lightens the mood at any event. Participation becomes more relaxed, fun and game like. This means even the quietest attendees aren’t afraid to speak up.

If you would you like to order these for your next event contact our AV team for more detail on AVsales@bcec.com.au

Are your tickets the real deal?

There’s nothing better than seeing your favourite band live. But there’s nothing worse than arriving to the venue, ticket in hand, only to discover that the ticket is not valid. The term in the industry is scalping. Scalping is the buying and reselling of tickets for profit. This has always existed, but the age of digital advancements has meant that the scale of scalping has increased substantially. Resellers have become highly sophisticated in their methods, which has made fans confused and unsure of who the real ticket sellers are. Plus, there is currently limited legislation to prevent the scalping of tickets.

How do you know if your ticket is the real deal?

Here are our 4 top tips to avoid the ticket scalping trap:

  1. Don’t assume that the top spot on Google is the real deal

We’ve become a society of “Googlers”.

Want to know the capital of Iceland? Just Google it.

Want to find out the opening times of Olio? Just Google it.

Want to buy tickets to your favourite show? Just Google it.

Google is amazing at helping us answer our questions. However, the top spots on Google are often ads, meaning that these spots are paid for. What’s stopping ticket resellers from paying their way to the top?

  1. Double check the price

When you see the price of a ticket you’re buying and your mouth drops to the floor because it’s so expensive, it’s probably best that you double check the price. Ticket resellers sometimes sell tickets for double or triple the price of the original ticket. It’s best to double check another source (preferably the ticket site the artist is promoting).

  1. Check the artists website and social media

 If you seriously love an artist, you’re watching their every move on their social media channels, their website and through their event alert emails. The artist will be sure to publish the authorised ticket seller, such as Ticketek – guaranteeing you a seat at their show.

  1. Check the venue’s link

Here at BCEC, we want to ensure that everyone who buys a ticket gets to see the show. That’s why when we post our upcoming events on our website and social media channels, the links go directly to the authorised ticket seller.