From rainforest to reef, Michelle Mannion discovers incentive options galore in north-east Australia.
Our balloon rises with the sun, moving effortlessly through wispy clouds and into endless blue sky. As the morning haze burns off, the lush Cairns landscape comes into focus below, and I spy wiry kangaroos hopping through the brush. If there’s a better way to start the day, I haven’t experienced it.
There are few places where you can trek through verdant rainforest, dive amidst vibrant coral reef, laze on pristine beaches, go skydiving and white-water rafting, gaze on cutting-edge art and party at night in sleek venues, all in a matter of days – but then Queensland is a pretty unusual place. And if you have the budget – and the stamina – to make the 16,500km journey from the UK, it’s a special destination for incentive trips.
Anthony Hayes, chief executive of Tourism Queensland, says: “Our greatest strength is that we have such a range of experiences, so there should be something that suits every company.” In a state as vast as Queensland – it covers more than 1,850,000 sq km of Australia’s north-east, about a quarter of the country – there are numerous “destinations within a destination”. All have something different to offer, from the purpose-built Gold Coast resort in the south, to the natural splendour of Tropical North Queensland.
“The Gold Coast is about theme parks, helicopter rides and Harley Davidsons – the glitzy, fun end,” Hayes says. “The Sunshine Coast is a more natural place, about food and lifestyle. The Whitsundays are the most beautiful islands you’ve ever seen – that’s where you get the quintessential six-star luxury experience. Then you come to Tropical North Queensland, where it’s all about the natural beauty, the Daintree rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and [our] pitch is that it’s about a little bit of adventure – [it’s good] if companies are looking for teambuilding, getting out and about and testing each other.”
Incentives is an area of the international meetings sector that the state is keen to capture, and in 2011 it staged an audacious global competition to get the word out. The “Million Dollar Memo” invited companies worldwide to vie for AU$1 million (£640,000) worth of incentive experiences for their staff, with 20 shortlisted firms taking part in a week of challenges along the Queensland coast to determine the winner.
Hayes says: “Incentive business is very important to us. This year [2011] we think it’s worth AU$340 million [£217m] in terms of visitor expenditure. That’s a great start, but what we’re doing here is the first step in a five-year strategy and we hope that by the end of that period it will be worth AU$600 million [£348m].
“The idea is that this is a whopping great promotional stunt that says to every boss around the world: ‘If you’re a good boss you should be rewarding your staff – don’t give them cash, give them a trip to Queensland.’ Kicking off with this will hopefully get companies thinking about us.”
In a country as big as Australia, the domestic market understandably forms the bulk of Queensland’s incentive business – 65-70 per cent, Hayes estimates. “From there, it’s quite a broad spectrum – Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China with a bullet – it’s amazing how the incentive culture seems to be developing there. We’re seeing some great work out of southern Asia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the sleeping giant that no doubt will be India. We also see some fairly good business out of the US.”
What about the UK – is it really a feasible option for companies to go that far? Hayes says: “We’re very keen on the UK and don’t see why we should give up on that. It’s about working with companies in another way – it’s easy to put people on a plane to somewhere two hours away, so we offer something different to that. We can build itineraries for different markets.”
He adds: “The UK is number one in terms of visitor expenditure per person – they spend more, and when they come they want to stay a long time and get out and about and experience the Australian lifestyle. Going to the rainforest, touching the animals – those experiences are what the Brits seem to like so it’s a great opportunity to start talking more effectively to UK companies about how we engage with them.”
And while the current strength of the Australian dollar means the country has become a more expensive proposition for UK visitors, Hayes says it can cater for all budgets. “What we’re trying to showcase is that we can do five/six-star luxury at one end and good three/four-star experiential packages at the other,” he says.
He adds that his organisation works actively with its counterpart in New South Wales if companies want to combine a trip to Queensland with the iconic sights of Sydney. “Common sense says you give the customer what they want,” he says. “We work closely with New South Wales because Sydney is Sydney, but the Great Barrier Reef is the Great Barrier Reef, and the Whitsundays are the Whitsundays. Combine them and it’s a pretty good itinerary.” Here’s a taster of what some of Queensland’s regions have to offer.
GOLD COAST
In a state with as much natural beauty as Queensland, the high-rises of the Gold Coast – a 70km stretch about 100km south of Brisbane – are always going to seem incongruous. With the shopping and nightlife centre of Surfers Paradise at its core, the skyscraper apartment blocks that line its wide, sandy beaches could never be called pretty – although the 360-degree views at night from smart event venue Skypoint (skypoint.com.au), on the 77th and 78th levels of Q1, Australia’s tallest building, are something to behold.
Like its buildings, many of the incentive activities on offer here are man-made, such as the Sea World and Paradise Country theme parks (myfun.com.au), where you can get up close with dolphins, penguins, kangaroos and koalas. At the latter, delegates can also have a go at making “bush tucker” such as dampers (Australian soda bread) and billy tea, try their hand at sheep-shearing, and enjoy a barbecue while listening to Aussie songs.
If that sounds a little contrived, get your group down to the beach. Surf life-saving is a proud tradition here, as elsewhere in the country, and clubs such as BMD Northcliffe (northcliffesurfclub.com.au) – in operation since 1947 – can organise competitions with teams led by local Ironman (and woman) champions.
The Gold Coast is also home to luxury properties such as Palazzo Versace, the first hotel for the Italian fashion giant, which opened by Main Beach in 2000. Russell Durnell, its general manager, says: “We’ve had a record year for meetings in 2011. We boosted the number of MICE room nights by 76 per cent in the last financial year, and we’re aiming to increase that even further this year.” The 200-room property has a 500-capacity ballroom and a 90-berth private marina. The Gold Coast also has its own airport, 25km south of Surfers Paradise, that operates frequent domestic services as well as a few international routes.
BRISBANE
With all its natural riches, corporate groups are perhaps more likely to use the state capital for the serious work, or as a connecting point, before heading out on their adventures. Brisbane airport is the country’s third largest and is served by airlines such as Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Emirates. It has a large convention and exhibition centre – with a new building to open in early 2012 – as well as international hotel brands such as Hilton, Sofitel and Marriott.
If you have time between meetings, visit the superb Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (qag.qld.gov.au), on the South Bank. The former houses works by Degas and Picasso as well as a considerable homegrown collection, while the latter hosted a major surrealist exhibition in 2011. Group tours can be arranged.
SUNSHINE COAST
This 150km strip of coastline is about an hour’s drive north of Brisbane. Featuring excellent beaches backed by deep green hinterland, it offers a more laid-back vibe than the Gold Coast, with gourmet dining in towns such as Noosa a particular strength.
Pippa McCreery, business events manager at Business Events Sunshine Coast – a non-profit organisation that markets the region – says: “There are more than 500 food and beverage producers here, and the region is fast gaining a reputation for quality produce and unique regional flavours. There are food trails, vineyards, cooking schools and farmers’ markets – something for every group.” Berardo’s fine-dining restaurant and beachside bistro (berardos.com.au) in Noosa are ideal for group meals.
The area is also a gateway to Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island and a World Heritage site. Other activities McCreery recommends are visiting late conservationist Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, and dining at the Sunshine Coast’s oldest working cattle station, Yandina.
Properties include the Hyatt Regency Coolum (coolum.regency.hyatt.com), a five-star, 150-hectare resort with 324 rooms, suites and villas, an 18-hole golf course, various dining options, a spa and meeting venues, the largest of which hosts 1,500 for a reception. Sunshine Coast airport offers daily links to Sydney and Melbourne.
WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS
Sadly, for a state that enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, storms put paid to my Whitsundays visit. But Tamara Pidcock, business events manager at Whitsundays Business Events, enthuses about what this group of 74 islands off the central Queensland coast has to offer. “The Whitsundays is spoilt with some of Australia’s most beautiful scenery and natural attractions including Heart Reef, the Great Barrier Reef and one of the top ten beaches in the world, Whitehaven,” she says. “Only eight of the islands are inhabited, leaving plenty of untouched beauty to explore. Teambuilding activities include sailing the Whitsunday passage, bushwalking, a scenic seaplane flight, or staging a beach Olympics.”
She adds: “We have an array of island and mainland resorts that service the meeting and incentive market.” The luxury private Hayman Island resort (hayman.com.au) has 210 guestrooms and a 300-capacity meeting venue, for example. Access is via Great Barrier Reef airport on Hamilton Island, which has daily links from Cairns, Sydney and Brisbane, and the mainland Whitsunday Coast airport, with daily Brisbane flights. Ferry services are also available.
TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND
North again, to this expansive area that encompasses destinations such as Cairns and Port Douglas. Rosie Douglas, director of business events at Business Events Cairns and Great Barrier Reef, says: “Our destination is all about nature-based experiences – primarily the Great Barrier Reef and wet tropics rainforest. It’s the only place on the globe where two World Heritage areas sit side by side.
“On the reef you can go snorkelling, diving, helmet diving or have dinner on an island or platform – we are the closest city to access it. You can experience the rainforest in a cable car, quad bike or four-wheel-drive. Dinner in the rainforest is very popular. Other options are bungee jumping or jungle surfing – taking a flying fox [zipline] through the rainforest.”
Visiting the reef – some 348,000 sq km of vibrant living organisms – is an incredible experience, whether you are a seasoned diver or novice snorkeller. Quicksilver (quicksilver-cruises.com) organises trips from Cairns or Port Douglas. Skyrail (skyrail.com.au) runs cable-car rides through Cairns rainforest, and Hot Air (hotair.com.au) offers ballooning.
One of the most memorable group experiences in this region is Flames of the Forest (flamesoftheforest.com.au), a night of spine-tingling Aboriginal storytelling, music and dining in the rainforest just outside Port Douglas. The nearby five-star Sea Temple resort and spa (mirvachotels.com) offers 194 rooms, apartments and villas and reception space for 220 delegates. In Cairns, the recently refurbished Hilton (hilton.com) has 263 spacious rooms and a 350-capacity ballroom. Cairns airport has several daily services from Brisbane and Sydney, and a daily Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong.
- Visit tq.com.au
Spotlight: Million Dollar Memo
Indonesia’s ADR Group beat 19 other global finalists to win Tourism Queensland’s Million Dollar Memo competition in August, claiming the prize of AU$1 million (£649,000) worth of incentive experiences for its employees.
The company’s vice-president of international business development, Rusman Salem Mustam, competed against representatives from the other firms in a series of challenges along the coast, including surf live-saving, a gourmet cook-off and golfing. Among the finalists were companies from Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, India, the US, Germany, and UK digital agency Reading Room.
They made the shortlist by creating a 60-second video explaining why they were a great company to work for and why Queensland was the ultimate incentive destination. They also undertook campaigns to promote the event.
Some 291 firms from 28 countries entered, with almost 70 per cent from the Asia-Pacific region, a key incentive market for Australia. Event partners included Etihad Airways and Virgin Australia. Visit milliondollarmemo.com
