Breakfast at a Sunshine Coast ‘sandbar’ for delegates of the Australian Event Awards

As part of the Australian Event Awards and Symposium held on the Sunshine Coast in September, over 130 delegates from across Australia were taken to the idyllic Maroochy Sandbar, which is normally totally uninhabited and often underwater!

Highlighting the Sunshine Coast’s versatility in hosting events with a difference, Business Events Sunshine Coast organised for delegates to be transferred by boat from their base at Novotel Twin Waters Resort to the sandbar, where guests enjoyed a breakfast featuring the best of Sunny Coast ingredients – catered by the Boat Shed – accompanied by entertainment from Pantastic and Acroyoga…and complemented by the region’s legendary sunshine!

NSW cements position as home to the world’s best festival and event cities

NSW has once again been recognised as Australia’s number-one major events State with Sydney, Newcastle and Coffs Harbour each bestowed a prestigious World Festival and Event City Award by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA).

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said the achievements follow a series of major event investments and wins across NSW.

“These awards are an important acknowledgement of our State’s robust major events strategy and tireless work to secure world-class events for NSW. This is the seventh year in a row Sydney has won the coveted international title, reinforcing the harbour city’s position as the major events capital of Australia,” Ayres said.

“This latest IFEA award for Newcastle is the fourth time this coastal metropolis has won, cementing its reputation as a Regional NSW events city and the proud home to blockbusters including Surfest and the Australian Bowl Riding Championships.

“I am delighted to see Coffs Harbour win its second IFEA World Festival and Event City Award following the success of major events including Rally Australia, the Offshore Superboat Championships, Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge and the Sawtell Chilli Festival.”

Behind the scenes of a great event

As the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Peter Jones, put it at the Australian Event Awards ceremony on the Sunshine Coast last Wednesday, “Any industry is only as important as the people who support it”.

The 2016 Australian Event Awards, culminating in last week’s awards ceremony attended by over 300 industry players from every state and territory in Australia, was only possible through the support of our Partners who lend their skills, products and services to give the Australian events industry an experience to remember.

The Australian Event Awards seek to recognise and highlight the best events in Australia and the best Australian achievements anywhere in the world, regardless of event size, purpose or audience.

These are the organisations which helped make the Event Awards happen this year:

As the destination marketing organisation for the Sunshine Coast, Visit Sunshine Coast works closely with tourism and events organisations across the Sunshine Coast to boost tourism numbers and bring events to the region to benefit local businesses and the community. It is through the work of Visit Sunshine Coast that the Australian Event Awards have taken up residence on the Sunshine Coast until 2018.

Celebrating that good food feeling in October

The good food feeling will spread across Sydney and surrounding regions starting this long weekend from October 1 as The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month presented by Citi kicks off, making it the tastiest month to date.

This year’s program will entice food enthusiasts with more than 185 delectable events, including the crowd-favourite Night Noodle Markets which launches next week, October 6, with an epic line up of over 40 stalls and special events that will have Hyde Park buzzing for a record number of 18 nights, until October 23.

Last year almost half a million people attended the Night Noodle Markets and this year is set to be even more enticing as we introduce the Good Food Main Stage, which will allow market-goers to get up close and personal with stars from X-Factor, Home & Away and Better Homes and Gardens. There will also be an array of family entertainment offerings, celebrity guest and chef appearances, live DJs and music.