More than 100 international event planners and media headed home from Perth this week after participating in the buoyant Dreamtime 2019, Tourism Australia’s business events incentive showcase.
The event took place Dec. 2 and 3, and included a full-day, face-to-face business session of pre-scheduled appointments, providing sellers with the opportunity to meet and do business with international buyers; a welcome event and dinner, networking events that provided sellers with the opportunity to develop relationships and have further discussions with international buyers and media; and a breakfast and Perth showcase, both designed to showcase the city’s incentive offerings.
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Here are some other highlights from Dreamtime 2019.
Work Together
Dreamtime is hosted by a different Australia city once every two years. Tourism Australia works together with various convention and visitors bureaus (in this case, Perth Convention Bureau), businesses and government members to ensure that the country’s destinations are portrayed in the best possible light. An example of this cooperation and teamwork was the collaborative performance by Wadumbah Aboriginal Dance Group and a local orchestra group, Dolce Ensemble, at the showcase dinner.
Timing, Timing, Timing
Penny Lion, executive general manager of events at Tourism Australia, says Perth has changed considerably in recent years. Therefore, Dreamtime 2019 was the perfect opportunity for Perth to show off its major renovations and revitalization, which have included new and improved hotels, precincts and experiences. Perth’s role in hosting Dreamtime 2019 presented an excellent opportunity to re-introduce the city to worldwide business-event planners.
Keep it Local, Keep it Authentic
Perth sent guests away with minds teeming with new ideas and destination possibilities—and stomachs full of oysters and whiskey. To go out with a bang, at the farewell dinner that Tourism Australia hosted, the focus was on luxury and authenticity. The authenticity was found in the food, made with locally sourced ingredients, and cocktails, created using local gin. All the food was prepared in an open kitchen, and guests ate outside in the gardens of the Government House in true Australian outdoor-dining fashion.
