An incentives journey through Australia’s fields of dreams

Paul Colston joins the Tourism Australia 2023 Dreamtime incentives showcase, visiting Uluru and Adelaide Dreamtime, Business Events Australia’s flagship incentives showcase, delivered for 2023 in partnership with Business Events Adelaide, was hosted in South Australia at the end of 2023. It was the first time the event had been held since 2019 due to Covid. Previously the showcase had taken place in different destinations across Australia every two years. I attended the November 2023 trip as part of the UK group invited to a pre-event tour of Uluru and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory (NT). A traditional Tourism Australia marketing strapline, ‘There’s nowhere like Australia’ certainly rang true this time: the destination’s pull is strong despite the time needed to reach it, from Europe at least. The marathon journey was eased somewhat by the service from Singapore Airlines, whose Premium Economy product, including several menu choices, makes that endurance test a lot more bearable. Airlift has not fully returned after the pandemic and airfares can be rather high, historically, but services should be added by several airlines connecting Australia throughout 2024. For now, however, business visitors are still riding the wave of euphoria of the country being well and truly back open for events and our intrepid group was eager to check out the product and services on offer. Our journey’s end on the way out, however, was not over at Sydney airport, as we connected straight on to an internal flight up to the Red Centre and Uluru (Ayers Rock).

Flying over Australia’s massive interior, you can view a terrain that is home to an ancient Aboriginal culture that dates back 65,000 years. The Northern Territory offers some key destinations for business events, encompassing the cosmopolitan and tropical city of Darwin and UNESCO World Heritage listed Kakadu, Australia’s largest National Park. Then there is the quintessential Outback town of Alice Springs and the natural icons Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Darwin International Airport connects direct to South East Asia hubs including Singapore. And, if time is not a problem, why not consider a ride on the transcontinental Ghan train – a 3,000km ride from Darwin to Adelaide. Our group’s base in Uluru was the Sails in the Desert Hotel, a five-star luxury oasis that sits on Anangu territory and there are plenty of opportunities to learn all about the traditional owners of the land and their culture during a stay. Sails takes its name from the white sail-shaped ownings that line the property’s outdoor spaces. Inside carpets with indigenous colours and prints run through the hotel. Thanks to DMC Voyages, we were able to experience the Wintjiri Wiru outdoor dining experience at sunset with views of the Uluru rock, accompanied by rhythmic sounds of the didgeridoo. Another night we were witness to a very special drone show and then an early morning viewing of the Field of Light – an incredible installation of 50,000 frosted glass spheres. This spectacular work of art by Bruce Munro covers an area equivalent to seven football fields. All of these experiences were an incredible assault on the senses but left powerful impressions. The explosion of colour in a desert night sky under the Southern Cross was worth every hour of the long haul journey to witness. As well as the sunrise and sunset excursions in Uluru, you can join an aboriginal Maruku dot painting workshop or try a bush tucker tasting. A selection of these activities can be viewed on the NT Business Events website. While our Dreamtime tour was heavily concentrated on the incentives options available in NT, for larger international meetings there is support funding on offer from local CVB Business Events NT from AUD$100 per delegate, subject to application Ayers Rock Resort has its own conference complex. The Uluru Meeting Place is a state-of-the-art meeting area which includes a pre-function area, an outdoor breakout space and two large conference rooms. Four hotels on site, including the Desert Gardens Hotel, mean there’s plenty of space for everyone in your group to relax at any budget point. There are shops and art galleries worth visiting within walking distance, too.

Adelaide

The journey from Uluru to Adelaide included a four and a half hour bus ride across the desert to Alice Springs, stopping to view Mt Conner on the way. In Alice Springs we visited the Earth Sanctuary where we took a masterclass in local cuisine and got to peer through the powerful telescopes and hear all about the many environmental and sustainability projects the team are involved in. Dreamtime 2023 proper officially kicked off with a Welcome to Country at Adelaide Convention Centre (the ACC is located along the riverbank in the heart of the city and was the first purpose-built exhibition venue to be built in Australia and the first convention centre to achieve EarthCheck’s Master status).

The first morning also provided a chance to scale some heights at the Adelaide Oval, courtesy of RoofClimb. Media delegates were taken for a VIP lunch at Adelaide Botanic Garden Restaurant where the courses were simply works of art. Chef Justin James creates dishes using botanicals from the gardens and native ingredients and proteins. Dishes sampled included scallop with Kakadu plum and lime, and wagyu on a pine branch with Illawarra plum and eucalyptus. Al delegates reconvened in the evening at the Dreamtime Welcome Event at Vardon Avenue, East End. Day two in Adelaide kicked off with a spectacular breakfast right on the ground at Adelaide Oval. That was followed by a tour of the premises and a chance to see the only remaining manually operated scoreboard in Test cricket. There was a beautiful lunch at the beautiful Louise private villa in the Barossa Valley and, keeping to the wine theme, a call at Chateau Tanunda for wine blending and tastings. While in Barossa we visited Seppeltsfield Wines which offers a range of on-site group experiences including the ‘taste of history’ tour in the 1878 Centennial cellar, and vineyard tours on a Segway. We also had a tour of Sequoia Lodge – which had recently hosted Sir Paul McCartney, and dined in style (including some vegemite bread) at Mount Lofty House Adelaide Hills. There was a visit to Jurlique Farm and a chance to stock up on beauty lotions and creams, and then more wine and cheese tasting at The Lane Vineyard. Having been well fed and watered, we visited Cleland Wildlife Park where it was our turn to feed kangaroos, emus and stroke the koalas. You have to be quick though as they are only awake four hours a day! Back to stay in the Oval Hotel, part of a complex that has 25 multipurpose event spaces. The complex can host up to 1,000 delegates for conferences, and 780 guests for a seated dinner.

Sustainable commitment

For the first time, the Dreamtime event was certified carbon neutral by Climate Active. This meant Tourism Australia reduced emissions where possible and compensated for the remainder by investing in carbon offset projects to fully balance all emissions. Carbon offset programmes which Tourism Australia has invested in include: Regenerating over 75,000ha of native shrubland and forest via the Tallering Station Human Induced Regeneration Project. Over time the project will provide much needed habitat for endangered native species in the region as well as aiding restoration of some of the most at-risk landscapes in Australia. The programme culminated with a remarkable finale dinner at Penfolds Magill Estate, where the drives underground tunnels and cellars provide unique private dining space for groups. Cellar 20 can accommodate 140 guests on one long table.

Back to business

Following the country pre-tours and the incentives experiences in Adelaide and the surrounding hills and vineyards, the full Dreamtime contingent, including over 90 international buyers and media, came together in South Australia’s capital to do business at the ACC. Tourism Australia managing director, Phillipa Harrison gave an official welcome. “In 2019 the business events sector was a major contributor to the Australian visitor economy attracting more than one million visitors to our country who spent A$4.5bn and Dreamtime will play a key role in helping us get back to those levels,” she said. ourism Australia’s executive general manager of commercial and business events Australia, Robin Mack said Dreamtime provided the perfect platform to demonstrate Australia’s event delivery capabilities. “Even with the disruption to global travel after the event, Dreamtime 2019 delivered solid results for Australia, generating 36 business leads in three months, worth $97m,” Mack noted. Business Events Adelaide CEO, Damien Kitto, said Adelaide had all the infrastructure and high-quality venues expected of a modern city but had retained its boutique charm. “We are so fortunate to be able to easily show our visitors world-class unique experiences in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills, all within an hour of the city,” he said. It was also announced that Dreamtime would be renamed ‘Australia Next’ as of 2024 and will return in Cairns, Tropical North Queensland. Australia Next will also have a 2025 edition before resuming two-year programming in 2027.