Executive PA Australasia October November 2016 | Page 40

Brisbane's Customs House
Business decorum
Doing business in this sunny city is easy. Locals are tough, well-
briefed negotiators, but they’re relaxed and dress accordingly. For
men, ties are optional. Some local business identities are known for
turning up at meetings in casual shirts and neat shorts. Suits are not
the norm here, more to do with the weather than anything.
There’s less importance placed on couture than in many
destinations. A safe bet for men and women alike is lightweight,
light-coloured clothing - even short sleeves.
Women dress in causal corporate. Business cards, commonly
exchanged, don’t require ceremony. Social gaffes are extremely rare.
Bunking down
The Brisbane hotel scene continues to improve. Lodgings range
from typical big-city hotels to quirky boutique properties. All now
come with the latest audio-visual equipment in conference rooms
and compete to win small-and-medium conferences.
One hotel success story, with a loyal corporate following, is the
289-room Novotel Brisbane which is in Brisbane’s business district.
Twelve function and meeting spaces (indoor and outdoor) can host
up to 350 delegates.
Novotel is also set to open a new hotel in South Bank directly
across the road from the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition
Centre (BCEC).
AccorHotels Pacific chief operating officer Simon McGrath says
significant investment in infrastructure such as this Novotel hotel
will further increase the capacity for Brisbane to attract significant
events, conferences and exhibitions and cater to the domestic and
international travel markets.
“Brisbane is the main gateway for Queensland visitors and with
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aviation links expanding all the time especially from Asia, the city
is exceptionally well placed to grow its market share and drive the
local visitor economy.”
Meeting spaces
The BCEC which was recently named ‘The World’s Best Convention
Centre by the International Association of Congress Centres APEX
Award’ is the largest meeting space in the city and hosted the high-
profile G20 gathering in 2014.
Opening in 1995, it remains an eye-catching slice of Brisbane
architecture and can accommodate as many as 8000 and as few as
eight people in 44 meeting rooms.
Sales director Alison Gardiner says its location is key “delegates
will enjoy access to art galleries, museums and theatres, subtropical
parklands and more than 70 riverside restaurants and cafes and
bohemian markets”.
She says Brisbane enjoys a combination of sub-tropical climate with
year-round sunny days and world-class infrastructure, “all surrounded
by pristine coast, tropical rainforest and white-sand islands”.
Nearby, the centrally-located Customs House, one of Brisbane’s
heritage icons, has four unique conference and event spaces catering
for six to 300 people.
Its grand colonnades and large dome make it a major feature
on the landscape.
Director Brian Roberts says it adds to Brisbane’s diverse venues.
“Brisbane has some wonderful unique venues from iconic
heritage buildings to craft breweries in a warehouse environment.
EAs and PAs are [also] amazed by our very mild winter and we can
host events outside all year so it is the perfect destination over the
winter months.” E