The new-look event ‘BE Immersed: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef’, evolved from the long-running Sell TNQ educational program, was held earlier this month.
Nineteen Australian meeting planners, including two media delegates, were immersed in the region undertaking a four-day program in Cairns and Port Douglas.
Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef General Manager Rosie Douglas said BE Immersed successfully showcased the region’s business events products and capability, highlighting brand new hotels, offsite venues, and expanding infrastructure.
“With meeting planners eager to start work on reactivating the business events industry, it is timely to welcome our fellow industry partners to the region, in person and following COVID-Safe procedures,” she said.
The jam-packed itinerary ensured delegates knew that Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is the natural place to meet. The group toured the newly refurbished Cairns Convention Centre, nearby hotels and offsite venues and participated in one-on-one appointments with Cairns suppliers before dining under the stars overlooking the marina.
Day 2 started with an aquarium breakfast, hotel site inspections, and soaring above the rainforest canopy aboard a cableway. Drinks during the golden hour of the sun setting in the middle of cane field and dinner in the middle of a disused World War II naval oil storage tank impressed. The evening event wowed, complete with fire dancers lighting up the sugar cane, silk aerialists performing from the rafters above and the soulful tunes of AustraNesia telling the stories of their Torres Strait Islander and South Pacific members.
The group then journeyed north on Day 3, meeting Port Douglas suppliers and exploring business events venues, hanging out with the local wildlife and a Dreamtime experience in Mossman Gorge.
A visit to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is not complete without a refreshing locally made beer, or two, and our delegates got to visit two waterfront Hemingway’s Breweries, enjoying a tasting paddle and head brewer presentations.
“With the world’s oldest rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef as the backdrop, BE Immersed: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef ensured our meeting planners were able to experience naturally inspired moments. They can see how their future clients can surround their teams with great, leaving their business greater,” Douglas continued.
BE Immersed: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is an annual educational program, applications for next year’s event can be submitted throughout the year.
Contact Kahlia Pepper for Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef media enquires.
