The largest conference and events centre in the Hunter Valley has booked it’s first event and is set to open in January 2015. Described as having a light-filled design, the 2,000m of pre-function, meeting and exhibition space is set to market the Hunter Valley as a leading Australian Conference destination. The Centre overlooks garden spaces and golf course greens within Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley and will be comprised of flexible conference rooms that can be broken into separate…

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The Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Australia (SPASA Australia) has elected Gary Nye as CEO. Mr Nye has previously held several senior executive positions in the fast food, general merchandise and food industries at companies such as Bilo Supermarkets, Coles Myer and Target. Most recently, Mr Nye was COO of Clark Rubber as well as President of SPRAA for the last two years, where he assisted in developing the Certificate III and IV in Swimming Pool and Spa Service. SPAS Australia…

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Statistics New Zealand has released new figures showing the number of visitors to the country for a conference or convention has risen 4.4 per cent.  Tourism NZ international business events manager Bjoern Spreitz said the findings were valid and warranted. “Tourism New Zealand has significantly increased its efforts in the business events sector of the last few years and the country is now bidding for, and winning, more international conventions than ever before.”  Mr…

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The Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) has released its annual report. More than 60 000 registered Australian charities are eligible for Commonwealth charity tax concessions and must go through the ACNC before being granted reductions. It is the second annual report of the ACNC and the first time the report has been submitted to Parliament.  ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe AM said she was proud of the work the ACNC had achieved in meeting the regulator’s legislative…

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The NRMA board will welcome a new director in the wake of Graham Blight’s exit. Mr Blight will reach his 12-year board term limit in early 2015, making way for NSW Farmer’s Associations and Liverpool Plains farmer Fiona Simpson. Mr Blight said local councils desperately needed more money from state and federal governments for road infrastructure, making Ms Simpson a good fit. Ms Simpson said her time at the NSW Farmer’s Association will affect her work at the NRMA and she will be prioritising…

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The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has been inducted into the RACV Victorian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame. This is the third year in a row MCEC has taken out the Business Tourism category.  "Taking out this prestigious award and being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a huge coup for MCEC and tops off our venue's most successful year in history," said MCEC chief executive, Peter King. 

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After surveying more than 2 700 directors of not-for-profit organisations, the Australian Institute of Company Directors has released the findings of Australia’s biggest study on not-for-profit governance. The NFP Governance and Performance Study was conducted by research firm BaxterLawley and found that more than 30 per cent of not-for-profits have discussed mergers in the last 12 months in order to improve efficiency and expand services. “The results of our study show…

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Applications are now open for session ideas for the 2015 ASAR Annual Meeting and Exposition. Sessions of all shapes and sizes will be considered for an audience primarily made up of association CEOs/executive directors and senior executives, on the proviso that sessions are engaging and challenging.  The aim is to create a learning experience which will explore cutting edge approaches to tackling issues faced in functional areas of association management.  The 2014 Annual Meeting…

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In the lead up to the G20 World Leaders Summit in Brisbane, the host city has released the official program for the Brisbane Global Cafe.  Designed to highlight the global nature of G20, the Brisbane Global Cafe will provide presentations and panels addressing five key themes about the future of life on Earth and will run 12-13 November. The themes include Improving Human Life, Tourism's New Frontiers, The Digital Age, Cities of the Future and Powering Future Economics.

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The Board of AgriFood Skills Australia has announced the appointment of Ms Anwen Lovett as the new Chief Executive Officer.Ms Lovett will replace retiring CEO, Arthur Blewitt, who is retiring from the position in mid-September having led the organisation since its inception 10 years ago.Ms Lovett is currently the Executive Manager of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) and has held senior roles at the Australian…

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