Among Australia’s corporate sector, January to March is the period usually reserved for planning meetings and events for the year ahead.

The Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) has designed a website to make this process cheaper and easier.

“Whether organising a board lunch, conference, meeting or product launch look no further than www.scvb.com.au, a FREE online service providing special deals and value added offers to make running events in Sydney or regional NSW easier," says Jon Hutchison, Managing Director for the Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB).

"Our ‘Hot Deals’ website, is the only site in Australia to provide meeting or event planners with a detailed resource of deals that will benefit the planner, saving them time, and money," says Mr Hutchison.

"The site is ideal for planners on the search for competitive prices on venue facilities for product launches, cocktail functions and meetings of all kinds, including team building activities and audio visual equipment hire, to list a few. The value of this service is compounded by the fact that planners won't find a range of discounts and value added deals anywhere else in Australia like those found on www.scvb.com.au.”

"Meeting and event planners will be amazed by the extensive deals offered by many of Sydney's most reputable venues, event planners, staging companies, hotels, convention and exhibition service providers, attractions, harbour cruise and other transport companies." Mr Hutchison said designing an internet portal providing special offers and value added deals was in response to feedback received from the increasing number of time and resource poor event and meeting planners across Sydney.

"From this feedback, we recognised January to March as an ideal time to be offering a service of this nature, planners are booking venues for first quarter conferences, and researching options over the peak planning periods from now to March 2003.

"The additional bonus, is the site provides meeting planners with a resource to research new ideas and information for future meetings and events," says Mr Hutchison. Examples of special deals that have appeared on the site are:

• Book a Captain Cook Cruises charter vessel for a lunch or dinner event and get a specially themed cocktail for all guests on arrival. Applies to bookings of 50+ passengers.
• Book a conference or incentive in the Hunter Valley through Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism from January to March and receive a case of premium Hunter Wines.
• At the Powerhouse Museum enjoy exclusive access to some of the most exciting and inspiring exhibitions. When a dinner or cocktail reception is booked at the Museum, guests will have complimentary access to the world renowned interactive Star Wars Exhibition, The Magic of Myth.
• Book a residential conference for minimum of 20 people before the end of March at a selection of Accor’s premium hotels and receive a ‘shopaholics’ weekend package with dinner for two on the Observation deck at Novotel Sydney Olympic Park, plus accommodation at the Novotel, and a $100 voucher for spending at the homebush Direct Factory Outlet including transfers.