#mcvb

[theawesomeperhaps]

porn hair ⇨ Miley Cyrus

[theawesomeperhaps]

"Beauty is the enemy. We try to conquer not feeling beautiful all our lives. It’s a battle that can’t be won. There’s no definition of beauty. The only way to achieve beauty is to feel it from inside without breaking it down into individual physical attributes."

[theawesomeperhaps]

"It’s so good to love someone so much it hurts...I don't know how people survive this."

[ozevents]

Previewing the MCEC Signature Dinner

Tonight the MCEC are hosting around 400 guests for a Signature Dinner and ASE were invited to Melbourne for the occasion.

But not just for dinner. I joined a couple of other journos for lunch with the MCEC's CEO, Peter King for a backgrounder on the centre and then a preview of tonight's event.

So first up it was lunch at one of the fabulous new restaurants that have popped up in the refurbished sheds adjacent to the new convention centre. The Sharing House is a restaurant where one shares many small dishes with friends. I think we had about 10 courses - every one of them delicious.

The Sharing House like a bit of fun

Peter King is quite excited about the development of the properties neighbouring the convention centre and he points put that conference delegates are already discovering the delights of these establishments.

I look forward to the day when a large conference takes over the whole precinct along there for a fabulous dining and entertainment experience - MCVB, I'm looking at you for the AIME 2013 Welcome Party.

Then it was off to the Convention Centre ballroom for a peak at the tech rehearsal for tonight's dinner. Yep it is looking spectacular - lots of black (very Melbourne) along with some stunning chandeliers and pressed metal walls. But more on that post event.

Next it was into the kitchens for a tour conducted by Acting Executive Chef, Tony Panetta. Tony is very passionate about his job and was keen to show us tonight's meal in preparation - from entree to dessert - and even the cleaning station where all the dishes etc come back for cleaning. Well it is impressive, there is a dirty side and a clean side with a dishwasher the size of a car-wash in between.

Tony Panetta explains the workings of the biggest kitchen in the southern hemisphere

Finally we caught up with Marc van der Meer, Director of Food and Beverage for a preview of the wines that will be served with tonight's dinner - looking forward to the Shelmerdine Viognier.

Marc van der Meer describes the wine selection for the Signature Dinner

[theawesomeperhaps]

[ozevents]

MCVB welcome to AIME

The Mural Hall at Myer Melbourne is definitely one of the most fabulous event venues the city has to offer.  So it was great to be back there again tonight for the MCVB AIME welcome cocktail party. The cocktail party is always an opportunity to catch up with previous AIME contacts – media, buyers and MCVB staff.

So what did this have to offer as a networking cocktail party?  As stated, the venue is fabulous and styling by The Big Group was excellent - lots of candles and glassware and some great floral displays. There were also a number of very stylish stands offering a taste of Melbourne shopping, and as the majority of the AIME buyers are women, that is who this shopping experience was appropriately aimed at.

The food was great – with one caveat – the featured dish was a slab of very delicious tuna, but this really needed to be cut into bite size pieces before serving.  Trying to hack it into mouth size pieces with a fork only, while balancing the plate and a glass of wine was not very stylish.

The wines were also a disappointment, one would expect that the MCVB would be trying to sell Melbourne and Victoria – so why serve wines from the South Australian Riverland? – not one of Australia’s renowned wine regions and certainly not Victorian.

While the lighting in the venue was great (I really liked the sunset effect on the main floral arrangement), one of the shortcomings is the audio. I have observed from previous visits that it is a difficult room to get the audio right in – lots of reflective surfaces and no draping or carpets to help. 

Now I’m at risk of being labelled sexist here. But when the audience is predominantly women it seems it is very hard to shut them up for speeches at any function. This was compounded tonight by the inadequacy of the audio.  So it was quite difficult to hear the welcome from the new MCVB CEO, Karen Bolinger or from John Simeone, the representative from AIMEs major sponsor, Qantas. Very disrespectful when you consider that these organisations are paying for their junket!

They did settle down for the Qantas children’s choir though, maternal instincts maybe?  So here is a thought – put the kiddies on first to get their attention.

Sounds like a lot of criticism but it was actually a good night and a good welcome back to Melbourne.  Looking forward to the hosted breakfast tomorrow at ZINC @ Federation Square, then some Melbourne highlights followed by lunch at MCEC (who always ensure we are served local produce and wines).

The crowd at The Myer Mural Hall

The shopping experience

The tuna - more than a mouthful

Welcome from Karen Bolinger - CEO MCVB

The Qantas choir

The dessert trolley