Canberra is known for it’s politics, public servants and roundabouts but if you think that’s all this city is about, you should think again! Our capital city has come a long way since the days of your high school excursion. From its amazing food and wine offerings, to its unique accommodation options, events and cultural institutions, Canberra has certainly secured a place on the map for destinations to visit. Even Lonely Planet have caught on with Canberra named one of their top 3 destinations in the world to visit in 2018!
We are so spoilt here in Canberra with some of the country’s most well known and loved historic icons and institutions right on our doorstep and all in such close proximity to some of the world’s most influential people, federal politicians, Nobel Prize winners, leading researchers, artists and media figures. The first time I worked with Avon Dissanayake on event coverage was for the Latin American Flavours Festival 2016, which saw 13 embassies brought together in one room and the occasion was graced by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop which speaks to Canberra being a world city and the seat of influence in Australia
If you’re not convinced, I challenge you to spend a few days immersing yourself in everything Canberra has to offer and not leave with a newfound love and appreciation for our capital city. The business event planning delegates at last weekends Canberra Convention Bureau Top Secret Famil had just this opportunity as part of a jam packed 3 day viewing tour of some of Canberra’s most beautiful “Top Secret” venue offerings ranging from Old Parliament House to Pialligo Estate.
I had the pleasure of attending the Gala Cocktail Reception last Thursday evening to kick off the Top Secret 2019 tour. The reception was hosted at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House which was a perfect choice of venue to showcase Canberra’s unique interception of cultural and historical venue offerings and amazing food and beverage offerings, event setups and lively meeting experiences.
As Daryl Karp, Director of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD) said “Old Parliament House is an ideal and unique conference venue as it is also the location of the Museum of Australian Democracy, a museum not just of objects but of ideas. We are the spiritual home of Australian Democracy, where decisions that built our nation were made.”
The Old Parliament House building itself not only served as an architecturally beautiful backdrop to the event but like many of Canberra’s venues is a space filled with amazing history and stories to tell. There’s nothing quite like starting a conference in the old House of Representatives Chamber followed by a tour of one of Australia’s most loved historical institutions. If that isn’t a conversation starter for your conference then I don’t know what is! What’s really special about the venue is that the rooms and tours of MOAD can be tailored to specifically meet the needs of your gathering, ranging from intimate events to large dinners of 400 people.
Although the venue itself made for quite a memorable experience, the food and beverage offerings on the night were, in the words of their head chef Roulan, “as memorable as ‘the grand old girl,’ Old Parliament House, herself“. The MOAD and Restaurant Associates catering team aim to showcase local farm-fresh ingredients and as the event sales manager of Restaurant Associates, Becky Mountain assures us, “prides itself on creating bespoke events crafted to meet the needs and desires of all clientele.”
They certainly put on quite a spread at the Gala Dinner with canapés and beverages flowing on the delegates arrival at King Hall including tomato lamingtons, Peking duck cigars and rice paper rolls. The highlight was definitely the elaborate cheese station by Restaurant Associates which was basically a cheese lover’s dream and went down well paired with a glass of local wine.
It’s well known by Canberra locals that Pialligo Estate Smokehouse produces some pretty delicious smoked goods including their award winning bacon! It was great to see the delegates get the chance to try some of the products from one of our favourite local producers on the evening with Pialligo Estate serving up their delicious smoked salmon and salmon gravlax.
I know I have already declared the cheese platter the highlight of the evening but coming in a very close second was the dessert table by Restaurant Associates. It was a very exciting moment when the doors were opened up to reveal an overflowing table filled with Robyn Rowe chocolates, rocky road chocolate, cannoli, truffles, marshmallows, mini pavlovas and macarons! While we indulged in a never ending amount of desserts we had the opportunity to enjoy a drink in the heritage listed Member’s Bar.
A big credit also goes to Show Pony Events who created the most beautiful table setups on the night and supplied a photo booth with instant printable photos so that the guests could capture some memorable snaps from the evening.
There’s so much choice in Australia for event offerings but nothing quite compares to the unique and memorable meeting places that our capital city and seat of influence in Australia has to offer. In the words of Restaurant Associates Event Sales Manager Becky Mountain, Canberra’s “central location of event locales, combined with a diverse range of attractions and the ease of getting around, facilitate the delivery of memorable events by which others will be measured against.”
In other cities it would be remarkable for a federal politician to show up at your event but this is not an uncommon occurrence in Canberra, particularly at a venue like MOAD at the very geographic and political heart of Canberra. In other words, if you haven’t got Canberra on your radar for your next event, you are definitely missing out on something special.
I was a guest of Canberra Convention Bureau but all opinions expressed are 100% my own
