The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has hosted some of the world’s leading Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs) at a special site tour and dinner designed to highlight the professionalism and flexibility of the centre – as well as its world-class setting.

The group of 18 European and UK organisers were visiting Sydney for a recent Board of Directors meeting and educational seminar of INCON Ltd – the worldwide partnership of PCOs and event producers.

The PCOs inspected the centre’s multi-million dollar refurbishment and experienced a live demonstration of its in-house audio visual skills, before enjoying a gourmet dinner in the Centre’s Bayside Terrace, overlooking the Harbour and Sydney’s city skyline.

The event was a “knock-out”, according to INCON executive member and Australian PCO, Tour Hosts managing director, Ros McLeod.

“The Bayside Terrace location is as good as you can get in Sydney – it really is superb,” she said. “Our visitors enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Centre’s team, an extremely impressive live AV presentation, and a magnificent dinner. “It made me very proud of what we achieve in Sydney and my peers from around the world were very, very impressed.”

One of the participants, Inge Hanser from CPO Hanser Germany and co-chair of INCON, described the tour as outstanding. “We all very much enjoyed the Centre’s unique and very creative way of making this site inspection unforgettable. We had a lovely evening – the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre is certainly one of the world’s most impressive venues,” she said.

Centre chief executive Ton van Amerongen said the venue was thrilled to be able to demonstrate its abilities to such an influential group of PCOs. “We wanted to show them that the Centre is not only a professional venue, it’s extremely motivational, which makes for a great meeting,” he said. “We enjoy a beautiful harbour setting, we’re surrounded by a world-class conference village, Darling Harbour, and we embrace all the energy and vitality which makes Sydney Australia’s leading meetings destination.”

The INCON directors also enjoyed a seaplane ride up Sydney’s northern beaches, and a performance of La Bohème at the Sydney Opera House during their two-day Sydney visit.

Participants included representatives from: CPO Hanser Germany, MCI Geneva, India, Ireland and Singapore, INCON Group Dublin, EGA Professional Congress Organisers Italy, AIM Group Italy, Pacific World Singapore, AC&C International Greece, Colloquium France, JCS Japan and Tour Hosts.