Corporate training days can be stressful for all involved.Take yourself out of your own, management sized shoes for a moment and imagine what it must feel like to come into a room designed to a) chastise you b) sell you a new skillset and c) encourage you to embrace the company philosophy. You’d probably feel a range of different things, chief among them would be, do I have to?  It’s not enough to say, we’ll pay you for your training days anymore, as the market as moved on from that because I said so structure. Training days can be fun, and you need to make yours fun for even a micro minute to stick inside an employee’s head.

1. Start Off Relaxed

Opening addresses are usually very dry, covering off an agenda for the day and spruiking a highlight reel that hasn’t even happened yet. Instead of opening with a speech, ask the gathered audience what is one thing they want to get out of today? And ask them to read their answers out loud. This will allow you to see who the players are in terms of staff room domination, who watches and listens and who thinks the exercise is stupid. It will also start conversations, establish contacts and promote friendships.

 2. Involve Them In the Agenda

You have a set agenda, of course, no training day could run efficiently without one. Leave a couple of slots open for majority vote – what issues or topics does your staff feel they need to cover; maybe you could use it as a question time between departments and cultivate inter-department relations. It’s entirely up to you…and them,

 3. Don’t Use One Tone

Thick monotonous are boring to listen to, they send people to sleep and if you don’t allow questions then forget, you’ve already lost them. As a presenter, you have a responsibility to produce and put forth engaging, thoughtful and occasionally funny content. If speech craft is not your forte, maybe ask somebody within the time for some assistance, maybe playing out a co-hosting deal to achieve the best results for the training day.

 4.Don’t Be Predictable

If an employee can mouth what you’re going to say or mirror what your suggestion will be, bite the baton for a while. Introduce guest speakers who are extremely relevant to the subject matter and try to recruit from outside the company. Chances are, every person in the training room has seen the internals speakers during other seminars. But you don’t want this to be like other seminars. Hiring experts for a couple of hours is well worth the cost as it teaches your employees to think outside the box and shift the perception of what constitutes an expert.

You may even learn something!

Congratulations! You’ve probably heard that word a few times by now, depending on how many people you’ve told, but now the easy part is over. Planning a wedding looks easy from the outside – celebrant/priest, venue, dress, photographer, flowers, reception, suits and you have yourself a wedding, right? Well, that depends on what you envision for your day. Remember, it IS a day to celebrate you and your fiancée. While your in-laws, parents, siblings and friends load their ideas into your head and spin your attention from one detail to the next, take a breather and break your Brisbane wedding reception venue needs down to the necessities.

Feast Your Eyes

Why spend your first night as a married couple eating substandard food? The menu can define a wedding reception, heighten the experience and leave your guests abuzz about the tastes rolling across their lips. Whether you choose a sit down dinner or a delicious banquet, your chosen reception venue should consider the flavours and dishes you love, catering to a range of international inspirations or old home favourites. Kids shouldn’t be ignored either, so look for a specialised selection that appeals to their little tastebuds – while you may salivate over the taste of Rogan Josh, most 8 year olds would reject it in a heartbeat.

One Destination

Some of the best weddings minimise travel in-between the reception and the ceremony. Think of all the costs you’ll remove – the cars, the petrol and the separate décor options – and the added benefits of having seasoned wedding coordinators on your side. Inside options, outside options or in the event of wet weather, an alternate location to enjoy your nuptials without sacrificing the specialness of the day. Think about weddings you’ve attended in the past – the wait between the ceremony and the reception is a bit of a blank period; if your guests can go from well wishes to cocktails, their experience and your own will be that much more memorable.

Styling

While some brides and grooms love the idea of styling their reception and spending thousands on hiring mason jars and vases, combing flower markets and pursuing mood boards with event visionaries, the best reception venues Brisbane couples swear by include their own decorations with a variety of settings. They can even take the lead from your chosen colour scheme, incorporating touches of you into the overall affect, removing the effort that can go into styling everything individually.

After the ceremony, a reception is the party everybody loves to talk about for years after and Riverglenn specialise in making people talk…for all the right reasons.

Working to your budget

There are many different options available to event planners. Sometimes they will simply allow the guests to make their own accommodation arrangements that suit their own tastes and budgets. If you have a low-budget event you may choose this option, as it will require the guests to pay for their own lodging, and you will save money. Other events may provide accommodation free of charge to guests, and arrange accommodation for them.

If you are arranging accommodation for a large group of people, remember that you will find the cost of this much more affordable per head, than if a single person or couple were arranging it for themselves. Large accommodation bookings attract more appealing rates, and you will also find extras are added in at a cheaper rate or free of charge. These extras might include meals or room upgrades, depending on your provider.

Attaining quality and comfort

Your guests will be calmer, happier and find the event more enjoyable if they have great accommodation arranged for them. If they are able to wake up each morning after a good night’s sleep, be treated to hearty meals, and have a place to retreat to each night, they will be more satisfied with the entire event experience.

When you inspect a property, look at the details it offers. What are the layouts of the rooms? Are there attractive views? Is there a noisy street nearby? What accessories are offered, such as desks, lamps and tea and coffee making facilities? The more comfortable your accommodation, the happier your guests will be.

Location, location, location

While there are a diverse range of accommodation options in most communities, including hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts, talk to the venue operators where you are hosting your event. They may have advice on the best options that are close to the venue, and they may even offer accommodation themselves.

Arranging accommodation that is geographically close to the venue where your event is being held is essential for your guests. Nobody wants to travel far each day, especially if there is a busy or long schedule. Nobody wants to have complications for events that end late at night, and if there is alcohol offered during the event, guests will need to catch taxis, public transport or walk home. A close and convenient location will be greatly appreciated by all.

 Corporate training days are useful tool for managers and an important way of ensuring that you are getting the most from your staff. But while it may be easier to host these sessions at your place of business, there are numerous benefits to taking your staff off-site for their corporate training.

1.     No Distractions

Holding corporate training sessions in your office or place of business means that your employees are still held hostage to phone calls, meetings and other work related tasks. These distractions can ruin a day’s training, as participants don’t become full engaged and may miss out on critical information while dealing with work. Taking training off site allows employees to physically and mentally break from their daily work tasks.

2.     Increased Staff Collaboration

Off site training forces your staff members to spend more time with each other, both during the sessions and at break times. If staff members don’t have an office to escape to, they will have some time to get to know each other. This can have benefits during the training session as well as afterwards when everyone returns to the office.

3.     A Change of Scenery

We all loved excursions when we were children and not too many of us have changed. Getting out of the office and doing something different can be fun and exciting for your staff, and getting out of the office makes their work feel less like work. Happy employees are more productive, and after a day out of the office, you might find that they come back with fresh enthusiasm.

1. 4.     Facilities

A dedicated conference centre might be better equipped for your training needs than your workplace. Whether it’s a larger space, specialised equipment or any other creature comforts you need, the staff at the centre are training to help you out.

Corporate training organisers must remember that offsite training days involve more than just organising the venue. You will also need to account for parking and transport logistics, catering, stationery, seating, and any equipment you may need, like laptops, whiteboards or audio visual setups.

If you are going to invest time, resources and money into a staff training day, you want the best return. Riverglenn is a spacious Brisbane venue that offers privacy and a relaxed atmosphere. We have access to corporate trainers and are equipped to help you plan and co-ordinate your event.

Call Riverglenn on (07) 3871 4500 for help planning the perfect corporate training day for your staff.

If you’ve never planned an event before, organising your wedding might seem like a difficult and perhaps frightening task. The first thing you should do is relax! Selecting and hiring suppliers is no different to any of the other major life decisions you’ve made before, such as buying a car or choosing a mobile phone provider. By approaching your wedding with the same type of pragmatism, you can alleviate some of the stress and emotion involved.

There are two different types of suppliers. The first group includes those who you will be dealing with before the Big Day, such as:

• Cake Baker
• Florist
• Stationer
• Dressmaker

The second group contains those who you will require on the day, such as:

• Wedding planner
• Wedding venue representatives
• Caterer
• DJ/musician
• Officiant
• Photographer

So, where do you find them? The best place to start looking is friends and family. Personal recommendations are often the most helpful, as you trust the people close to you. You can also ask if there are any companies that they’d recommend against.

Wedding expos are an excellent opportunity to kill a bunch of birds with one stone. How often will you have dozens on vendors together in the one room? This is a great opportunity to compare vendors, ask questions and see their work first hand.

Magazines and blogs are also a good source but you should be more cautious about vendors you find in a publication. Do your research – check out their website and, if possible, talk to couples they have worked with in the past.

Once you’ve got a shortlist, the next step is to arrange a meeting. Be honest with potential vendors about your preference and – most importantly – your budget. Experienced wedding vendors can work within a range of different budgets

Found a vendor you adore who is completely affordable? Great! But don’t let your emotions get away from you. Just like you would with a car dealer or phone company, it’s time to get your agreement on paper. Draw up a contract that clearly states the details of the arrangement, such as the service provided, the cost, when payments are due, and their cancellation policy.

Still feeling a bit overwhelmed? The most important decision you will need to make is your wedding venue, and if you choose Riverglenn, you can leave the rest of the decisions up to us.

Riverglenn is a premium wedding venue in Brisbane that provides a stunning backdrop and full food and bar facilities. Most importantly, we offer couples their own wedding co-ordinator who can take the stress out of the day by providing options based on their vision and budget.

To start planning your dream wedding, call Riverglenn on (07) 3871 4500.

A successful conference requires good planning and several different elements need to come together to make the day a success.

Riverglenn have hosted scores of high profile seminars and conferences, small business meetings and everything in between and we can assist in many of the elements in hosting a successful conference. We’ll even help you out with much of the planning for your next conference in Brisbane. Here’s our guide below with all the logistics and planning needed for successful corporate events and conferences.

Marketing the conference –

A conference can only be a success if it’s marketed correctly and people know about the event. It’s important to choose the right social media channels, get the word out early, and leverage all your networks and sponsors to ensure that the word is distributed to as many people who are likely to be interested in attending as possible. Read our ways to get the word out and market  your conference here.

Planning the conference

From transport, accommodation, date and time and getting a team together who will be responsible for making the event happen, there are many practicalities and logistics which need to be taken into account. Check our quick guide for planning a conference so nothing is overlooked

Securing Speakers for the conference

A good conference has good guest speakers who have insights that are worth hearing. That’s why it’s essential to target and attract influential people to speak at your conference which will also help to promote the event. The networks of your guest list or even attendees themselves can make great speakers for a Q&A style panel, and speaker supply services can provide in demand guest speakers. Read our blog article to find out more about how to approach securing speakers for your conference.

Understanding the Venue and the Facilities

Choosing the right venue is another crucial area that needs to be considered in the planning stage. It’s essential the area can accommodate your event, has the right facilities and is the right setting for people to enjoy the event. There are many things to consider to choose the right conference venue, but here are 5 things you should consider with your venue.

Catering the Conference

Catering is a crucial important to the overall impression of the event and the success of the day. Find out exactly what’s provided and what options there are for customisation of menu items. Ideally there should be food for different dietary requirements and morning and afternoon tea options to make sure energy levels are kept high and no one goes hungry.

Read here about what food is provided at your Riverglenn Conference.

As you can see there’s quite a lot that goes into planning and hosting a successful conference. Our conference coordinators here at Riverglenn can provide you with all the advice possible to ensure your conference with us in a complete success. To find out more call us today on (07) 3871 4500

Finding the right venue is one of the most important decisions for couples who are tying the knot. Not only does their wedding venue need to be able to accommodate the size and style of the wedding they are hosting, it also needs to have that special something, with the right ambience and atmosphere to capture the imagination of both the bride and groom.

Like buying a home, finding the right wedding venue means the couple need to be able to visualise their big day venues. As one of the premium wedding venues in Brisbane the team at Riverglenn share some questions to help you decide on the best wedding venue and a facility which offers the best service and setting.

Who is coordinating the event?

For many couples, having a dedicated events team can take much of the stress out of the wedding planning process. A personal wedding coordinator can make sure every request that you might have from the decorations, seating arrangements and menu options are taken care of. They can also liaise with suppliers on your behalf to source, set up, cater and coordinate all aspects of the day. The events team can also explain what service you can expect

Is the setting what you are looking for?

Ideal settings are those which offer flexibility and a beautiful backdrop for photography. Instead of a generic function room which could be anywhere in the world, the right wedding venue should have a beautiful setting both indoors and outdoors. The setting is also tied in with what space will be available. A good venue will have spacious and intimate areas and a mix of both outdoor and indoor areas.

What food will be provided?

When it comes to a successful wedding reception, the food and beverage services provided is one of the most important things to consider. A good wedding venue will accommodate all different meal requests and can cater to your taste preferences. They will also have the facilities and catering team to ensure delicious food and beverage service throughout the evening.

Is there accommodation for guests or transport options?

How will people get to the wedding venue or get away. For many people the right wedding venue is also one that is centrally located, has on site accommodation for guests to and the bride and groom, or good transport connections to other areas. Riverglenn centrally located in Brisbane’s inner-west at Indooroopilly has all three.

These are just some questions you’ll have before deciding on a wedding venue of choice, but we know that wedding planning and questions go hand in hand. That’s why we encourage you to give us a call today on (07) 3871 4500 and find out more about we can accommodate the perfect wedding that you’ve always dreamed of here at Riverglenn.

Too often in business we get caught up in our day to day workloads and duties, and forget to consider the professional development of the very people who make our business possible – our staff.

But the benefits for investing in a corporate training day for your staff can far outweigh the costs. With an affordable corporate training day easily facilitated through our corporate function rooms in Brisbane we can help coordinate a successful, worthwhile and valuable training day which will have benefits that may your business may not even have considered.

Why hold a dedicated training day?

A dedicated training day is the perfect opportunity to systematically address any training shortfalls in the business. Training days often address areas where there is a disconnect between what is meant to happen in the business, and what actually happens.

This could be in the delivery of services, client and customer management and service but anything in the business that needs to be addressed. Instead of just being spoken at in lecture form, the delivery of successful training program should be considered with diverse content should be involve workshops, multimedia presentations, role plays and other forms of interaction.

Benefits of Corporate Training and Professional Development

- Shows staff you are willing to invest in their professional development who will return the favour by increased dedication on the job, and improved commitment to the organisation.

- Helps to retain staff, reduce turnover, and improve the confidence of staff on the job. When training needs are met staff feel more empowered in their positions.

- Helps to communicate expectations and needs of the business and helps employees to understand why change is necessary in the business, e.g. the need to increase customer satisfaction in a supportive.

- An opportunity to transfer knowledge and share experiences. Corporate training days can be an open forum for people to share their experiences on the job, and to share knowledge and valuable insights with the rest of the team. Solutions and improvements to processes can be brainstormed, without the usual constraints of the office environment

Here at Riverglenn our conference centre has seen businesses from all industries hold seminars, workshops and other formal training programmes. Our access to training providers also means that we can help you provide connections with some of Brisbane’s leading corporate trainers, who can help customise a training program to suit your needs.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on (07) 3871 4500

When you book a Brisbane conference at Riverglenn, included is a fully catered experience for your guests throughout the day. We believe this is extremely important since not only is food and beverage an essential component of any good event, it should also be done well and never an afterthought. That’s why we make food a feature of all our conferences here at Riverglenn. With delicious meals created daily by our in house catering team, our talented executive chef can create tasty, substantial and meals for conferences of all sizes and keep the energy of your guests up throughout the day, and help the event leave a lasting positive impression.

Why GOOD food is important especially at conferences

• Creates a talking point for guests, and makes a positive impression of the event
• Boosts energy levels, and concentration and information retainment.
• Allows guests a chance to socialise, network and speak to people they may not normally have the chance to.
• Food breaks and morning/afternoon tea recesses are the perfect way to schedule different modules, and topics and schedule the events during different quarters of the day.

Catering Options at Riverglenn

Our two general packages are the executive and delegates packages and include unlimited tea and coffee, morning and afternoon tea and a lunch. See our conference page for more details. We do find that most of our guests choose to expand their conference catering with the many customisation options to further enhance the food experience and guest experience at their conference.

These options include:

Breakfasts:

Continental breakfasts to be served as well as well as hot buffet breakfasts or a combination of both. Breakfast includes bacon and eggs, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, croissants, yoghurts, fresh juices, freshly sliced fruit and much more.

Lunches Catering Options:

The delegate catered package features an assortment of wraps and sandwiches with a variety of fillings while the executive package includes the chef’s selection hot dish with accompanying salad. There are many lunch buffets than can be supplemented including the Aussie BBQ lunch buffet with BBQ steak and satay chicken breast, roast potatoes, coleslaw and our garden salad, or the roast buffet featuring a selection of two meats (chicken, pork, beef or lamb) roast vegetable selection and a scrumptious sticky date pudding dessert with butterscotch sauce. The Lifestyle Buffet includes a selection of grilled chicken and fresh Barramundi fish, potato and Caesar salad, accompanied with Australian cheese selections and dried fruit and nuts.

Riverglenn also offer our conference customers options for afternoon and morning tea upgrades.

End the conference with a festive function

For the perfect end to your conference Riverglenn can organise a fully catered food and beverage private function service in our dining room for you and your guests. With a fully stocked and licensed bar until 12pm and beautiful table setting, as well as a hot selection of cocktail canapés and a la carte dining in the mains meals and entrees. Let our experienced functions team provide perfect service and a finish of your day in a welcoming and tranquil setting.

We hope this has provided some conference food for thought, since food should NEVER be an afterthought when planning a successful conference. At Riverglenn our fully catered service has the food looked after, so you and your guest can enjoy the best conference experience possible.

We look forward to helping you stage a memorable conference in Brisbane with us in 2014. For enquiries and bookings call us today on (07) 3871 4500

Listening to a good speaker and having the chance to meet them is one of the primary motivations for guests to attend a conference. This makes securing good talent and an influential keynote speaker a major part of staging any successful conference. Having a well-known name is also one of the easiest ways to market your event, but depending on your budget and industry, securing a top-notch line up of guest speakers at your conference is sometimes easier said than done. As one of Brisbane’s best conference facilities, we share some ways to secure great guest speakers at your next industry event.

1.     Understand emerging trends in your industry

People attending your conference are looking for new trends, new ideas and information which they haven’t heard before. This is why it’s important to understand some the trends in the industry and what the authorities in your industry are saying. Even if you can’t get the thought leaders yourself, or afford them, if you understand what the critical issues they are talking about you can target those in the their networks who may be less known, but will also have an advanced understanding of the important issues facing the industry. It’s important to tailor your conference towards high level content. Too much basic or general content won’t attract the advanced practitioners in your industry to attend. If you can get advanced practitioners to attend, other guests will follow.

2.     Start Your Outreach Early – Create A Shortlist

As you should start planning your conference early, you should also know what the specific topics and issues discussed should be. This will allow you sufficient time to reach out to people in the industry who are best equipped to address your topics and also make sure they are free for the dates of your event. Starting your outreach early can involve many strategies including attending other conferences in the industry to network with guests and speakers, researching talent and presentations online. If it’s not possible to secure one of the guest speakers to be there in person there may be the option for some guest speakers to present via video link. Ask others in your industry and take part in online forums to use your entire team in the outreach process.

3.     Leverage your guest list

For conferences on a budget, some of the best guest speakers can be the people attending who work in the industry themselves! Ideally from a good cross section of different companies within the same industry, an industry panel style conference where the attendees can ask questions to the panel who can share their ideas and experiences can be some of the most effective conference.

4.     Use Speaker Supply Services

If your conference needs talent quickly, there are many conference speaker companies who supply speakers to your conference covering a varying range of topics ranging from corporate culture, customer service, and motivation techniques – the list goes on. The names can be well known or lesser known, and when it comes to using speaker supply services you will get what you pay for. The good speakers don’t come cheap, but they have the knowledge and skills to engage the audience, where some speakers might offer more generic content. Always do your research.

Using the connections that you and others in your industry have is one of the best ways to secure engaging, relevant and interesting speakers for your next conference. Just remember to start early!

If you need help securing great guest speakers to event, please speak to our friendly team at Riverglenn. After staging many memorable conferences at our facilities here in Brisbane, we have our own networks of fantastic guest speakers who could be perfect for your next conference.

To find out more call (07) 3871 4500