Requests for responsible food sources, sustainable event vendors and meaningful destination experiences are on the rise, according to event and hospitality specialists in the Gold Coast.
Destination experiences specialist, Kiff & Culture, is seeing responsible event requests becoming commonplace. Its business development manager Sophie Ham sees this trend as being advantageous, as the company has built a portfolio of programmes that show off the Gold Coast’s natural landscape, wildlife, indigenous community and culture, and farm-to-table opportunities.
The experience agency’s Fire to Fork dining programme, for example, offers event guests a chance to learn about the art of cooking naturally over fire, as well as the range of “zero-kilometre” local produce available to them.
“We also get corporates enquiring about opportunities to support local charities when they meet in the Gold Coast,” shared Ham, adding that Kiff & Culture’s extensive network allows it to connect clients with charities that are best aligned to a client’s corporate social responsibility goals.
Kiff & Culture is currently working towards a sustainable tourism certification, which Ham expects to materialise by the end of 2024.
“We are very focused on sustainability practices and are partnering with the right people who allow us to achieve our responsible goals,” said Ham.
Unicorn Group’s co-founder and creative experience officer, Ron Anderson, said that with the increased focus on meaningful events, there is now an opportunity to craft local experiences tied to the destination and its people.
Citing an example, he pointed to a corporate event in April that built a whole range of fun and uniquely Gold Coast activities around its trade component at Burleigh Pavilion. The experiences included surfing lessons on Burleigh Beach conducted by famed Gold Coast surfers like Stephanie Gilmore and Joel Parkinson, and walking tours of the Jellurgal Dreaming Mountains by the traditional custodians of Burleigh Head.
“These are not experiences that you can replicate in other parts of Australia, as these surfers call the Gold Coast home as do the indigenous tribes. Even the chef who crafted the event menu has lived here all his life,” added Anderson.
Meanwhile, adhering to sustainable food-sourcing practices comes easily to hospitality players in the Gold Coast due to access to local agricultural producers.
Hannah Hoy, events manager with Kost Bar and Grill, which opened in 2023 on Broadbeach, said customers increasingly appreciate locally sourced fresh food.
“Our seafood comes from the Miami fish market here on the Gold Coast, while our meat and everything else is from New South Wales farmers,” remarked Hoy, adding that the restaurant offers various courses to suit different event catering requirements.
Besides offering low-carbon impact catering, Ellen Buencamino, director of sales with Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, said the hotel also meets corporate clients’ sustainability expectations through strict guidelines enforced by the wider IHG Hotels & Resorts, which the Crowne Plaza brand is part of.
“Corporate clients staying with us know they will not encounter single-use plastics in their rooms, for instance. We also have our recycling initiatives,” said Buencamino.
Taking sustainable event efforts further, Queensland-based event planner Architects of Vibes maximises the longevity of all materials used for event activations.
Director Dylan Bond told TTGmice that “all materials are reused in different ways” – either to create a different feature in future events or as protective coverings in back-end operations.
Bond explained: “If clients were to say they intend to print massive banners, we would first and foremost recommend digital alternatives. Failing that, we will take (the banners) back after the event, cut them up and turn them into covers to be used when transporting our equipment. We do what we can to minimise waste from our clients.”
