Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) hosted a small group of Australian and New Zealand event planners on a two-night visit to the Mackay region.

The action-packed itinerary kicked off with an early morning stroll at Cape Hillsborough National Park, where attendees were given the opportunity to get up close with native wildlife such as wallabies and kangaroos.

“The ability to get so close to nature and the wallabies was incredible – it felt like such an honour to be able to stand on that beach,” said Frankie Mahoney, from Auckland-based events agency Ninety Nine Reasons.

“It felt like such an honour to be able to stand on that beach.”

The visit coincided with the annual Mackay Mazda Festival of Arts, with several of the festival events incorporated into the program, which included a literary dinner with guest speaker actor, author and raconteur, William McInnes.

On another evening, a superb degustation dinner was provided at award-winning Mackay restaurant The Dispensary and this was followed by an amusing interlude at the Festival Comedy Club with comedian Dave Hughes.

Rebecca Henderson, from a large steel manufacturing company, summed up the group’s reaction. “Mackay has really surprised me,” she said. “It has a great range of accommodation, with some once in a lifetime opportunities that shouldn’t be missed. It would be a wonderful location to hold a regional conference.”