Cultural events can go a long way towards creating memorable and meaningful business event experiences.  

Through involvement in local celebrations and festivals, delegates gain a true sense of the destination and depart the NT with a lasting memory of both the location and the event attended.

With inspiring destinations like no other, the Northern Territory’s rich culture can be experienced through an extensive range of major events and festivals. The annual events calendar reflects the Territory’s amazing diversity, providing a suite of appealing add-ons or enhancements for business event programs.

Culture enhances conference

Highlighting how culture can enhance a conference program, the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Conference was held in Alice Springs in May 2019. Attracting 345 delegates from throughout the country to the Alice Springs Convention Centre, the conference opening and closing events were held at the nearby Araluen Arts Centre.

Guests were treated to a recreation of the renowned Desert Mob MarketPlace, a signature Aboriginal art fair which is held in Alice Springs in September each year.  The event showcases paintings, ceramics, prints and textile works from Aboriginal art centres in Central Australia, with artists and art centre managers on hand to sell, inform and inspire.

The bespoke version of this event staged for the conference in May provided invaluable interaction between artists and the conference delegates, many of whom were museum and gallery professionals.

Add a local experience to your event

Ranging from the downright quirky through to cultural and sporting experiences, the Northern Territory’s calendar of events offers delegates an opportunity to interact with the local community and immerse themselves in the destination.

The friendliness and passion of Territorians is frequently singled out in delegate and organiser feed-back as being amongst the highlights of an NT-based business event.

The following events taking place in the NT can provide invaluable impetus to an NT meeting, conference or incentive.

Supercars bring on the adrenaline

The 2019 BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown Supercars event was held in Darwin this month and offered a spectacular three-day program of on and off-track entertainment. The event has been held in Darwin since 1998 and attracted in excess of 36,000 people this year.

Taking place during the southern states’ winter period, the Supercars event receives strong corporate support, delivering an adrenaline-filled add-on or a stand-alone option for a business event.  The main event is held at the Hidden Valley Motor Sports Complex, just 15 minutes from the Darwin CBD, where a new $4.9 million Motor Sports House, including a corporate conference and meeting facility, was opened this year.

Uluru lights up with diverse events

At Uluru, an annual calendar of diverse events ranges from culture and sport to racing camels, all with capacity to complement a conference or incentive.  These include the Uluru Camel Cup (May), the Australian Outback Marathon (July) and the Uluru Wellness Retreat (September).

Meanwhile, the globally-acclaimed installation ‘Field of Light’, created by artist Bruce Munro, continues to dazzle business event visitors to Uluru and will do so until 31 December 2020. A range of special viewing options are available for groups.

The world’s only dry regatta

Alice Springs is renowned for a range of annual special events, including the madcap and totally unique Henley-on-Todd Regatta which is held in the dry sands of the Todd River in August. Teams and individuals “race” each other in bottomless boats for the honours, with the event a worthy fundraiser for three Rotary clubs in the region.

The regatta experience can also be re-created as a bespoke mini-event for conference or incentive groups visiting Alice Springs throughout the year.

‘Back to the Track’ promises a Territory spectacle

In 2020, a one-off event to be held in the Northern Territory promises to deliver quite a spectacle.

In July and August 2020, historic military vehicles from around Australia will converge on Alice Springs where they will stay for a week, before making the 1610 kilometre journey to Darwin.   ‘Back to the Track’ is being staged to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, with the NT having played such an important role in Australia’s defence.

The restored military vehicles will re-enact the supply convoys that ran from Alice Springs to Darwin during the Second World War, along the route which became known as ‘The Track’. Some 120 historic WW2 vehicles and several dozen support vehicles are already registered to participate in the event and it would be anticipated these numbers may increase by August 2020.

For further information on business events in Australia’s Northern Territory, visit www.ntconventions.com.

Or contact:

Esther Almendros
Marketing and industry engagement executive
NT Convention Bureau
Phone: (08) 8999 3827
Mobile: (0438) 140 273
Email: esther.almendros@nt.gov.au