With endless sandy beaches, crystal blue skies, a laidback attitude and excellent meeting and conference facilities, Perth is the ideal place to combine work with pleasure. The metropolitan region has accessible transportation links, many of which are free, ready to transport visitors to a myriad of dining options and over 30,000 hotel rooms found throughout the city. Guests arriving by air are welcomed by the rapidly growing Perth Airport. After its AU$26 million reconstruction in 1984, the airport's international terminal continues to make it more accommodating to foreign travelers with recently upgraded passenger services and expanded check-in spaces.
Just 17 kilometers from the airport, Perth's major meetings venue, the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, finds a home next to the majestic Swan River in the heart of Perth's central business district. Capable of hosting 5,000 delegates, the three levels of this AU$220 million venue boast glass-fronted reception foyers overlooking the river and the city beyond. World-class facilities include six exhibition pavilions with a total floor space of 16,554 square meters, the 2,500-seat tiered Riverside Theatre, 23 meeting rooms and the 1,760-capacity BelleVue Ballrooms.
For a smaller traditional venue, the Burswood Entertainment Complex offers its theater, meeting rooms and convention center facilities for groups of any size. Host an elegant reception for up to 1,300 guests in the contemporary Grand Ballroom, whose foyer overlooks the Swan River and Perth skyline. Invite attendees to a more intimate dinner at Botanical, a garden-adjacent venue divisible into configurations for groups of 40 to 250 people.
With its delicious eateries, lively bars and entertaining attractions, Perth is sure to make visitors long for some free time to explore the attractions that wait outside the meeting room. Why not bring the fun to attendees by hosting a meeting at a museum, concert hall or zoo? For a venue worth its weight in gold, Perth Mint offers a number of function rooms and outdoor settings at the home of the 11.45-kilogram Golden Beauty, one of the largest nuggets of gold in the world. Invite 300 guests to the spacious Beaufort Courtyard and Foyer at Perth Museum, or hold a meeting at the 1,729-seat auditorium in the majestic Perth Concert Hall. With its colorful orangutans, giraffes and tigers, the Perth Zoo offers an exotic backdrop to conferences and functions of up to 350 people.
Perth's numerous unique venues sprawl into the Western Australian terrain. Get attendees away from the hustle and bustle of the city with a day trip. Among the city's many wineries, the Sandalford Winery, about 25 minutes from Perth, offers wine tastings, tours and upscale dining on its charming 150-year-old estate. Tempt guests to attend a meeting at the serene River Retreat in Swan Valley, which offers room for up to 50 guests on its well-manicured grounds.
Perth's economy is booming, fueled by the rising demand for raw materials by developing countries such as China. Perth's amazing economic expansion is due to its relative proximity to huge reserves of gold, iron ore, nickel, manganese, diamonds, coal, oil and natural gas. Most of the world's top resource and engineering companies have offices in the city, including Rio Tinto, Woodside Petroleum and BHP Billiton. Among Perth's five universities, the University of Western Australia is renowned as a leading research institute.
