Business and events travel has found itself in the spectre of a distinctly obvious threat in the wake of Paris. Instead of cowering under a pall of gloom – which is what the perpetrators deign that we should do – those who cherish freedom and their right to gather are rightfully defiant.
So the timing of a global hotel group's announcement late last week of two initiatives was interestIng. One of the new schemes came under the title Meeting Point and displayed how prepared Intercontinental event teams are in dealing with the ribbons of regulations wrought by the clampdowns on the pharma and financial sectors. Least to say, they're watching your backs and the courtesy extends to auto and other events at risk of graft.
The other "initiative" concerns a service in which corporate travel clients are informed about natural disaster or social cum political unrest. It doesn't seem to occur to the initiators whether clients are already informed about trouble spots via the Wall St Journal, CNN or other outlets. The fact that these initiatives were buried in a media announcement last week is curious. But initiatives they are and credit must be given to Intercontinental for taking the initiative.
On a lighter note, Dreamtime 2015 is in full swing in Adelaide – and the South Australia capital has a multitude of reasons to be swaggering every step of the way about the best wine and grub proud Down Under.
MIX was among those to be given an insight into Penfold's winery and more. Also, see our 10 Adelaide delights Explore feature.
It's a bold "punching above our weight" move, as Adelaide Convention Bureau CEO Damien Kitto put it. To add weight to the punch, South Australia State Governor Hieu Van Le flung open the doors of his city residency to welcome the Dreamtime media entourage yesterday.
For Governor Le, it was merely another stage in the dream he sought to fulfil when fleeing Vietnam as a refugee and settling in Adelaide. Beneath the PR tub-thumbing, it's what Dreamtime is about as well.
So never let terror smother those dreams.
