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The Importance of Rest and Reflection

Last month we were fortunate enough to attend the Business Chicks lunch in Melbourne where Nicole Kidman was the guest speaker.At one point during the interview she confessed at how she can lose hours in a day just day dreaming and travelling to far off places inside her head. She believed this was an important part of her creative development and encouraged her children to find the time to just sit and think.
This brought me to consider the importance of rest and reflection in our busy lives.
According to the Association for Pshychological Science, “Research indicates that when children are given the time and skills necessary for reflecting, they often become more motivated, less anxious, perform better on tests, and plan more effectively for the future.”
The importance of rest is being adopted by many forward thinking companies in today's workplace. Click on the following link to see some comical ideas for napping in the office. Continue reading...

Flowerdale Estate
Flowerdale Estate is a stunning historical venue that can cater for a variety of corporate meetings and events. Nestled off the beaten track between the Yarra Valley and Kilmore in central Victoria, Flowerdale Estate is just over an hour's drive from Melbourne and offers all of the attraction of a country bushland retreat.
The new event space, The Pavillion overlooking the Valley of a Thousand Hills is a perfect spot for pre-dinner drinks, and Guests can relax in the lavish 4 star accommodation and make use of the excellent facilities such as the solar heated swimming pool, pool table and undercover tennis court.
Specialising in intimate to medium-sized conferencing, the venue offers a flexible configuration to best meet specific event requirements. The McKenzie Room has an abundance of natural light and is also equipped with specialist lighting, AV equipment and electronic whiteboards, as well as web access for live video streaming.
All conferences are fully catered and dietary restrictions are easily accommodated by the full time Chefs. The Estate has several charming ‘break out’ areas available, including the Guest Lounge with comfy sofas and an open fire in the winter.
Flowerdale Estate is very well equipped to host product launches in the car and motorcycle industry. It is located near Victorian State Motorcycle Complex which is available for hire for corporate days and test drives. The conference facilities can also accommodate large displays such as motor vehicles Continue reading...

Destination...Canberra

Nestled conveniently between Melbourne and Sydney, Canberra has a way of keeping everyone happy. The city was created to facilitate the Australian Parliament but it is also home to the ‘Australian Story’, housing our national museums and galleries. It is a city that celebrates our national identity and upon visiting, you will undoubtedly sense the Canberran respect for our indigenous culture, the environment and our nation’s history.
Travelling around Canberra seems effortless when compared to the busy roads of Melbourne and Sydney. The roads are smooth and rarely congested and nothing is more than 20 minutes away.
Many Canberrans embrace an active lifestyle and there are also many bike and walking paths used for both commuting and leisure activities. Urban living and nature rest easily together giving residents and delegates a unique experience that blends both.
As a conference destination you will find everything you need and more. Canberra blends the prestige of its national institutions with an easy lifestyle. The four seasons ensure the production of quality produce all year round and the standards of food and wine are nothing short of excellent. Continue reading...

Explore with Accor

We are very excited to be hosting a client familiarisation in Melbourne on the 19th of May together with Accor Hotels. We will be exploring three hidden conference venue jewels which you will be delighted to discover. If you would like to join us please let us know as soon as possible as spaces are limited.
The afternoon will be spent exploring the Ibis Melbourne, The Mercure at Treasury Gardens and Quay West Suites. We will stop at each venue, sample the local bites and indulge in some unique experiences in our own little slice of Melbourne. This promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Please contact Katarina via email to secure your place. First in best dressed! We would love to see you there.

ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)

ACMI is Australia's national museum of film, TV, video games, digital culture and art – situated at the heart of Melbourne in Fed Square. The world’s most visited moving image or film museum, ACMI exists to celebrate, support and explore the past, present and future of the moving image through a vibrant calendar of exhibitions, screenings, installations and commissions, festivals, workshops, and public and education programs.
ACMI boasts an array of event spaces. The state-of-the-art cinemas, magnificent galleries and versatile open spaces combine to make ACMI one of Melbourne’s most unique venues for hosting corporate and private functions. Whether you're planning a conference, forum, cocktail party, product launch, dinner, private viewing or something in between, ACMI can provide you with a the perfect setting and facilities tailored to your needs.
Their experienced in-house events team will work closely with you to deliver an amazing experience for all your guests.
ACMI's newest event space designed by award-winning architects Six Degrees, ACMI X is a 2,000 square metre state-of-the-art office space in the heart of Melbourne’s arts precinct and a first for an Australian museum. The open plan areas and meeting rooms are perfect for hosting presentation or meetings.
The museum is home to Australia’s premier moving image collection, spanning screen culture history and available to discover at the Australian Mediatheque. Continue reading...

The Story So Far at BRA...

The new year has been off to a flying start for the team at BRA. Hot news is that we are currently working on a new look for our website and stay tuned as we conduct our search for a new sales support and admin person. We are excited about what is to come!
Stacey recently visited Brisbane and became well acquainted with the Accor hotels in that city. The catchy hashtag #exploreaccor was well celebrated and you can follow some of her journey on our Instagram account. Stacey also visited Canberra and conducted a very thorough tour of that city and its venues courtesy of the Canberra Convention Bureau. Read more about it in our Destination section. Experiencing the lovely hospitality of Surfers Paradise, Katarina became re-acquainted with some of the properties on offer at this popular conference destination.

Blog - The future of 3D printing

Have you heard of 3D printing? It is a printing process that produces three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. These objects are sometimes so detailed and complete that they can operate as well as the traditionally manufactured item.
The process is also called additive manufacturing and uses many two dimensional layers to create the final 3D object. The final product can be so precise that it can be used as well as the real thing.
In terms of conferences and meetings, concepts, which could once only be discussed or drawn can now be printed into tangible objects. Team building exercises, or brainstorming sessions could involve the design and production of prototypes almost ready for market. Gift bags once filled with vouchers and brochures, could now be filled with actual products. Continue reading...

Book Review by Katarina Cobain

Cousins by Salley Vickers

I recommend this book for those times when you are swamped by a million things and find it a struggle to concentrate and stay with a book. This intricate family story told by three different family members will take you into their world of family relationships, demands and expectations. It explores how different family members deal with the family and the world in their own unique way and how this may be understood or misunderstood by other family members.
It’s interesting to observe who gets along with whom as well as what causes arguments and disapproval between different family members. It’s a book of family politics that I am naturally attracted to due to coming from a large family myself. It was nice to observe someone else’s family challenges and not have to participate. The characters are interesting and beautifully intertwined. I loved and felt for all of them.
Beautifully written, Vicker’s writing style is rich in vocabulary. I enjoyed it immensely even though I did struggle at the beginning to work out who was who and have since discovered many new English words that I am yet to look up.
There are many poignant and meaningful moments in the book that I had to read again and mull over for a little bit. To share just one: “And I have come to see that the better you treat someone, the more you love them – which is why you must never let someone treat you badly, for the worse they do to you, the more they will hate you.”
The only part of the book that I didn’t enjoy as much is the author’s tendency to throw in cliches revealing her psychoanalytical background.