Plans for Sydney Showground Expansion Revealed

Plans to expand the exhibition facilities at the Sydney Showground were announced at the Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia (EEAA) 2013 Leaders Forum this week.

The Sydney Showground told industry leaders it would be calling for tenders for a new purpose-built exhibition pavilion of 8,000sqm of clear span exhibition space with a total footprint of 11,000sqm. This would take Sydney Showground’s total offering to 30,000sqm, making it the largest in Sydney.

Sydney Showground GM, Peter Thorpe, said the EEAA Leaders Forum provided the perfect platform to announce their plans. “With more than 50 industry leaders present, all engaged in two days of leadership and business planning, the forum provided an excellent opportunity for us to ensure our planning is robust and future focused and that our infrastructure is capable of meeting business needs and demands,” he added.

Joyce DiMascio, GM of the EEAA said the new facilities will allow Sydney Showground to attract new events and to meet the demand for space to stage events in the expanding events industry.

“The significant investment in infrastructure for exhibitions and events is a very positive sign for the continued expansion of the industry,” she added. “Increased capacity offers new opportunities for organisers and suppliers as well as improved visitor and exhibitor experiences.

“The news of Sydney Showground's expansion plans comes at a time when the landscape for venues in Sydney is changing substantially. The EEAA has long-advocated the merits of dual precinct strategy for major expos.”

The new building is to be located next to the Dome and Halls with details of intended design to be released at the conclusion of the tender period in mid to late May 2013.

Following the closure of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in December 2013, Sydney Harbour Expo at Glebe Island will provide 25,000sqm of space and now the Sydney Showground will also provide additional space.

Lay Your Weary Head at Metro Hotel Sydney Central

Always looking for a hotel when I'm in the city, for the night which is generally quite often for a myriad of occasions, I often book myself into the Metro Hotel Sydney Central.

Due to its location you couldn't ask for more. It is situated directly across from The Capitol Theatre and is moments away from some of the best attractions Sydney has to offer, such as Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Paddy's Market and World Square, where you, if like me, will leave with much less money in your purse then when you walked in. Now, if only you had someone to help carry those shopping bags back to the room!

Rooms have been recently refurbished and for this night, I stayed in a Double Deluxe room which was exactly what I needed for this little night out in the big smoke as they say. Come to think of it, I have always wondered who 'They' are. Haven't you?

To my surprise there is a pool on the rooftop where you can simply sit back and soak up the sun and relax for the few moments you have (or in my case 3 minutes). Yet, still it's nice to know that in a big city such as this you can find a pool to chill out and take it all in.

The restaurant is only opened for breakfast and this is probably due to so many eateries surrounding the area. You are quite spoiled for choice. To start your night off, I highly recommend The Palace Hotel which is a pub I found across the road in a mall next to Capitol Theatre.The food was amazing!

Alan Tam - Live at the Sydney Entertainment Centre

Canto English pop singer and actor, Alan Tam Wing-Lun, is one of Hong Kong’s most celebrated living legends.

Throughout the 1980’s he played a major role in developing the Canto pop scene due to his romantic ballads and modern arrangements.   Commencing his singing career in the local HK entertainment industry with the legendary 'Wynners' alongside Kenny Bee, the band gained so much popularity that they had their own TV show “Wynners’ Special”.  

Alan later branched out making a name for himself as a solo singer and actor.   

Tam is known as one of all-time greats of Cantonese pop music, also earning the respectable nickname of Lucky Lun / Principal Tam due to the years he mentored other bright and young musical artists.   

He dominated the scene during the eighties with back to back hits often earning and taking out the title of 'Top Ten Songs of the Year’ and winning numerous Awards such as 'Most Popular Male Singer'.  By 1995 he had already sold more than 20 million albums.  By 2005 he had launched more than 104 albums and over 800 songs.  He has taken part in 264 concerts of which 189 were individual concerts.   He has gone on to star in more than 60 movies and produce 3 films.

Today he is regularly seen across the media in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan and various parts of East Asia participating in all types of entertainment related events and charity activities.

Alan Tam and his band are set to put on a remarkable concert tailored especially for the Sydney audience.   Get ready for Tam to deliver an unforgettable night of chart topping hits and perfect renditions of your all-time favourite songs.   It will definitely be a once in a lifetime concert you do not want to miss - get your tickets now before they sell out.

Friday 24th May 2013 - Starts at 8:15 PM

View more and Book tickets

Barbie At Bondi Beach Having Fun in the Sun as Part of Barbies Australia Tour

Barbie visited Australia  as part of her worldwide search for a new Dreamhouse and was today spotted hanging out at Bondi Beach having a BBQ and getting some rays rexlaxing on the beach.

Barbie having a 'Barbie' at Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia

Barbie helping the Bondi Rescue Lifeguards keep watch at Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia

View the www.facebook.com/SeeAustralia Facebook page to see more photos of Barbie and her time spend down-under.

André Rieu to Tour Australia - The Waltz Tour Goes On

Violin master André Rieu, one of the best-selling live acts in the world, is delighted to announce he is returning to Australia with a brand new show in October 2013. Called "And The Waltz Goes On Tour", the tour is named after his successful album on which he collaborated with Sir Anthony Hopkins. Rieu will perform in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Billboard ranked his 2011 tour as the 9th highest grossing tour of the year, just behind Lady Gaga. He has broken all classical concert records, packing stadiums and arenas with more than 700,000 adoring fans each year. Rieu has sold over 32 million albums globally and received 330 platinum awards for his albums. With his natural charisma, Rieu conducts his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra and plays his 1732 Stradivarius violin to create a celebratory atmosphere.

"Every night when I play around the whole world, I see with my own eyes what the waltz does with the audience. People get out of their seats and waltz in the aisles spontaneously. They sing, they smile and for a moment they forget all their worries and are happy. That is why this tour is an ode to the waltz!" says André Rieu.

As always, the maestro and his orchestra will perform beautiful waltzes on this tour, but the concerts are much more than that. From famous Viennese operettas to film scores, spirituals to musicals, and from folk songs to marches; Rieu's concerts are a perfect mix of thrilling, romantic, festive and emotional melodies combined with surprises, balloons, beautiful soloists and of course Rieu's great sense of humor.

So far, 2012 has been a hugely successful year for the violinist. Rieu gave a record breaking series of 30 sold-out concerts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He won a Classic BRIT award for his album "And The Waltz Goes On" and is nominated for a prestigious Mexican Luna award. With his first tour in Brazil Rieu reached the #1 position in Pollstar’s Box Office Chart of highest grossing tours in July. Leaving behind artist like Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Coldplay, Celine Dion, The Black Keys and Pearl Jam.

TOUR DATES*:

Sat 12 Oct - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Wed 16 Oct - Allphones Arena Sydney
Sat 19 Oct - Rod Laver Arena Melbourne
Wed 23 Oct - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tue 29 Oct - Perth Arena
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

Supafest 2013 - Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne & Perth

Chase Records is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated line-up for Supafest 4.

Garnered as one of the biggest urban music festivals in the world, Supafest has successfully delivered over 25 international urban and hip-hop superstars over the last 4 years. 2013 sees the legendary TI performing in Australia for the very first time, along with R&B icon Ne-Yo, Supafest favourite Akon and hip-hop legend 50 Cent.

Joining them are J. Cole, Young Jeezy, Waka Flocka, DJ Unk, Mindless Behaviour and Kevin McCall, who are all making their Australian debut for Supafest.

Supafest Tour Dates:

Perth Arena 25th April

Sydney ANZ Stadium 26th April

Melbourne Flemmington Racecourse 27th April

Brisbane RNA Showgrounds 28th April

Buy tickets HERE

Stone Music Festival Billy Joel, Arrowsmith and Van Halen - ANZ Stadium 20-21st April

TWO FULL DAY SUPER CONCERTS!

A Celebration of Life, Music and Mateship!

Aerosmith set to join the Saturday line-up!

Billy Joel, Van Halen and Aerosmith all performing full 90 min sets

TOOHEYS NEW AND STONE MUSIC FESTIVAL JOIN TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE MATESHIP

Get set as Australia gears up for an epic once-in-a-lifetime 2 FULL DAY Super Concert event hitting Sydney this April.

The inaugural Stone Music Festival will feature two 12 hour super concerts, where fans can rock out to headlining superstars Billy Joel and Van Halen playing full 90 minute sets in their only Australian performances, alongside international stars Buckcherry, Richie Ramone, Lifehouse, Illumination Road, rock supergroup Kings of Chaos, including members of bands such as Guns N' Roses, plus a huge line-up of some of Australia's most successful performers; Jimmy Barnes, The Living End, Noiseworks, Ian Moss, The Superjesus, Choirboys, Icehouse, Guy Sebastian, Diesel and many more.

Set over a weekend at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, tickets are available in both 1 day and 2 day passes giving music fans the best of all worlds - sensational music from superstar headliners renowned for their massive, supercharged stadium shows and with the freedom of Arena Zone all access tickets where you can move around, sing and dance on the field or sit back, relax and enjoy the music in the stands.

With tickets as low as $109.50 per day if you buy a two day pass, music fans will be able to enjoy 12 hours of music daily on one main stage so you don't miss a beat of your favourite band, stadium quality lighting and sound production, a multitude of giant screens, easy public transport to and from the venue, onsite parking, comfortable amenities, quality food stalls, product displays and much, much more. This is going to be two days that Sydney will never forget!

And the crowd has spoken ... here at STONE Music Festival our aim is to create the best possible experience for our fans. We've listened to your feedback and it is apparent there is a strong demand for "Reserved Seats" in the Platinum Zone so we will now be allocating ticketholders in the "Platinum" zone their own numbered "Reserved Seat".

With the line-up on both days packed to the brim, set times have now been finalised! (Check out the website stonemusicfest.com)

Saturday 20 April

Van Halen, Jimmy Barnes, Kings of Chaos, The Living End, Noiseworks, Buckcherry, Richie Ramone, Ian Moss, The Superjesus, Choirboys, The Art, My So Called Life, Atlantis Awaits.

Sunday 21 April

Billy Joel, Icehouse, Guy Sebastian, Lifehouse, Diesel, Mark Seymour, Shannon Noll, Illumination Road, Dallas Frasca, Mark Moroney, Stone Parade.

Tiger begins Sydney-Cairns Flights

Tiger Airways has launched new services between Sydney and Cairns, with the four-weekly service set to increase to daily from June. The flights will deliver around 2,520 additional seats to the market each week.

The airline has reported strong sales for the service, something
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said is vital to ongoing inbound tourism efforts.

“The tourism industry is really excited about Tiger providing additional capacity from Sydney and giving visitors to Cairns another option. Sydney is a market we need to stimulate and one of the key markets we are focusing on to create greater visitation. Increasing airline capacity is the only way the Cairns region can increase visitors from markets like Sydney.”

With the commencement of the service, Tiger now operates on 16 domestic routes.

War Horse Special at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour @ Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour - Metro Hotels

Book this War Horse Special at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour staying in an executive apartment including:

• Free Sparkling Wine on arrival
  
• Free Room Upgrade (subject to availability)

Sunday - Thursday $199.00 , Friday - Saturday $299.00

Book this War Horse Special at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour

View Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour

Playing at Sydney Lyric Theatre Now Get Tickets

Terms and Conditions:

• Free room upgrade is subject to availability
  
• Prices are based on two Adult occupants
  
• Terms and Conditions Apply
  
• Valid until 30th June 2013

Bryan Adams - Live at the Sydney Entertainment Centre

The recent announcement by the Frontier Touring Company that the iconic Bryan Adams would be embarking on a national arena tour left fans across Australia overjoyed. The excitement doesn’t stop there with today’s news that UK and Europe superstar Amy Macdonald is confirmed to support in what will be her first ever Australian performances.

When Macdonald exploded into the musical stratosphere in 2007, the Scottish singer-songwriter was a breath of fresh air, standing out from the crowd as a self taught prodigy whose raw lyrics have struck a chord with audiences everywhere.
Her debut album ‘This Is The Life’ charted at #1 in 5 countries, with the single of the same name reaching #1 in 10 countries. Her second offering ‘A Curious Thing’ hit the Top 10 in 10 countries across Europe and Amy has been awarded 25 platinum and gold discs in 17 countries.

‘Life In A Beautiful Light’, the 25 year-old’s acclaimed third album (out now through Universal Music) is a soaring declaration of her growth as an artist, with the new collection of stirring tracks hitting #2 in the UK.

“Macdonald has an impressive vocal range and sings in such a natural and unaffected way that it is impossible to avoid being caught in her spell. On this excellent album, Macdonald demonstrates once again that she is a skilled purveyor of sparkling roots-pop fit for the stadium.” – Graham Blackley, Beat Magazine

Current single; the rhythmic, pulsating ‘Slow It Down’ was produced by long term creative partner and manager, Pete Wilkinson and mixed by the legendary Bob Clearmountain (Bryan Adams, Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams).

With a staggering 56 Million views on Youtube and over 4.5 million albums sold worldwide, Amy Macdonald supporting Bryan Adams for his 2013 Australian arena tour is a match made in “heaven”. This is definitely one of those times where you want to be one of those people “who was there”!

DATE: Fri 19 April 2013
TIME: Starts at 7:30 PM