Most people think of the Margaret River region as a pleasant place for a relaxing holiday, far away from the stresses of the city hustle and bustle. But there is another way of looking at it.
Most people think of the Margaret River region as a pleasant place for a relaxing holiday, far away from the stresses of the city hustle and bustle. But there is another way of looking at it.
It is possible to mix business with pleasure in such a way that important business goals are achieved while participants receive much needed respite from their workaday demands.
Sure, a conference/corporate training session can be undertaken in a bland windowless fluorescent-lit room – but it certainly doesn’t need to be that ordinary.
Why not take a group of your most valued business colleagues down south for a few days on a conference/corporate retreat, where the beautiful natural environment, quiet serene ambience and the many pleasurable activities available will help to arouse the creative juices, sharpen problem-solving capabilities and build the team spirit of your organisation.
Moondance Lodge is a stunningly attractive venue established from the outset to provide top-class conference/corporate retreat facilities in a thoroughly soul-enriching natural environment.
Owners Geraldine Reilly and Richard Doggart understand well the pressures of corporate life, having worked for many years in Hong Kong and Singapore business circles. Moondance Lodge is a culmination of their long-held dream of providing a world-class venue where business people from all over can come for creative inspiration and receive self-nourishment at the same time.
As Geraldine says: “The most time-sensitive people in the world are the corporate leaders, and they need nourishment as well. We find that they come here to balance the budget but all the while the land is balancing them.”
On site is a luxuriously appointed conference room, a multi-purpose dining room which can be combined with the larger space to form a bigger function area, breakout rooms and outdoor terraces. The conference room seats up to 50 theatre-style, but combined with the dining area can cater for groups of up to 150 people.
State-of-the-art equipment includes video and teleconferencing facilities, a 60-inch LG plasma screen with DVD, VHS and computer projection, high-speed Internet, data and overhead projector and electronic whiteboard.
The outlook over a tranquil lake within a cocoon of pristine bushland is absolutely beautiful; it’s a setting bound to quell the nervousness of even the most agitated type A personality.
Add to that the comfortable, stylish rooms and sensationally fresh, tasty food created by Saul Atkinson (formerly of Flutes), and you have the perfect combination of creature comforts and manna for the soul.
In addition to the time spent within the conference area, a host of extra-curricular activities can be scheduled and tailored to suit the needs of the group. Whale watching and winery tours, tribal Aboriginal experiences, four-wheel drive adventures, mystery picnics and master chef classes are just a sample of the group activities on offer.
But the individual is not overlooked with a variety of healthful spa treatments, from massages to mud wraps provided on request.
Little wonder that Moondance Lodge won the prestigious merit award for new tourism development at last year’s Western Australian Tourism Awards. Certainly, high-powered industry groups wax lyrical about the setting, the attentiveness of staff and the delicious food but most had not fully recognised the beneficial outcomes for their businesses before attending a Corporate Nourishment retreat.
Moondance Lodge and its staff have received grateful acknowledgment for their assistance in providing the perfect setting for solving long-standing communication problems within companies, devising and applying common objectives, brainstorming radical new business goals and trans-forming managers into true leaders.
“We just combine the elements and the land does the rest,” Geraldine says, rather modestly.
Another exceptional conference venue situated in the Margaret River region is Merribrook Retreat and Lodge. Its pristine 65 hectares give plenty of scope for outdoor group activities and instil a sense of peaceful seclusion.
Here, a serene unstructured natural environment, relaxed professional staff, meticulous attention-to-detail and well-honed event management skills combine to produce an outstanding setting for corporate training, team building and business brainstorming.
Owners Richard and Lorraine Firth have developed the property over the past 20 years and have created their own unique brand of team building, motivational and incentive events with ample inclusions of challenge and fun to keep all participants interested and engaged.
“The whole property has become a true Garden of Eden which supports all types of learning and relaxation,” Lorraine said.
“Our clients, which include several Perth-based companies, appreciate the ‘realness’ and consistent quality of Merribrook, many returning regularly.”
A large well-equipped conference room seats 50 people theatre-style, and 24 in a U-shaped configuration. Air-conditioning keeps the temperature at a comfortable level, although French doors and large windows allow plenty of fresh air. Alternatively, the main lodge can cater for groups of up to 100 with the use of a newly constructed deck overlooking tranquil Lake Merribrook.
Electronic gear available includes VCRs, DVDs, overhead projector, electronic whiteboard and Internet access from a private business office.
Meeting spaces are not confined to the four walls of the conference room. Secluded free-form places include a private lakeside jetty, a leafy poplar grove and a pool cabana, each doubling as a casual breakout ‘room’.
Attractive and comfortable on site villas can accommodate 33 clients in flexible sleeping arrangements and nourishing meals utilising fresh local produce are served at the Lakeside Lodge.
Outdoor facilities include a three-kilometre running circuit, a solar-heated 20-metre long lap pool, a large therapeutic spa and an eight-person wood-fired sauna.
Richard’s well-earned reputation as a leader in the field of corporate training has led him to set up Merribrook Corporate Outdoors, an innovative training company that focuses on team building, motivational and incentive events. His flair in developing programs with just the right combination of challenge and encouragement enhance delegates’ enjoyment while developing skills they can take back to the workplace.
“Our focus is maximising team performance and leadership within the workplace in a fun and motivating way. We have developed some new and exciting products along the lines of Survivor, the da Vinci Code, the Lord of the Rings mythology and The Amazing Race,” he said.
The staff at Merribrook can customise your event and can include additional extras such as yoga, pilates, meditation, walking tours, cooking classes, wine tours and cultural experiences.
It seems the program is only limited by your imagination and that’s where Richard’s inspiration comes in handy.
