Conference Venues in Adelaide

They let me out of the office again.....

We've started working with and recommending conference hotels in Adelaide so thought I'd better get down there are have a look around.

I flew out of Sydney and only had a short delay before departure, but I am pretty happy in airports and on planes so it never bothers me too much. Airports are one of the few places that I can still justify having MacDonalds for a snack.  Just under 2 hours later, I'd almost finished the crossword puzzle and we landed in Adelaide. I've been told a few times that Adelaide is the 20 minute city, and this is a great notion for conference organisers, just a 20 minute dive from the Airport to the City, just a 20 minute drive from the City to the Beach and not much more than 20 minutes walking from A to B in the city centre. Then there are also the Adelaide Hills with scenery, wineries and Hahndorf the old German village just 30 minutes from the CBD.

I headed out to Glenelg to visit The Stamford Grand Adelaide, this is an lovely traditional hotel overlooking the Ocean, at right at the end of the Tram line from the city. The place reminded me a bit of a few other beachside locations and venues that I have visited and I love 'em all. There is something quite special about being by the Ocean. I was lucky enough to get a  room with beach views and in addition to the great views the room was spacious and the bed was comfortable. Stamford Grand has a ballroom with big high ceilings and a terrace that looks out over the beach, the conference rooms offer plenty of natural light. I often think that natural light with views in a conference room can be a double edged sword (I tend to gaze wistfully at the view rather than pay attention to the teacher) but a place where you can enjoy a morning or afternoon tea break with a view of the Ocean is a godsend, genuinely refreshing, and Stamford Grand offers this in spades. Stamford Grand also offers the ability to drive a car into the ballroom .....without being arrested!

Stamford Grand Adelaide - Evening View

Stamford Grand Adelaide - Accommodation

Glenelg is a lively beachside suburb plenty of bars and restaurants within an easy walk of the hotel and I enjoyed some excellent fish and chips at one of the local cafes. There is also a beachside walkway that will take you several kilometres along the coast, very attractive for an early morning run or a late evening stroll.

The next day was wall to wall Hotel visits......


Rydges South Park offers a smart venue overlooking parklands on the southern fringe of the Adelaide CBD, the highlight here (apart from the wonderful staff) is the Skyline Conference Centre, this is a flexible space on the top floor of the building complete with its own bar, toilets, lounge area and with an abundance of natural light and lovely views. The space splits into 3 sections and can accommodate around 30 people cabaret in each section or well over 100 if the space is opened up. This is a venue that offers some great prices (including free parking and in room Internet access) and is well suited to small and medium sized events.

Rydges South Park - Skyline Conference Centre

Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley is a good quality city centre conference venue that offers some great prices, this is a venue that is close to nightclubs, bars and restaurants so if your delegates are interested in some nightlife this is a good choice. 

 

When I visited the facade caught my attention, it looks a bit like an old Theatre and seemed to hint at a rather small venue, however once inside the space really opened out and the venue offers a large ballroom that can seat 400 people, recently refurbished accommodation and an attractive pool deck that would be a great space for cocktail functions or BBQ's

If you are looking for a well priced and conveniently located venue in Adelaide Mercure Grosvenor Adelaide might be the right choice. This one is situated on North Terrace, across the road from the Railway Station making it very easy for delegates to access. North Terrace is typically the domain of 5 star hotels, but Mercure offers well priced facilities and comfortable 4 star accommodation, in addition to the 4 star rooms they have a 3 star 'Economy Room' that is small, but fresh and clean (see picture below), and that they can offer for around A$100 /night depending on availability and size of your group. The conference space at Mercure Grosvenor is all on one level and I found it to be full of character with high ceilings and stained glass, giving the space a warm, old world executive feel.

Mercure Grosvenor Adelaide - Economy Room

Mercure Grosvenor Adelaide - Meeting Room

 At the other end of the chronological spectrum we find Novotel Rockford Adelaide, I stayed overnight in a room that had iPad, apple TV, wireless internet, stylish modern interiors and most importantly a great shower and very comfortable bed. This venue is sleek, contemporary furniture, hard shiny surfaces, elegant subdued colours with splashes of red, brand new comfortable modern conference chairs. The property also offers a stylish on-site restaurant and a delicious breakfast buffet (I love a good breakfast buffet and would happily choose to stay in a hotel based on the quality of their breakfast pastries - my 9yo daughter bases all her hotel assessments on the quality of the pool) and luckily, Novotel Rockford Adelaide also has a great rooftop pool with a deck that is a popular venue for cocktail functions.

Novotel Rockford Adelaide - Rooftop Pool

Novotel Rockford Adelaide - Accommodation

Novotel Rockford Adelaide - Conference Room

I did visit a few other properties in Adelaide, the new Crowne Plaza was probably the highlight of them but this may've been because i had a fantastic homemade biscuit and excellent coffee at the cafe next to the hotel and was in a good mood :).

Of course if you have any questions or would like to consider a conference venue Adelaide get in touch with me and I will make some suggestions based on your requirements and budget. I look forward to hearing from you.