Advertorial Byron at Byron’s signature restaurant, Forest
Destination delicious Port Macquarie Rydges Port Macquarie is not just a stunning coastal destination for events, their food and beverage credentials also stack up. The award-winning Zebu Bar & Restaurant impresses with its spectacular waterfront location and modern Australian cuisine. Just 10 minutes north of Port Macquarie, Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries is a must-visit for groups wanting to experience local produce at its finest. Walk through the state-of-the-art greenhouses and pick your own plump strawberries to take home. Cassegrain Wines is an acclaimed producer of full-flavoured, yet soft and elegant wines using fruit sourced within NSW. Inside the winery, Twotriplefour restaurant offers a paddock-to-plate dining experience paired with carefully crafted wines.
Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries
34 Spice Summer 2020
Strawberry picking, private gin tastings and hatted dining experiences are just a handful of the tantalising incentive offerings waiting to be discovered on the New South Wales North Coast.
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ou may think the New South Wales North Coast is all about sun, sand and surf (yes, we are certainly known for those things) but we have plenty more to offer to enhance the delegate experience, starting with an unbeatable food and beverage scene. As one of the key elements of any conference, there’s nothing more important than food and beverage taking centre-stage; when done right and as an immersive part of the conference experience, the positive word-of-mouth will be long lasting. When hosting your next conference or incentive event on the NSW North Coast, there are myriad ways to ensure the region leaves your delegates feeling energised, nourished and inspired by unforgettable culinary experiences. Firstly, think about incorporating a dinner at a hatted restaurant or highly regarded venue that showcases the expertise of the chef. Better still, why not include the executive chef in the experience by inviting them to speak to the group
and introduce each course for a personal, exclusive touch. Secondly, highlight regional produce by not only eating it, but celebrating it along the way. If the program allows, have delegates take part in a local food experience, such as harvesting seaweed from the coastline or hand-picking the fruits and vegetables along the way. Then delegates can prepare the ingredients in a cooking class before sitting down to enjoy them together. The North Coast has plenty of options to take delegates on the food journey from ‘paddock to plate’ or even ‘ocean to plate’. To round out the food and beverage experience, incorporate some of the region’s famed produce in corporate gifts for your delegates and clients. It’s a personal touch that will leave a lasting impression of the region on your group. While the sun, sand and surf might draw your groups to the North Coast, the unbeatable array of food and beverage experiences will have them begging to stay. n