To give you and your delegates the experience they require Desliens bring the following approach to the task:

The ability to identify and solve your problem : Each person involved in a conference, from the organizers to the suppliers to the delegates, has their own ‘problem’ or ‘set of requirements’ for each event.

As the Conference Convenor , you are more than likely also have other aspects of your job to complete, a full time requirement in itself – and don’t have the time to focus all your energies on organising your event.

Let us take the work off your hands – putting you in the role of ‘decision-maker’ while Desliens take care of all the details – from obtaining quotes to finalising suppliers, and managing registrations on the day.

The individual delegate generally wants a streamlined experience – an easy registration process, ease of access to information, a unique entertainment and social program, opportunities to network and choices for accommodation and tours that meet different interest groups and price points.

Desliens offers a combination of online registration and manual registration, a choice of up to eight accommodation properties for each conference, and a selection of tour options from leisurely sunset cruises on Darwin Harbour to more active tours such as day trips to Katherine Gorge, Litchfield National Park and Kakadu National Park.

We also offer blue water and barramundi fishing tours for those with an interest in one of Darwin’s most famous past times, or hot air ballooning over the MacDonnell Ranges at sunrise for those looking for a unique central Australian experience. This offers delegates the chance to interact and experience a broad range of ‘Territorian hospitality’ across a range of services.

Choice and flexibility for the provision of innovative events: Desliens offers a choice of Northern Territory destinations to host the event as well as a choice of venues in which to hold the event.

As independent conference organisers Desliens not tied down to using a set space, a set venue or a set location. We offer both our clients and our delegates a variety of choices across all areas of their event – from a choice in conference venue, unique locations to host cocktail receptions or conference dinners, a variety of accommodation options, and multiple pre and post-touring options to suit each delegate’s individual requirements.

This flexibility in service provision ensures that the client can make decisions about what is best for their organization from a range of innovative and creative choices. It also ensures that each attendee, whether a local, interstate or international delegate, can create and choose a conference or event experience that suits their requirements, interests and budget.

Business consulting background : Desliens has the ability to draw upon professional business consulting experience to enhance your event. Our consulting arm, Catalyst Consulting International, frequently provides services to our conference clients including:

• Risk evaluation and assessment, including a formal ‘Risk Assessment and Management Report’
• Facilitation services for workshops, fora and panel discussions
• Program development guidance and assistance
• Conference summary discussion and wrap-up

Continuity of local experience: Desliens Director, Treasure Gordon, has over 20 years’ experience in the Darwin conference and events market including 14 years as the Director of her own business. No other provider of business tourism experiences in the Northern Territory has this depth of experience. She has built up a unique network of contacts and suppliers she knows she can rely on to provide reliable and high-quality service. Her own extensive experience and local knowledge hosting and organising conferences and events ensures attention to detail that is difficult to surpass.

Central point of contact for all our delegates – providing them with information about the location of the conference, their accommodation, tours and anything else they require assistance with. Desliens provides a range of tourism services for meetings and events delegates in addition to our core services. These tourism services include:

Matching the social experience to the nature of the client: Desliens has the ability to match the accommodation options, tour options and conference social program to the nature of the client. For example:

• Organising an impersonator for entertainment at the National Chemical Diversion Conference. Delegates are mainly police and customs.
• Organising an optional harbour cruise for the above delegates, knowing how police like to relax off-duty.
• Opening night cocktails for the NT Police Association Annual Conference at The Gardens 9 hole Golf Course.
• Entertainment from different Darwin ethnic groups at the Economic Development Summit

Technical Tours – Conferences may be enhanced by tours of sites and facilities relevant to the theme of the conference or event. For example:

• The Partner-Up Forum in May 2006 was aimed at encouraging industry in North Queensland, the Territory and Western Australia to cooperate in meeting the needs of the resource industry to prevent work leaving the region. To give interstate visitors some idea of NT industry’s capability, and create the opportunity to network, we organised tours of the Darwin industrial areas and a number of site inspections.
• The National Medical Boards Conference 2005 in Alice Springs involved visits to Aboriginal Health facilities in and around Alice Springs by coach and/or light plane.

Accommodation : Desliens aims to offer conference delegates a variety of accommodation options across Darwin for each conference. We secure block accommodation bookings and competitive accommodation rates on behalf of our clients, to offer the delegates of each event. We then offer an accommodation booking service, and become the single point of contact for our meetings and events travellers.

We aim to provide accommodation options at the conference venue (where applicable), as well as at accommodation of both higher and lower price points to accommodate the requirements of different delegates.

Tour booking service: Desliens offers a range of pre and post touring options to our delegates. The tours on offer cover a cross section of available tours both in and outside the centres of Darwin and Alice Springs. Tour locations focus on both cultural and natural destinations in and around Darwin and Alice Springs. Some examples include a half day city tour and harbour cruise, day tours to Kakadu, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge and Bathurst Island, hot air ballooning over the MacDonnell Ranges and many more. Tours are also selected based on target audience and time of year the conference is being held.

We provide delegates with information about each tour on offer and offer a booking service, placing ourselves as the single point of contact for the delegate. We arrange pick-ups and drop-offs (where possible) from the delegate’s hotel, and notify the delegate of what they are required to bring on the tour, and answer any additional questions the delegate may have.

We accept all payments from delegates, and on-pay all monies to the tour operators.

We are also happy to offer suggestions to delegates for extended tours on request, and provide phone numbers and contact details of applicable tourism information sources.

Liaison service: Desliens is the sole point of contact for each delegate. Delegates can come to us with questions about the conference itself (program, speakers etc.) as well as their accommodation bookings, tour bookings, and information about the social events throughout the conference. We then communicate directly with the conference committee, accommodation venues and tour companies to enable us to provide accurate information to our meetings and events travellers.

By offering this ‘liaison’ service, we can ensure that our delegates always know who to contact (us), and that our delegates always receive accurate and timely responses to any enquiries or requests.

General location information: In each conference registration brochure and conference handbook we provide information on the following:

• Climate conditions pertinent to the time of year
• Public transport and airport transfer services
• Car hire details
  
  This ensures our meetings and events delegates are able to smoothly and adequately prepare themselves for their business tourism experience in the Northern Territory.

Tourism information: Desliens ensures that Tourism Top End brochures are on display at all events with delegates from outside of the Northern Territory, whether they be regional, interstate or international delegates. The information from Tourism Top End provides the meetings and events traveller with a city map, and information about food and beverage options, as well as things to see and do around Darwin or Alice Springs.

Information desk service: Desliens sets up a registration desk at each conference, and ensure the registration desk is manned for the duration of the conference. This ensures our staff are available to assist delegates with the day-to-day needs of the meetings and events tourist – from conference related needs, such as photocopying and printing; to personal requirements such as health care services, access to taxi’s and public transport; or leisure activities such as fitness centre locations. We search for and find any required phone numbers for delegates, and show them on a Darwin map the exact location of the service required.

Services ‘above and beyond the call’: Desliens conference staff are not afraid to provide services ‘above and beyond the call of duty’. In the past we have provided last-minute transportation for speakers and presenters in our personal vehicles, ferried delegates to and from medical services, provided last minute airport transfers in personal vehicles, and shopped for supplies if a client has experienced an unexpected shortfall.

Registration desks: At all conferences Desliens provides a full-time manned registration desk to assist delegates with all their ‘on-the-spot’ requirements, from directions around the event venue, to contact phone numbers for required services (taxis, banks, medical services, leisure activities etc.), tax invoices for payments, changes to their registration details etc.

Client and delegate communication: Desliens has a commitment to providing responses to 95% of client and delegate enquiries within three hours, and 100% of enquiries within 24 hours of the enquiry being made. Desliens can be contact by phone, fax or e-mail. During times the office is not attended, Desliens has an answering service, and messages are promptly responded to upon return to the office.

Written communication: Desliens confirms everything in writing. We provide each delegate with receipts, and a confirmation letter listing their registration, details of social functions they have registered for, details of workshops they have registered to attend and details of any tours they have registered to attend. Delegates can then print this information, and have all the information they require about the conference and their trip to the NT in one simple and concise document.

Pre-empting delegate requirements: Desliens draws on previous experience and market research to pre-empt client’s requirements. We recognize that some delegates have to fund their own accommodation – so we provide some cheaper accommodation opportunities. We understand that first-time visitors to the Territory will require advice on what the best attractions are – so we offer pre and post touring options. We know it is easier for delegates to have one point of contact for the conference, the accommodation and their tours – so we offer to be that one point of contact for the delegate.

Meeting at convenient times: Desliens is certainly not afraid to meet with clients outside of office hours. One of our main target markets, membership-based organizations, frequently has committees made up of volunteers who are not available inside office hours. Desliens arranges committee meetings outside of office hours, and provides our Cullen Bay boardroom as a suggested meeting place for the meetings.