MDA LUMINOUS Lantern Parade
Welcoming New Queenslanders

Attended by over 15,000 people each year, the LUMINOUS Lantern Parade is Queensland’s largest welcome event.

Join in the parade, featuring colourful lanterns of all sizes held by representatives from government, council, business and community groups and the broader Brisbane community, to celebrate our state’s great cultural diversity.

The parade will feature lanterns of all sizes created by LightnUp Inc, TAFE Queensland’s community lantern workshops and MDA community lantern workshops.

In 2016, LUMINOUS Lantern Parade will commence in a circular route from South Bank’s Cultural Forecourt and end in front of Queensland Performing Arts Centre with a free concert of world music and dance, headlined renowned Brisbane Gypsy band Doch.

With diverse food stalls and real coffee available, LUMINOUS Lantern Parade is a chance to spread the picnic rug and enjoy a wonderful concert under the stars with friends, family and colleagues.

Date: Friday, 10 June 2016
Time: From 5pm
Where: Cultural Forecourt, South Bank Parklands

Cindy Sherman has arrived at GOMA
28 MAY 2016 – 3 OCT 2016

The first Australian solo exhibition in more than 15 years by New York-based artist Cindy Sherman has officially opened at GOMA!

The exhibition features Sherman’s newest work, showing for the first time outside of the United States, as well as her two subversive fashion house collaborations, ‘Balenciaga’ 2007­–08, and ‘Chanel’ 2010–2013, her iconic ‘Head shots’ 2000-02 and ‘Clowns’ 2003–04, as well as the ‘Society portraits’ from 2008. These intriguing, beautiful and at times challenging characters come to life in 56 large-scale photographs.

In addition, the exhibition’s centrepiece is an immense 5 metre-tall mural featuring a cast of even more eclectic and imposing personas. Cindy Sherman is one of the most recognised and influential artists of our time. GOMA is thrilled to be presenting this major exhibition where Sherman is the model, costume designer, make-up artist and photographer in every image.

Click here for more information.

WIN a double pass to ‘In Character’ at GOMA

Gallery of Modern Art | 28 May – 28 August 2016

Inspired by GOMA’s Cindy Sherman exhibition, In Character is the ultimate showcase of women on film featuring Hollywood classics, cult hits and guilty pleasures.

Thanks to our friends at GOMA we’re giving away 2 double passes to a screening of your choice!

To enter, simply email competition@qagoma.qld.gov.au with your full name and address.

Mater Little Miracles 5ks Walk

BSB member‬ Mater Foundation is transforming the South Bank Cultural Forecourt this Sunday, 5 June, with its Mater Little Miracles 5ks Walk!!

The event has always been to support seriously ill and premature babies, but this year it aims to raise money to help build Australia’s first 24/7 Pregnancy Assessment Centre at Mater!

The event is much more than just a walk – it’s a day jam packed full of family friendly entertainment including Pepper Pig, Paw Patrol, Queen Elsa, Ella Ferdinands, circus performers, face painting, baby animals, giant games, fairy floss, and more!

Click here for more information.

Celebrate Queensland Week in South Bank!

Queensland Week is an annual celebration of the state’s culture, heritage, people and industry. This year Queensland Week will be held from 4–12 June.

Head down to South Bank to celebrate Queensland Week at a FREE concert this Saturday, 4 June!

Music superstars Adam Brand and Sheppard will be playing at The Courier-Mail Piazza (Glenelg St & Little Stanley St, South Bank) supported by local acts Cheap Fakes and Phoncurves.

Doors open at 2.30pm, so arrive early to secure your seat. The event runs from 3-7pm.

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Business South Bank members are offered 10% off at both Olio Cafe & Bar and Merivales Cafe Bar & Restaurant, at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Spend $40 at Olio and park for $8

To view more BSB Member Advantage Offers, click here.

Queensland Theatre Company presents: Switzerland

The late Patricia Highsmith penned some of the most iconic, dark and twisted suspense novels of all time. Now the acerbic author herself is centre stage in this edge-of-your-seat theatrical thriller.

Switzerland is a stunning new two-hander by much-loved Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith (Bombshells, Ninety, The Female of the Species) and stars Andrea Moor (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Crucible).

Click here for more information.

NEXT Hotel Brisbane

Name and position?
Alex Billing, General Manager

Tell us about your business/organisation?
NEXT Hotel Brisbane is an upper-upscale hotel destination unlike any other in Australia. Since opening in October 2014, introducing 304 suites designed with comfort and a clever use of space and technology, the Hotel has redefined the industry’s service standards.

Everything about NEXT Hotel Brisbane, from its design, furnishings, amenities and unique guest features is underpinned by a seamless partnership between excellence in customer service and new-world technology to make each guest’s time count.

What is your role at your organisation?
My role is to oversee the all aspects of the hotel, outlets and services. From sales and marketing, human resources, operations, infrastructure maintenance to the guest service. The joy with hotels is you get to involve yourself in every facet of the operation. One day to the next is never the same! 

What are your key skills and responsibilities?
I guess the key skill I need to possess is excellent time management. Hotels are a 24hr a day industry, it truly never stops. 
You also need to be a people person to work in hotels. From my team to our guests, everything I do is working face to face with people, that's what I love about this industry. We aren’t a boring manufacturing company, we are a people industry.  

How many people work at your business?
We have around 150 team members in total. The biggest departments we have our Housekeeping and Food and Beverage teams. Aside from that we have Engineering staff, IT managers, Accountants, Sales people and everything in between.

What is your favourite place in the precinct? 
I have always been a huge fan of the museum and gallery precinct. My kids absolutely adore the museum and my wife and I are frequent visitors to both GOMA and the Queensland Art Gallery. Coming back to Brisbane recently after a number of years away the development of Southbank and the arts precinct in particular has been amazing. The galleries, library and surrounding services are truly world class.

What do you want BSB members to know about you or your business?
While providing for our guests is our key motivator, we also offer a range of facilities for the local community. Our Pool Terrace and Bar is open to the public for lunch and as a bar until late. The Meet and Greet in the lobby is available to catch up with a friend for coffee or get some work done taking advantage of our complimentary, high speed Wi-Fi.

What is something people wouldn’t know about your business?
If you haven’t stayed here before, perhaps you might not know about all the free stuff we include for guests;
- We offer four x free mini bar items, each day, per room. 
- Every room has its own Samsung device that controls everything in your room- from lights, television, and air conditioning to a 4G enable hotspot when outside the hotel.
- We also have a complimentary In Transit Zone with sleep pods for anyone arriving prior to check in or not leaving the hotel at check out. 

What has recently happened at your organisation?
We have recently launched NEXT Journey, a premium hotel transfer service in our very own Tesla S Model. We chose the Tesla, because like NEXT Hotels the brand aligns with technology, innovation and making your time count. Guests can book the service when making their hotel reservation or when they arrive at the hotel.
We are also excited about our partnership with Buffed, a social enterprise providing employment opportunities for refugees and Australians whose employment outlook is limited. We will have a shoe shine stand based in the hotel lobby where guests and the public can get a great shoe shine generating a positive social impact.

What have you learnt lately?
Not every idea is going to work, but that’s not a bad thing! We have learnt as much from what hasn’t worked as from the successful initiatives. The beauty of testing new technology and services in our hotel means that in many cases we simply have no idea how they will be used or received by our guests. We have learnt some valuable lessons from our technology integration in regards to guest behaviours. It has certainly broken down previous assumptions on guest demographics and how they engage with technology. These perceived failures has led to further enhancements and innovation in our business.   

What do you hope to achieve in your industry?
To continue to be a disrupter in the hotel world. Our industry, particularly in Australia, has been dominated for too long by old school boring hotels. The landscape however is changing and travellers want new and exciting hotels that understand their needs. My hope is that NEXT Hotels can continue to grow and evolve with the ever changing travel landscape. 

What inspires you?
My Family. They are the source of all my inspiration.

What are your words of wisdom?
I have always been a big fan of a quote by TS Eliot when it comes to approaching work: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”  We need to push boundaries and take risks if we are to truly create a niche for our business.