Peppers Beach Club & Spa is proud to be recognised as a finalist in the ‘Best Resort in Australia’ category in this year’s Spice News Hot 10 Hotels, Resorts & Venues.
Situated by the palm-fringed shores of Palm Cove in Tropical North Queensland, there’s no wonder the resort is noted as an inspiring venue within the events industry. Far from your typical meeting room, the event spaces onsite collaboratively make for a truly special affair. Personalised menus can be created that celebrate local flavours of the land and reef, and the resort’s experienced Events Manager Danni Hickling has a passion for creating memorable event experiences, showcasing creative flair influenced by the tropics.
We talk to Danni about the most creative events she has worked on, and what the recipe for event success is at Peppers Beach Club & Spa.
Danni, tell us about your career to date. Why did you decide to pursue this career?
I decided to pursue a career in events as I love turning blank canvas rooms into something spectacular and left of centre. I love making people happy and making their dreams come true. I started my career in F&B and operations to understand how things work in planning an event. I find that understanding how a property or venue works operationally is a major help when offering events. Following opportunities on the Gold Coast, internationally on a cruise liner and as Event Operations Manager on Daydream Island, I now work as Conference & Events Manager at Peppers Beach Club & Spa. I am also currently furthering my career by completing an Advanced Diploma in Wedding & Event Planning and stylist/event design.
Tell us about some of the most unique or creative events you’ve worked on?
I once worked on a conference dinner on Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays. The set-up and logistics for this event was epic – turning a blank canvas such as a beach into a full scale event with stages, dance floors, pop-up bars and dining room. It was a huge success!
Tell us about your hotel and its event space. What makes it unique?
We offer ‘under the stars’ events located at our signature pool location. The white sands of the lagoon can double as the perfect setting for an inspired cocktail party post-event, and the location is perfect for weddings and special events. We hold regular events every year at the resort, such as our celebrity 5 course Masterchef degustation dinner with the winners and contestants from the 2011 series. We also use it for fashion shows by installing runways over the pool, which looks pretty spectacular.
We have the option to use a variety of spaces for one event, such as Lime & Pepper Deck - with ocean views – the Formal Pool for outside dining and the Coral & Rainforest room for celebrations and dancing. By utilising all these areas, the clients never get bored of being in the same location.
Tell us about some of the unique experiences you can arrange at your property for C&I events?
We can organise Amazing Race team building exercises – such as our ‘create your own fruit platter’ competition using local, tropical fruit. Another popular one is cooking classes – we theme these with a tropical flare, sourcing local produce. We can also arrange live cooking stations for dinner events, including a Q&A with our Executive Chef. For smaller groups, we can arrange private rooftop dining at one of our Penthouse Apartments. And of course, we can arrange some memorable day trips out to the nearby Great Barrier Reef!
What is your recipe for spicing up a conference at your property?
I firstly ask, ‘what does the client want and what are they expecting to get out of the conference?’ From here I work together with our Executive Chef to create something left-of-centre and memorable. We focus a great deal on using local florals and fruits for added décor for buffets / morning tea and afternoon tea options – we set this in our Green Wall Terrace break-out space.