The Conference Shop

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The Conference Shop The Conference Shop is a free service that specialises in assisting event planners to find the perfe

The Conference Shop is an opportunity for venues and event suppliers to showcase all they have to offer corporate Australia via an online “shop” that will include venues and
event suppliers unique to your region. The Conference Shop will be used by PA’s, EA’s, PCO’s, Event Managers and organisers, wanting to plan a meeting, incentive, conference, convention or event, from anywhere in Australia. Follow us on Twitter:
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Another year, another incredible Admin Avenues conference. 🙌It was so great to connect with so many talented EAs, PAs an...
12/10/2026

Another year, another incredible Admin Avenues conference. 🙌

It was so great to connect with so many talented EAs, PAs and Office Managers — the energy in the room was something else.

Thank you to ADMIN AVENUES and Candice Burningham for putting on such an amazing event, and to Doltone House for the stunning venue.

If you stopped by our booth — it was so lovely to meet you. And if you didn’t, you know where to find us. 👋

One of our clients recently walked three venues in a single morning. She arrived with a clear favourite. She left having...
07/10/2026

One of our clients recently walked three venues in a single morning. She arrived with a clear favourite. She left having booked the opposite one.

The only reason she knew? She went and stood in each room.

That’s the thing about venues. Online, they’re all having their best day. In person, the story can go either way. Sometimes a space is tired and overdue for a refurb. Sometimes it’s better than the website ever let on. Either way, you don’t know until you’re in it, reading the vibe, the flow, and how the team actually operates.

It’s one of the parts we love doing for our clients. We walk the room, meet the people who’ll run the day, and tell you honestly whether a space will deliver.

We’ve put the whole approach into a new blog post, including when a virtual walk-through will do, and the one type of event where skipping the visit just isn’t worth the risk.

Have a read here 👇
https://theconferenceshop.com.au/articles/the-perfect-venue/

Ever booked something off a website and thought, on arrival… this looks nothing like the photos? 😬Venues can do exactly ...
28/09/2026

Ever booked something off a website and thought, on arrival… this looks nothing like the photos? 😬

Venues can do exactly that — and it's the whole reason this week's episode exists.

Carla, Den and MJ get into why actually seeing a space changes everything: the vibe you can only feel when you're standing in it, the flow a floor plan never shows (how far is that "quick coffee break" really?), and the team behind the scenes who'll make or break your day.

Sometimes it's a lovely surprise and the room's better than the website. Sometimes it very much isn't. Either way — you want to know before the day, not on it.

Can't make it in person? There's a virtual option worth knowing about too. 👀

Have a listen 👇
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4eARlZ56rnKjcsb70F9ueH?si=WTdyllzvQdS-dw_FiGNLcg

"Is it French ch*****ne, or sparkling w**e?" 🥂It's the question MJ asks when a brief lands with five-star dreams and a m...
21/09/2026

"Is it French ch*****ne, or sparkling w**e?" 🥂

It's the question MJ asks when a brief lands with five-star dreams and a mid-range budget — and it gets to the heart of this week's episode.

So often the pressure for a fancy venue isn't even coming from the planner. It's the boss, or another department, picturing something grander than the budget allows. And the person left to make it work? Stuck chasing ch*****ne on a b**r budget.

This week Carla, Den and MJ talk through what "right fit" actually means — why the smaller events (hello, off-site dinners) are the ones that blow budgets, when prestige is genuinely worth the spend, and why a gorgeous venue can still let you down when it counts.

Because five stars was never really the goal. The right fit is.

Have a listen 👇

https://open.spotify.com/episode/021y18V5plpNKw6MCXgnzx?si=GNMPzMmPRhOVaxa7SvHR5A

Chasing a five-star venue? You might be spending in all the wrong places.Here's what we see all the time: the fanciest v...
17/09/2026

Chasing a five-star venue? You might be spending in all the wrong places.

Here's what we see all the time: the fanciest venue and the right venue are rarely the same thing — and the gap usually turns up on the invoice.

Often the "five-star" brief didn't even come from the person running the event. It came from someone upstream with a picture in their head and no line of sight to the price tag.

So we pulled together four things worth checking before you book:

What the event is really for
Where the budget quietly leaks (hello, exclusive room hire and AV)
What the venue can tell you that you don't actually need
How to match the spend to the purpose

Star rating is a lazy shortcut. Fit is everything.

What's the most over-specced brief you've had to talk someone down from? 👇

Myth: bringing in a venue sourcing agent costs you more. 🙅‍♀️Actually? In sixteen years, we've never once marked up a ve...
14/09/2026

Myth: bringing in a venue sourcing agent costs you more. 🙅‍♀️

Actually? In sixteen years, we've never once marked up a venue's pricing. No hidden fees, no "premium" for using us — and often we secure rates as good as or better than you'd get going direct, because we know the teams on the other end of the phone.

This week on All the Goss, Carla, Den and MJ bust the myths that stop people asking for help — that you'll lose control, that it's only worth it for the big events, and that AI can do the whole job now (it can't — more on that inside 😉).

Here's the honest bit: there's no contract, and it costs you nothing to talk to us. As MJ says — we're not scary.

Have a listen 👇

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IpXArs990RdkxtPGVy2Lt?si=wH9M5wEMQp-NCqzacJyoeA

17 years of The Conference Shop. 🥂What started as a vision has grown into something we're incredibly proud of — and it's...
10/09/2026

17 years of The Conference Shop. 🥂

What started as a vision has grown into something we're incredibly proud of — and it's all because of the people who have been part of this journey.

To our incredible team, past and present — thank you for showing up every single day and caring as much as we do.

To our clients — many of you have become genuine friends over the years. Thank you for your trust, your loyalty, and for letting us be part of your most important events.

To our industry peers — thank you for the collaboration, the support, and the community you've helped us build.

17 years in. And we're just getting started. 🎉

Planning an event six months out? Here's MJ's advice: "Call, email, message, send a pigeon." 🐦😄Jokes aside, she's making...
07/09/2026

Planning an event six months out? Here's MJ's advice: "Call, email, message, send a pigeon." 🐦😄

Jokes aside, she's making a serious point. The biggest thing that decides whether your event runs smoothly isn't budget, and it isn't luck — it's how early you start.

The podcast is back! And This week Carla, Den and MJ get into the real cost of leaving it late: the extras you miss out on negotiating when you're rushed, the good venues that quietly vanish, and the reason savvy planners are already locking in December Christmas parties back in March.

If there's an event somewhere on your calendar, give this one a listen before you do anything else. Your future self will thank you.

🎙️ Link below 👇

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MDV3noLPI4Bog5E8bZE5L?si=5qG0MXW-Sk2stGGcWZniLQ

There's a particular kind of admin who never enters anything.She's too busy making sure everyone else's day runs properl...
19/08/2026

There's a particular kind of admin who never enters anything.

She's too busy making sure everyone else's day runs properly.

So we're making this one easy.

We're giving away two tickets to the 2026 Admin Avenues Sydney Conference — Monday 12 October at Doltone House Hyde Park. Valued at $3,200.

One for you. One for a friend.

To enter: refer a friend to The Conference Shop. They just need to mention your name when they get in touch — a call, an email, a web enquiry, whatever suits them — and you're automatically in the draw.

Every friend who mentions you is another entry. It's that easy.

Drawn and announced Wednesday 30 September.

Don't want to leave your place to chance? Admin Avenues tickets are on sale now — and if you're going, come find us at our stand: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/the-2026-admin-avenues-conf-syd

Who's the first person who came to mind? Send this to them.

"Unique venue" is the hardest brief to get right — and it's the one most likely to catch you out.We've pulled together 4...
04/06/2026

"Unique venue" is the hardest brief to get right — and it's the one most likely to catch you out.

We've pulled together 4 things that actually matter before you commit to any non-traditional space. From nailing your objective before you even look at a shortlist, to asking the questions that stop a clean quote from blowing out by thousands.

Save this one for your next brief.

And if you want to go deeper, this month's blog post covers it all — head to theconferenceshop.com.au to read it.

👉 Or book a free 15-min consultation while you're there.

Address

Bong Bong Street
Bowral, NSW
2576

Telephone

+61248615973

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