Vivid Sydney Festival Photowalk Competition at Metro Hotel on Pitt

Vivid Sydney –Photowalk with @instagram suggested users @razzy_b and @photogra_fi

Metro Hotel on Pitt has snared a coup by securing two of @instagrams Sydney based leading lights Raewyn (@razzy_b) and Fiona (@photogra_fi) to lead a photowalk in Sydney’s premier light event Vivid Sydney.

Vivid runs from 22nd May until 8th June 2015 when Metro Hotel on Pitt will be offering budding photographers and fun seekers a juicy 10% discount to stay right in the heart of the action. With Town Hall station just on the doorstep and Opal Cards available through the hotel, our visitors will be in the best location to live life locally and enjoy all Sydney has to offer. To take advantage of this generous offer, search your dates and enter the promotional code VIVIDMETRO

When @razzy_b and @photogra_fi turn up on May 30 to host a photowalk around the highlights of Vivid, it is expected many of Sydney’s social media elite will be joining us in our quest to find the best angles and shots for the night.

Details: Date 30th May 2015, starts 6:00pm at 300 Pitt Street with Vivid Cocktails followed by a photo walk through Darling Harbour and then on to Circular Quay to capture the very best of the Vivid Light Festival.

Starting at 6:00pm, at the hotels Metro Brasserie, Metro Hotels with the help of its business partners will have a Vivid Cocktail available during Vivid ordinarily through Palace Hotel www.palacehotelsydney.com.au and then will travel through the Vivid Sydney Light walk with instructions from our hosts on long-exposure, night photography, mobile-photography and technical help for anything more difficult.

#Instameets are the hottest social event and from the novice to the professional, there is plenty for everyone. Why not come along and join us for a night of fun.

Metro Hotel on Pitt is also excited to announce a competition for our social savvy guests. For those attending the Instameet , they should use the hashtag #vividsydneymetro on their photos from the meet. If you are unable to join, please capture your local suburban Vivid Light Show. All are welcome to join. (*T&Cs apply - please read before entering competition)

To book at Metro Hotel on Pitt with a photographers discount, please use www.metrohotels.com.au/hotels/new-south-wales/metro-hotel-on-pitt and enter the promotional code VIVIDMETRO for your 10% discount.

CATS to Return to Australia in 2015

CATS the show to Return to Australia in 2015

Following its triumphant season in London’s West End, the acclaimed revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical CATS comes to Australia for a strictly limited season, opening in Sydney on 30 October 2015 then touring to Hobart, Melbourne and Brisbane. Tickets go on sale on Friday 24 April. CATS is touring to Adelaide and Perth in 2016 with dates and booking information to be released at a later date. 

The hit revival, which was reworked for the most recent season in the West End by the original creative team - Director Trevor Nunn, Choreographer & Associate Director Gillian Lynne, Set Designer John Napier and Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber – received excellent reviews and extended its season due to overwhelming demand.

The 2015 Olivier Award-nominated CATS introduces a rapping ‘street cat’ in the famous Rum Tum Tugger role, who performs some serious breakdancing moves.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that having read Eliot again, maybe Eliot was the inventor of rap”, says Lloyd Webber.

Based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the show is set amongst a larger-than-life junkyard playground and is alive with our favourite feline characters including Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Grizabella and Skimbleshanks.

The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

CATS, one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history, received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981 where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances. The production was the winner of the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983 the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony awards including Best Musical, and ran for 18 years.

Since its premiere, CATS has been presented in over 30 countries, has been translated into 15 languages and has been seen by more than 73 million people worldwide. Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won Grammy Awards for Best Cast Album.

The musical score composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, includes the hit song ‘Memory’, which has been recorded by over 150 artists from Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis to Liberace and Barry Manilow.

CATS Australian Tour 2015

Sydney, Capitol Theatre from 30 October, 2015
Hobart, Derwent Theatre from 10 December, 2015
Melbourne, Regent Theatre from 18 December, 2015
Brisbane, Lyric Theatre from 29 January, 2016

Winter Hot Deals in Sydney

Metro Hotels in Sydney are offering super sizzling Hot Deals this winter and it is a perfect time to plan a short break in the city with so much to see and do during forthcoming season. Visitors to the city will enjoy world-class entertainment, cultural events, festivals and international sporting events.

VIVID Sydney, the much-loved festival of lights, music and ideas, will run from 22nd May to 8th June. Metro Hotel on Pitt is a great base to see all the lights in the city as the hotel is located in the heart of the CBD. Metro Hotel on Pitt is offering a Vivid Hot Deal starting from $219 per night which includes accommodation for 2 adults and one child, full buffet breakfast, complimentary WiFi and a Café Kids pack.

If you are looking for a deal that includes exploring Sydney, Aspire Hotel Sydney in leafy Ultimo, has a Explore Sydney Hot Deal with rates starting at $129 for two guests and includes two free Opal cards (value $20 each)allowing unlimited travel on buses, ferries, trains and light rail around Sydney. 

The cards are perfect if attending some of the big sporting events happening in winter. Eight times FA Cup winners and English League icons, Tottenham Hotspur, take on Sydney Football Club at ANZ Stadium on May 30th. For followers of both rugby codes, there is the legendary State of Origin Rugby League, (Queensland versus New South Wales) on May 27th and the Bledisloe Cup on August 8-the ultimate trans-Tasman Rugby Union battle between the Qantas Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks

Experience a musical phenomenon with Cameron McIntosh’s highly acclaimed production of Les Miserables. Metro Hotel Sydney Central, located exactly opposite the Capitol Theatre where the production is currently playing, has a Family Package Hot Deal from $205 for a two bedded room, full buffet breakfast for two adults and two children and chocolates on arrival .Take advantage of a good hearty $10 lunch before or after the show at the Palace Hotel, right next door to the theatre. Tickets to the show are not included.

Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour has a Sydney Attractions Package staying in a loft style apartment with prices starting at $269 (subject to availability) and include a family pass, two adults and two children (under 12) to your choice of two attractions including Sydney Tower Eye, SEALIFE Sydney Aquarium, Madame Tussuads, WILDLIFE Sydney Zoo and Manly SEALIFE.

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Winter Warmer Hot Deal at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour

Snuggle up with this cosy Winter Warmer Hot Deal at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour.

Rates start at $199.00 per night*.

Winter Warmer Hot Deal at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour

This Winter Warmer Hot Deal Includes accommodation in a fully equipped one bedroom apartment plus two complimentary mugs with hot chocolate sachets.

*Surcharge applies over Saturday nights.

Darling Harbour is the place to be in winter, with a range of exciting events happening throughout winter! Whether it’s the fireworks every Saturday night (April, May & June), or the spectacular Vivid Sydney (22 May – 8 June)

Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour are conveniently located just minutes walk from the all of the winter festivities! 

Book this Winter Warmer Hot deal at Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour

The Script feat Labrinth touring Australia April-May 2015

Frontier Touring are proud to welcome back multi-platinum selling band The Script to Australia and New Zealand to play a string of arena shows in April and May 2015!

The Dublin-raised, London-based trio – Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power – are no strangers to Australia, having sold out multiple arena shows on their previous visits and currently in the country on a whirlwind visit promoting their new album No Sound Without Silence(out now through Sony).

The band has not lost an ounce of momentum since the release of their debut self-titled album in 2008. The album shot straight to the top of the charts in Ireland and the UK and features iconic hits like ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ and ‘Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)’.

Science & Faith, featuring the heart wrenchingly beautiful chart topper ‘For The First Time’, was released in September 2010 and once again landed the #1 spot in Ireland and the UK, debuted at #3 on the ARIA album chart and peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200.

Their last studio album #3 followed suit to its two predecessors and was certified multi-platinum throughout the world. The album well and truly cemented The Script as a diverse and world-leading band, especially with global mega hit ‘Hall of Fame’ which featured lead singer Danny O’Donoghue’s co-judge on The Voice UK will.i.am and was used in Channel 10’s promo for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

‘Hall Of Fame’ peaked at #1 across the globe and has now garnered almost 139 million views on YouTube, 138 million streams on Spotify and is six times Platinum in Australia!

The band’s YouTube channel boasts close to a million subscribers and has racked up over a massive 400 million views with the number growing rapidly as the band continues to dominate the charts with latest offerings like  ‘Superheroes’.

The ‘Superheroes’ clip clocked almost 1.5 million views in under a month, with 724,000+ of those views in the first three days! The track is the lead single from the band’s fourth studio album No Sound Without Silence. The album debuted at #5 on the ARIA Albums Chart and landed the very top spot in the UK.

Despite having been handpicked to open for the likes of U2 and Paul McCartney, The Script have well and truly proved why they deserved to be headliners in their own right. Confirming the band’s identity as a strong stadium band, their 2013 tour spanned across 11 months, four continents and included 63 arenas and 18 festivals – selling out a number of shows including London’s O2 Arena along the way.  

TOUR DATES

Friday 24 April  Perth | Perth Arena  (All Ages)
Monday 27 April  Adelaide | Entertainment Centre  (All Ages)
Wednesday 29 April  Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena  (All Ages)
Friday 1 May  Sydney | Allphones Arena  (All Ages)
Saturday 2 May  Brisbane | Entertainment Centre  (All Ages)

Lion King roars into Perth

A generation has been raised on the The Lion King film.

It's the enchanting Disney Broadway smash that has been seen by more than 80 million people worldwide - and now The Lion King is coming to Perth.

More than 20 years after the animated film stole our hearts and 18 years after the stage adaptation of Simba's story had its first New York run, The Lion King will play at the Crown Theatre for the from November 21.

Buyi Zama who plays Rafiki in the Lion King musical at South Mole, Fremantle. Picture: Iain Gillespie/ The West Australian

The Lion King, "reimagined" from the film by acclaimed director and costume designer Julie Taymor, tells the story of heartbroken lion cub Simba returning from exile to rise up against his evil uncle Scar and succeed his father Mufasa as king.

On the way he gets help from pals Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa, as well as childhood sweetheart Nala and spirit guide Rafiki.

The highest-grossing musical so far, the Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards and boasts music by Elton John and Tim Rice, including the hit Circle of Life.

The Lion King's Rafiki at Cottesloe Beach. Picture: Simon Santi / The West Australian

Thomas Schumacher, one of the fathers of The Lion King and Disney's president of theatrical productions, has raved about New Zealand actor Nick Afoa, who plays adult Simba in the Australian production.

"That kid is glorious," he said. "His version of Endless Night moves me deeply."

Rob Collins, an indigenous actor from Darwin, has been celebrated for his role as Mufasa and Josh Quong Tart is a delectably detestable Scar. WA Academy of the Performing Arts alumni Nicholas Li and Bernard Angel are also in the cast.

Tickets go on pre-sale on June 15. Register at www.thelionking.com.au/perth

Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/27219256/lion-king-roars-into-perth-for-first-time/

Two Major Conferences in Brisbane to Attract 3,900 Business Visitors

Brisbane expects to welcome 3,900 business visitors this month when it hosts two major conferences. 

The first of these, the RCOG World Congress 2015 – a joint event being co-hosted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) – was held over several days earlier this week.
 
Meanwhile, the 40th IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP) 2015, starts Sunday (19 April).
 
The combined number of more than 3,900 delegates and conference exhibitors exceeded the combined target of 3,000 for both events.
 
The RCOG and RANZCOG events attracted participants from 47 countries, while ICASSP will see 90% of its delegates arriving from overseas.
 
General manager of Conventions and Business Events, Rob Nelson from the Brisbane Convention Bureau said the combined economic impact of both events would generate nearly AUS$12m for Brisbane.

“The convention bureau worked closely with the conference organisers to help attract more delegates to their events and ensure they have a memorable experience of our city,” Nelson said.

“We offered in-kind destination marketing support which included assistance promoting Brisbane to potential delegates, Brisbane Airport welcome signage, pre and post-event touring information, onsite tourist information at both conferences and Airtrain travel discounts for delegates to travel into the city.

“With the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre hosting both events, the RCOG/RANZCOG Event and ICASSP has offered another opportunity to showcase Brisbane’s excellent conference facilities.” 

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre General Manager Bob O’Keeffe said the economic, knowledge sharing, investment and tourism benefits of hosting such events presented enormous value to Brisbane and Queensland. 

“BCEC works with local experts and organisations such as RANZCOG and the IEEE Queensland community to win these large bids for Australia and to ensure that it is Brisbane that reaps the benefits," O'Keeffe said.

“BCEC works with its key convention partners, Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Marketing, to secure these high-calibre conferences for Brisbane and Queensland.” 

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