As part of your conference program is a river cruise with us to the world renowned Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  We will take you on an interesting journey through the city of Brisbane.  The cruise travels through the city’s most historic landscapes, iconic attractions, historical home sites and interesting and wildlife habitats as you listen to an entertaining and informative commentary.

You will have the unique opportunity of being able to cuddle a koala, hand feed kangaroos and explore the sanctuary which houses over 130 koalas and many other Australian Wildlife.

On our return journey, sit back and relax and enjoy a refreshing glass of Australian wine or beer.

This popular journey has been taking visitors and locals to Lone Pine for over 60 years and is a “must do” experience while in Brisbane.

We look forward to meeting you on the 25^th April.

Rob Treasure, Skipper/Director, Mirimar Cruises

We’ve recently produced a flyer with all current conference programme information. It also has a note from the Secretary-General, Sally-Ann Wilson, about how timely it is for Public Service Broadcasters to address topics around the theme of ‘Media Leadership in Crisis, Disaster and Emergency’. The front is set against the scenic Brisbane skyline at night and the back has two images from recent disasters.

You can download the flyer here.

Let me introduce myself, I’m Jasmine and I, with my colleagues at the CBA, am involved in organising the CBA conference in Brisbane.

With less than 3 months to go I wanted to share some useful tips with you on the Australia visa process so that your trip and experience in Australia is as smooth as possible.

The most important thing to remember is that visa applications must be made well in advance to ensure that they are processed before your departure to Australia.

Late applications may not be processed in time for you to attend so please start this process as soon as you have registered to attend.

I would recommend that applicants apply at least 6-8 weeks prior to the conference. So I would advise you make your applications no later than the March 9^th to ensure your visa is processed.

The CBA is here to help you with your visa and will provide assistance if needed. Below are a few things that you must have completed before starting your visa application – please note that visas will not be processed until these three steps have been completed:

• Register for the conference on the CBA website
• Complete all details accurately
• Registration fee must be paid before applying for the Visa

I look forward to meeting you in Brisbane and please don’t hesitate in getting in touch with any queries via the contact form.

There’s approximately one month left to benefit from early bird rates for April’s CBA Brisbane conference.

Registration is straightforward with four simple sections to fill out. Once you’ve entered your personal details you can go straight to the payment section and return to enter your travel and other details at a later date.

The following early bird rates below apply to delegates who register before Monday 20th February:

Member Developed – £300
Member Other – £150
Non-member developed – £450
Non-member other – £300
Delegate companions – £150
Single-day – £150

From Monday 20th February the below conference rates will apply:
Member Developed – £400
Member Other – £250
Non-member developed – £550
Non-member other – £400
Delegate companions – £200
Single-day – £200

We hope that many of you will take advantage of these early bird rates. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the contact form. Otherwise, we look forward to receiving your registration and meeting you in Brisbane for what we’re sure will be a stimulating and rewarding 3 days.

Having just returned from a recce trip to Brisbane, I’m proud to report that the venues for this year’s conference are the best I have experienced in 5 years of organising events at the CBA. The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) is a massive complex, specifically designed to host conferences like ours and much bigger exhibitions. Thankfully though, the CBA conference will not be swamped in this large venue. We will be taking up the whole of the Boulevard level in the new Grey Street expansion. When I was there in mid-December, this section was in the final stages of being constructed. Although I did have to don a hardhat to have a look around, they assured me that it would be finished by the end of January (their first bookings are in February, so I’m confident that it will be). I’m excited that this year’s CBA conference will be held in a purpose-built venue.

I also put on a hardhat and some size 11 steel-toed boots to have a sqizz* at the ABC’s new Queensland headquarters. This is where registration on Sunday April 22nd and various one-on-one surgeries on Wednesday 25th will be. With spectacular views of the river and a lot of natural light, I’m sure that Queensland ABC staff will be the envy of their interstate colleagues. Parts of this building are already completed, but the official opening is scheduled for mid-April, just prior to the CBA conference.

Another stunning location on Brisbane’s South Bank is the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). Having only been opened five years ago, this is also a very modern building. Almost all of the Brisbanites I spoke with raved about GOMA, and while there I was lucky enough to check out inspiring exhibitions of Henri Matisse and Yayoi Kusama. Although those exhibitions will have finished by the time of the conference, I’m sure they’ll have other world-class art on show. We are working towards having the conference’s Opening Reception (to be held on the evening of Sunday 22nd April) in the River Lounge at GOMA, overlooking the Brisbane River. GOMA is just a casual ten minute stroll along the South Bank from the ABC building and BCEC, which are directly across Grey Street from one another.

The weather in Brisbane in April was often described to me as “just perfect”. I look forward to enjoying perfect weather with you all at the CBA 2012 General Conference on Brisbane’s scenic South Bank this coming April.

Adam Weatherhead, Project Manager, CBA

*Australian for a quick but inquisitive look

The CBA 2012 Conference is now open for registration.

This conference website provides information on visas, hotels and more. We will also be updating the conference blog and website regularly in the run up to keep delegates up-to-date with the latest developments.

Early bird rates are currently available to anyone who registers before 20th February.

Below is a video about the conference centre, which will be the venue of the conference.

I’m delighted to be able to confirm the dates of the next CBA General Conference which will take place in Brisbane from 22nd -25th April 2012. The conference will be hosted by ABC and will focus on media leadership during disasters and emergencies. In partnership with ABC, we are developing some new ideas for the conference format so this as an event not to be missed…please make sure you have saved the dates. We will be keeping you updated via the CBA conference blog so that you can watch as the event develops.