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Dining Downunder releases Global Survey Results on Hotel Cuisine Promotions

Dining Downunder releases Global Survey Results on Hotel Cuisine Promotions

From January to June 2005, Dining Downunder conducted a global survey on hotel cuisine promotions which was completed by over 650 in the hotel and restaurant industry.

The survey was developed to identify the challenges for hotels in hosting cuisine promotions and to allow hotels to evaluate future promotions and distinguish the profitability of a particular event.

Guest chefs are commonly invited to host hotel promotions around the world. However many promotions are still seen as significant cost centres and run for public relations rather than as for what they should be – serious revenue generators and opportunities to train the kitchen brigade in specific cuisine offerings.

The survey addressed 14 key areas;

1. How often does your property run cuisine promotions?
2. Why run a cuisine promotion?
3. What cuisine is the most popular?
4. Do you feature a guest chef for cuisine promotions?
5. Is the reputation or celebrity status of the guest chef important?
6. Average length of a hotel cuisine promotion?
7. Does your hotel try to gain sponsorship for cuisine promotions?
8. Do sponsors feel that they got value for their investment?
9. Average budget for each cuisine promotion in US Dollars?
10. For what market segment is the cuisine promotion predominantly focused?
11. How many room nights does a cuisine promotion typically generate?
12. What factors contributed to your least successful promotion(s)?
13. Have your cuisine promotions been increasingly successful?
14. What do you feel makes a cuisine promotion successful?

The results were very surprising and paint a realistic picture of the industry today and also direct readers to think outside the square to attract attendees to future promotions and look at what opportunities they offer potential guests.

Purchase a copy of the Dining Downunder Global Hotel Cuisine Promotions Survey Results here.

Mark McCluskey

Mark McCluskey

Mark McCluskey has received numerous culinary awards for his style and use of native Australian ingredients which has been built upon his traditional English training. He began his career in the UK at the Kegworth Hotel then moved to the Novotel in London.

Since coming to Australia, he has gained a wide experience in restaurants and hotels including the Art Gallery of NSW, Stamford Resort at North Ryde, Banjo Patterson’s Cottage Restaurant, Albert’s Lakeside Restaurant and Echoes Restaurant in the Blue Mountains. At Echoes, Mark introduced Australian ingredients to their wedding function menus and many Australians tied the knot with innovative, Aboriginal influenced buffets in the idyllic settings of Sydney’s bushland.

Mark has now moved to Wollongong, often shortened to the ‘Gong, a growing metropolis a little over an hour’s drive south of Sydney. There, at The Beachhouse restaurant, he continues to receive rave reviews for his dishes from food critics and his regular customers.

Benjamin Christie

Benjamin Christie

Benjamin Christie is a young Australian celebrity chef with a rapidly growing international reputation as a television presenter, cookbook author, culinary educator and chef consultant.

His career started at the award-winning Sydney restaurant, The Watermark under the guidance of Executive Chef Kenneth Leung. After his apprenticeship, Benjamin moved on to senior positions at properties including Great Keppel Island Resort, The Parkroyal Perth, Angsana Spa Resort and the acclaimed, Banyan Tree Resort in Indonesia.

In recent years, Benjamin was introduced to international audiences as co-host of the now popular Australian TV cooking show, Dining Downunder which has now broadcast to 48 countries throughout the world. This unique series entertains and edifies viewers about authentic Australian cuisine and showcases those special places around Australia. The show has been the catalyst for the increased use of authentic Australian foods in up-market international restaurants, hotels, resorts, on-board cruise ships and in corporate event menus.

In 2004, together with Vic Cherikoff, he co-produced his first book, The Dining Downunder Cookbook an achievement which owes as much to Benjamin’s focused publishing effort and computer skills as to his culinary contribution between the book’s covers. The title has sold thousands of copies to date via direct and on-line sales alone.

Benjamin makes regular appearances on television and radio and is often invited as guest chef to hotels, resorts, prestigious clubs, cruise ships and food festivals around the world from The Rhode Island Clam Chowder Festival to cooking at Australia Week in Moscow.

Benjamin is a contributing authority to a number of publications and websites around the world and his recipes have appeared in many general circulation and trade publications. In addition, his website is widely regarded as an important contribution to the food industry and has a wide following for the many culinary topics about which he writes.

Rich Media Advertising

Rich Media Advertising

Dining Downunder ™ offers companies the ability to target an audience of high worth and food savvy views using rich media advertising on www.dining-downunder.com

Ad delivery is tracked with high precision in accordance with IAB guidelines, using cookies and 1×1 tracker pixels.

There are a number of different advertising positions available across the site and these can be targeted to in two zones; run of site and our recipes section.

Leaderboard Ads

Leaderboard ads are positioned at the top of each page, between the toolbar and main site content. Leaderboard Ads can be displayed in either static or animated content using image types such as GIF, GIF89, and JPEG, and they are hyperlinked directly to the advertiser’s website address.

Ads can be sold run of site or targeted to the recipes section and are suited for Rollover-expands or Click-expands.

  • Available accross all pages
  • Dimensions 728×90 pixels in size
  • 30k maximum file size

CPM – USD$32

For more information, Email Sales and Marketing

Half Page Ads

The Half Page ad position is intended as a branding opportunity for advertisers and is the largest ad format available. Half Page ads are positioned to the right hand side of content on selected pages making it an ideal location once users are finished reading the content of the page.

Half Page ads can be displayed in either static or animated content using image types such as GIF, GIF89, and JPEG, and they are hyperlinked directly to the advertiser’s website address.

Ads can be sold run of site or targeted to the Episodes, Recipes, Chefs and About sections and are suited for advertisers to run a copy of their TV commercials or for Rollover-expands or Click-expands.

  • Selected Zones on site
  • 336×850 pixels
  • 75k maximum file size

CPM – USD$40

For more information, Email Sales and Marketing

Island Ads

Island ads are positioned to the right hand side of content on selected pages making it an ideal location once users are finished reading the content of the page.

Island ads can be displayed in either static or animated content using image types such as GIF, GIF89, and JPEG, and they are hyperlinked directly to the advertiser’s website address.

Ads can be sold run of site or targeted to the Episodes, Recipes, Chefs and About sections and are suited for Rollover-expands or Click-expands.

  • Selected Zones on site
  • 250×300 pixels in size
  • 30k maximum file size

CPM – USD$25

For more information, Email Sales and Marketing

Dining Downunder Online Advertising

Dining Downunder Online Advertising

Harnessing the power of television as well as the online user, the Dining Downunder website provides advertisers a pre-qualified audience face-to-face with their products and services. At the conclusion of each episode of Dining Downunder viewers are directed to www.dining-downunder.com to learn more.

Online, each episode of Dining Downunder is supported with content from every destination together with detailed recipes, creating the perfect relationship from TV to web for viewers. Much more than just a recipe resource, The Dining Downunder website provides information about Dining Downunder events, where to meet our celebrity chefs and our blog.

Our audience demographics

Both the online user and TV audience of Dining Downunder is targeted at people interested in both gourmet food and/or learning more about Australia as a culinary tourism destination.
Given the unique programming focus on Australian flavours, the audience has a high proportion of professional chefs and cooks, gourmets, retailers and even other media.

Demographic Highlights

• Strong female audience
• Audience ranges from ages 25 to 55
• Household income $50k-$100k
• Household decision makers
• Food Influencers

Online advertising opportunities

• Rich Media adveritisment positions
• Text Links
• Recipe Integration
• Preroll on celebrity chef podcasts
• Preroll on cooking videos
• Email Newsletters
• Competitions and giveaways
• Online Surveys
• Custom sponsorship opportunities

If you are interested in advertising online or require more information or would like a copy of our rate card Email Sales and Marketing team.

Westfield Chatswood Shopping Centre Promotion with Benjamin Christie

Westfield Chatswood Shopping Centre Promotion with Benjamin Christie

A couple of weeks ago the retail marketing department of Westfield Shopping Centres ask if Dining Downunder Chef, Benjamin Christie would do a food promotion with one of their Westfield shopping centres.

So during November, Westfield Chatswood have included Benjamin in their new advertising campaign called Know the New! The campaign is all about the latest fashion, beauty, technology and kitchen homewares which are available at Westfield Chatswood.

As part of this campaign, Westfield Chatswood shoppers have the opportunity to win a night of fine dining with Benjamin at their house. The winner will have Benjamin cooking in their home for them and five guests. He’ll prepare a 3 course authentic Australian dinner using the delicious and interesting indigenous herbs, spices, fruits from the around Australia.

To enter shoppers should simply collect an entry form from the Service Desk located on Levels 3 and 5 at Westfield Chatswood, fill it in and place it inside the competition barrel.

View the Westfield Chatswood Know the New Brochure

Like Westfield Chatswood, if you are interested in having Vic Cherikoff or Benjamin Christie do product endorsement for your products contact us for more information.

Descendance and Dining Downunder Strategic Alliance

Descendance and Dining Downunder Strategic Alliance

The Australian cooking show, Dining Downunder ™ has recently formed a strategic alliance with Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torrens Strait Island dance theatre, Descendance ™ Aboriginal Dancers.

The strategic alliance was developed after both companies were invited by Austrade Moscow, to present the best of Australian food and Aboriginal dance as part of Australia Week in Moscow during 2005. Since then both companies have developed their shared goals to produce and offer the best of the best Australian events overseas.

Descendance ™ is Australia’s most successful and most travelled dance company and has performed hundreds of shows in over 22 countries. The Sydney-based Descendance group is made up of dancers, musicians and singers, mostly from the Kandu and Yidinji people in Far North Queensland, mixed with influences from other peoples including Torres Strait Islanders. The 50 strong dance troupe makes regular appearances at high profile events and festivals and has danced for the Dalai Lama, Olympic ceremonies and Queen Elizabeth. As well as international events the group performs over 700 shows a year in Alice Springs at the Red Centre Resort.

Dining Downunder’s Vic Cherikoff said “The collaboration of authentic Australian food and Aboriginal dance and didjeridu (yidaki) was extremely successful in Moscow and we look forward to expanding our joint promotions during 2006.” As part of the strategic alliance, Dining Downunder ™ and Descendance ™ will offer reciprocal services and pool marketing resources to increase the impact of their respective Australian promotions around the world. Dining Downunder’s 2006 Australian events, including the Descendance Aboriginal dance and didgeridoo performances, are routinely conducted in International and boutique hotels; spa and holiday resorts; selected cruise ships and increasingly, for corporate events which benefit from the authentic Australian look, sound, touch and taste.

“Descendance Aboriginal dancers travelling the world are a terrific cultural promotion for Australia,” Jose Calarco said “and now together with the native flavours of Australia and the chefs from Dining Downunder we can provide a complete, authentic, Australian cultural event overseas”. Apart from their scheduled promotional and corporate events both companies are exploring commercial opportunities which will see a permanent Australian cultural offering in the USA

For more information about Descendance visit www.descendance.com.au

Westfield Shopping Center competition with celebrity chef Benjamin Christie

Westfield Shopping Center competition with celebrity chef Benjamin Christie

You’ll recall just before Christmas last year Westfield Chatswood ran a competition to have celebrity chef Benjamin Christie cook a Gourmet Dinner Party at your house. See Westfield Chatswood Shopping Centre Food Promotion

Well, last night was the night, and the winner Genieve and her husband Neil enjoyed a 5 course meal with six friends prepared by Benjamin.

The evening kicked off with sweet martini’s who were prepared by one of the guests. After the pre dinner drinks, Benjamin served a menu of

• Bread rolls with Australian native spices and macadamia nut oil
• Creamy prawn, cauliflower and lemon myrtle soup with lobster oil
• Wildfire spiced smoked salmon on potato rosti with wild lime mayonnaise
• Lamb loin rolled with spinach served with a bush tomato chutney and Alpine Pepper jus
• Asparagus with paperbark smoke hollandaise
• Kumara mash scented with Australian Fruit Spice
• Apple Crumble with Riberry Confit and ice cream
• Tasmanian cheese plate with Quandong Confit and lavosh

Benjamin would like to thank Westfield Chatswood and their marketing agency who developed this innovative concept of a competition with Dan Clark from Dining Downunder.

If you are interested in holding a similar competition please Email Sales and Marketing

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