I’ve been tasked with organising the annual conference for the Victorian chapter of the international stamp collecting society I’m tangentially involved with. Don’t ask me how this came to be the case – I really feel that there are other people who are better suited to the job. But the guy who normally takes charge of it has had to take emergency leave and everyone else was too busy, so I put my hand up for it and there you have it.
My first port of call is nailing down a venue. I’m told that a lot of my fellow chapter members are located down in the surf coast area, and that the ones who live in Melbourne tend to be quite keen to get out of the city for the weekend. Makes sense to me – who doesn’t want to immerse themselves in the world of stamp collecting in scenic surrounds? So, here’s what I’m looking for: conference venues with accomodation in regional Victoria – preferably near the beach!
To be forthright, most of the members of this society are relatively well-to-do, and expect things to be of a certain quality. That means no seedy, motor-inn style hotel rooms. And if there’s a day spa on site, so much the better. At the same time, we stamp collectors tend to be wild about wildlife – we love bird watching and the like. Does that surprise you? Try taking a closer look at the stamp next time you get a letter with one on it. A fairly sizable proportion of the time, there’ll be something organic on it.
I’m thinking that somewhere along the Great Ocean Road might be just the ticket – perhaps some luxury beachside apartments in Lorne. Victoria has so many beautiful places to see along the coast, but I can definitely vouch for Lorne as somewhere in which the occasion at hand won’t be out of place. With that in mind, my next move will be to locate a venue that can do the conference catering, preferably using local produce.
Feels like it’s coming together! I was born for this.