THIS ARTICLE COVERS:
Behind the Scenes
Brisbane Corporate Catering
Canapés
Community
Event Catering
Event Planning
Event Spotlight
Ice Sculptures
Local Suppliers
Major Event Catering
Off-Site Catering
Queensland Events
Queensland Producers
Styling
Sustainable Catering
ATE25 marked one of Wine & Dine’m’s most intensive and creatively demanding projects to date — a multi-layered showcase, where Queensland’s tourism offering took centre stage, in-front of 1400+ of Australia's most respected tourism vendors.
Beyond the immediate delivery, ATE25 played an important role in positioning Brisbane as a global business events destination while supporting long‑term tourism growth across Queensland and Australia. As Australia’s largest tourism trade event, ATE creates the conditions for meaningful international connection — not only through on‑site appointments, but by allowing decision‑makers to experience destinations in context.
ATE25 provided international buyers with the opportunity to experience Australia’s tourism offerings first-hand through pre- and post-event familiarisations
Showcasing Queensland in this way ensured the event extended well beyond its scheduled program, delivering lasting value for the tourism industry and the city itself.
From the outset, it was an exercise in precision, collaboration and imagination, calling on our internal teams to work seamlessly alongside an exceptional network of suppliers, producers and partners. With world-class Queensland produce at our fingertips and a shared commitment to excellence, the result was an event that not only met the moment, but quietly raised the bar for what’s possible when strategic planning and creative courage align.
Photographer: Leah Desborough
Hear from the Events & Sales Team
Back in 2016, Wine & Dine'm catering were proud to be a part of our first Australian Tourism Exchange event at the Gold Coast Turf Club - In 2025, we stepped it up when ATE25 welcomed 1400+ tourism vendors from across the country to a Queensland Showcase, hosted on the Riverside Green at South Bank - highlighting our state's best produce and suppliers.
A critical part of bringing that vision to life was strong stakeholder alignment from the outset. Working closely with Tourism and Events Queensland, and alongside key partners such as the Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) and Tourism Australia, the brief became less about individual deliverables and more about a shared ambition — to present Queensland as a confident, world‑class destination through food-led storytelling and immersive hospitality. Close collaboration with the amazing Tourism & Events Queensland team ensured every decision, from menu design through to guest flow and presentation, stayed true to that overarching narrative.
Goals,Priorities and Non-Negotiables
The biggest non-negotiable from the very start, was creating a memorable guest experience. The very first brief we received really emphasised that the client wanted guests to feel like they were enjoying an evening on ‘the back deck’ relaxing with friends, after a long week of conferences and travel. The overarching goal was to promote the best in Queensland produce through custom canapé menus, stations and beverages - emphasised through interactive service elements that guided guests to explore the entire outdoor event space, aiming to eliminate any queues or bottlenecks for the 1400+ guests.
Key Challenges or Considerations
In planning the running of the event, our biggest challenge was finding an efficient way to serve food & beverage to over 1,400 guests within a 3 hour service period, without compromising on the quality of our menu and service. The kicker of it all, was that all 1,400 guests were set to arrive at the same time…
In creating the menu, a crucial consideration was liaising with the right local suppliers, that were just as passionate about their ingredients and services as we were to present them. This included fresh Great Barrier Reef Coral Trout from Chris Bolton Fishing, Native accompaniments and indigenous teachings from Nooks & Cooks, Five Founders beef and Australian lamb for our 'On the Barbie Station' and considered, beautiful styling from our regular collaborator, Brandition.
We also had to take into consideration that we weren’t going to receive any guest dietary requirements in advance, so our menu needed to accommodate for inevitable dietary needs across our many menu touch-points.
How our sales team collaborated with the client to shape the experience
Our team had multiple site visits with not only our client, Australian Tourism, but also with the other suppliers involved with creating the event (AV, Styling, Equipment Hire etc..) - To execute an event like this, it really takes a village. This was incredibly helpful to be able to physically walk through the site, gain a better, tangible understanding into exactly what the clients wanted and how other suppliers would be impacted by decisions we needed to make. This set up the whole planning experience to feel incredibly cohesive and collaborative - to be able to work with so many different suppliers, all with different ideas and objectives, but all working towards the same goal of creating a seamless, memorable event.
Within our team, we actually ran an exercise across the sales team, where each person was encouraged to quote / plan the job individually and told to get as creative as possible! We found this was a great way to involve the whole team, present a variety of ideas without boundaries and truly utilise our team's experience to shape a proposal that felt collaborative, creative and the best result we could create for the client.
Brandition Event Styling & Furniture Hire
Hear from the Kitchen Team
The ATE25 Queensland Showcase was designed as an elevated roaming dining experience for 1,400 guests, centred around an outdoor three-hour canapé and interactive station service. The menu unfolded through a combination of bite-sized and substantial canapés and live food stations that showed off the best of Queensland produce - encouraging movement, conversation and discovery throughout the space.
The Menu:
CANAPES:
Beetroot, fig mustard, quandong dust, horseradish & goats cheese custard tart (v)
Native cured Wagyu beef, popped grains, macadamia bush tomato dukkah (df)
Sweet & sour pork belly, eschalot & sesame (gf/df)
Aged cheddar cake, green peppercorn mayonnaise (v/gf)
SUBSTANTIAL CANAPES:
Seed crusted Infinity blue barramundi, lentils, native curry, Warrigal greens (gf/df)
Korean fried chicken, kimchi mayo, pickles on petite potato roll
Moreton Bay bug roll service in a brioche bun with celeriac remoulade
STATIONS:
FRESH QUEENSLAND SEAFOOD BAR
Mooloolaba prawns, served with native accompaniments including Davidson plum & aniseed myrtle
Freshly shucked QLD Oyster Co oysters, paired with Green Valley finger lime mignonette
Fresh sashimi - Coral Trout & Kingfish
Native accompaniments - Wasabi mayonnaise with pepperberry & lime, finger lime mignonette, seafood sauce, Mt White lime granita & native lemon balm mignonette, Nam prik sauce with sea celery & emu foot grass
ON THE BARBIE STATION
Live coal-grilled lamb cutlets with bush tomato, tamari fire oil & native spiced dukkah
Smoked saltbush & mountain pepper rubbed Five Founders beef short rib
Miso glazed corn
Accompaniments: Brown plum relish with native thyme, chimichurri
DESSERT OVER COALS STATION
Charred pineapple served with salted Bundy Rum caramel glaze, coconut cream, topped with crisp coconut
Petite dessert bites, decadent dark chocolate tart & coffee mousse (gf)
Photographer: Leah Desborough
Photographer: Leah Desborough
Hear from the Front of House Team
Staffing requirements and team structure
This had to be one of the biggest considerations when tackling the planning of this event. We knew we needed to expand our existing front of house and kitchen team to pull this of - which meant a call out to every previous chef and front of house member that had worked for Wine & Dine'm in the past decade to see if they'd be willing to don the green apron once again.
Amazingly, as a testament to the incredible people who have worked with us through the years, we ended up with 94 staff in total (across FOH & BOH), with over 70% of those staff made up of either current or past Wine & Dine'm employees, as well as friends from the industry that we've made over the past 26 years of events and catering. Including 2023 Australian chef of the year, and frequent collaborator Tom Hitchcock, who helped lead our 'On the Barbie' smoked meats station.
Once we had our dream team, staff were split into sections, with a 'team leader' in each area - an essential measure due to the sheer scale of the event area. Staffing this way meant that no area was ever lacking in service. This was the same for the kitchen team, with each food area assigned a lead chef - ensuring seamless communication between BOH and FOH throughout the entire event. These sections were split into Canapes, 3 x Food Stations, arrival beverages / bar service and an Operations leader, responsible for all clearing, bar backing and floating between areas. This structure made all service on the night as efficient as possible, but also assisted in the lead up to the event, as we enabled each team leader to take charge of their staff, brief them correctly and become comfortable with what was expected of them, well before any guest arrived.
Service style and flow of the event
Overall service style for the night was 3 x custom food stations, constant roving canapes and 2 x bars (including an arrival cocktail & mocktail). The flow came from how we strategically placed the bars and stations, as well as how the furniture was placed around the space. As a large open space, held in a high-traffic, public area, the client agreed to fence the perimeter, so guests had to all come through the same entry point. This allowed our staff to be ready with arrival cocktails/ mocktails and canapes for guests to receive right as they walked in.
With cocktail and canapé in hand, guests were then greeted by the mouthwatering smell of our 'On the Barbie' BBQ Smoked station, strategically placed to spoke everyone's appetite. The fresh seafood station, with the backdrop of the river was directly in front of guests as they walked down the hill. The main bar and dessert station was to the far left, away from the majority of the crowd - this meant that guests were less inclined to walk up to the bar out of instinct, and quickly learnt that food and beverages would come to them and that they could put their feed up, relax and enjoy the event.
How the FOH team adapted to the space, schedule, or guest dynamics
As with any event, there is always the need to adapt on the night - this is where we really saw the benefit of having our past Wine & Dine'm family on-hand for the event. When inevitable changes to schedule or surprise dietaries arose, there was no need to over explain, or double check with everyone - the team knew what they need to do in order to shift, communicate and get the job done.
A moment that captures the energy or success of the event on the day
Honestly, a moment that many of the team commented on was at the end of service, once the adrenaline started to wear off and we started to pack down. Seeing all the staff together (past and present), laughing and reminiscing about their own WD days, whilst still actively putting in the work to pack up, clean and finish the night as strong as it started. It was amazing to see that even after running circles around Southbank for 3 hours straight, no one stopped until the job was done.
Looking back, ATE25 stands as a reminder of what’s possible when trust, collaboration and creativity drive every decision. It was a project that challenged us, inspired us, and reinforced the value of working closely with incredible partners who share a commitment to showcasing Queensland at its very best. From global buyers to local producers, the impact of this event extended far beyond its run dates — leaving a legacy that continues to shape how Brisbane is seen on the world stage.
Whether you’re welcoming international delegates or hosting a flagship business event, our team would love to help bring your vision to life. Get in touch with Wine & Dine’m to explore how thoughtful catering, local storytelling and seamless execution can elevate your next event.
