New ways to communicate
The Gold Coast Conference and Exhibition Centre will host over 2000 international delegates in May 2020 for the 70 th Annual International Communication Association ( ICA ) Conference . ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study , teaching and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication , with more than 4500 members in 80 countries .
Gold Coast Business Events , in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland , coordinated a collaborative bid which had strong support from South East Queensland universities and was championed by business events Ambassador , Professor Terry Flew .
Anna Case , director of Gold Coast Business Events , says securing this event was a real coup for the Gold Coast and demonstrated the strong capabilities of the destination to host major international conferences .
“ The host city also had to demonstrate the availability of a strong support team on the ground and our thriving local academic community were instrumental in demonstrating the spirit of cooperation between universities ,” she says .
“ Professor Terry Flew , with the support of Queensland University of Technology and in collaboration with colleagues at University of Queensland , Griffith University , Bond University and Southern Cross University recognised the benefits of hosting this conference on the Gold Coast and worked hard to make it happen .”
Badminton serves up test
The first GC2018 test event is scheduled for May , with the Sudirman Cup international badminton team event at the new Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre . It is the first time this prestigious event has been held outside of Asia or Europe and has an estimated TV audience in excess of 400 million worldwide . with both leisure and business travellers , so we are working to create a broad offering that will help to support this well into the future ,” says The Star Entertainment Group ’ s managing director , Queensland Geoff Hogg .
Approvals have also been received for an additional 200m tall hotel and apartment tower on Broadbeach Island slated for 2020 . The 4.5 star 700-room tower could be the first of up to five in a master plan for the property developed as part of a joint venture with partners Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium , and when complete , will increase the property ’ s overall accommodation to almost 1400 rooms .
Anna Case , director of Gold Coast Business Events , says all the new facilities being built are delivering more choice for business events .
“ The Star Gold Coast represents a significant enhancement to our business events offering ,” she says . “ At the same time , many hotels are undergoing upgrades and refurbishments which give us a clear competitive edge .
“ We ’ re also excited about the extension to our light rail system which will take our public transit to a new level , connecting to heavy rail and enabling transfers from Brisbane International Airport .
“ The new sporting facilities will give large groups new options for gala dinners , exhibitions and off site events , providing a broader range of venue choice for event planners .
“ Public spaces are now being transformed and upgraded , with millions spent enhancing parklands incorporating artwork , paving , recreational spaces and pavilions .”
One of the major public infrastructure projects taking shape is the Cultural Precinct , with Stage 1 offering outdoor performance , event and civic space in time for the Commonwealth Games .
New opportunities for arts and cultural programming , under the management of The Arts Centre Gold Coast , will be available , while the amphitheatre will be equipped for “ plug and play ” performances for audiences of up to 1000 people , with a capacity for “ bump in ” equipment catering to larger events of up to 5000 people .
The number of meetings and conferences held on the Gold Coast increased by 21 per cent to June 30 , 2016 . The results also revealed that the economic impact of business events increased from the previous 12 months , with a direct injection to the Gold Coast economy of an estimated $ 565 million .
Already , nearly 12,000 delegates have registered for 29 sport-related conferences and meetings on the Gold Coast as a direct spin-off from the Commonwealth Games .
“ We ’ re focused on targeting sporting related and allied health associations and corporate groups to meet pre and post GC2018 ,” says Case . “ We ’ ve identified a strong interest from these groups to tap into an event of this scale and to soak up the atmosphere of the host city .”
The Games themselves are set to bring more than 100,000 visitors , athletes and officials to the state .
“ As we prepare to host the biggest event Australia will see this decade , the city has never looked better or offered a depth of product and experiences more in tune with the needs of conference organisers and delegates ,” Case says . “ This is great news for business events and we ’ re excited to get that message out to the marketplace .”
32 Convention & Incentive Marketing , Issue 2 , 2017 www . cimmagazine . com