The new $4 million Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre – the biggest convention centre in NSW north of Sydney – will open later this year with pylons recycled from the recently demolished Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre (SCEC).
Construction is currently underway at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley resort in Lovedale and the four recycled pylons will be placed at each corner of the new centre, which will offer a combined 2012 square-metres of pre-function, meeting, exhibition and convention space.
“SCEC played such an enormous role in the development of Sydney’s and NSW’s tourism sector, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the State’s economy, so I thought we should preserve at least a part of the heritage and use it to build the new venue in the Hunter,” property developer and director of the Schwartz Family Company, Jerry Schwartz, said.
“We will commemorate the pylons’ heritage with a plaque and a story telling of their origin. It will add real substance to the new building, while also highlighting the value and benefit of recycling.”
The Hunter Valley wine region is one of three areas being marketed as conference destinations by the new ‘Altogether Perfect’ promotional campaign.