The $450 million Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre will open in July 2026 on Geelong’s waterfront, offering a 1,000-seat theatre and 3,700m2 of flexible space.
The new 200-room Crowne Plaza Geelong will be located within the convention centre precinct.
The venue is being operated by the Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET), the same organisation that runs Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Amongst Nyaal Banyul’s first four events are the Associations Forum National Conference, which is expecting 400 delegates to attend the July event, the Business Managers Victoria Conference, also in July, and the Victorian Principals Association Conference in August.
The venue will also host the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative NAIDOC Week Dinner in July.
“These four events show exactly what Nyaal Banyul stands for: thought leadership, cultural connection and community impact,” said VCET chief executive, Natalie O’Brien AM.
“It’s the perfect beginning to a venue built to bring people together in meaningful ways.”
The Association Forum’s group general manager, Fatima Sunderji, said the organisation was “delighted” to be the first association conference to be held at Nyaal Banyul.
“It is our 20th year for the conference and we couldn’t be more pleased to be bringing it to the stunning new state-of-the-art centre, with its focus on sustainability and community engagement it makes it a perfect event destination for association conferencing,” said Sunderji.
While overseen by VCET, Nyaal Banyul has its own general manager, Rick Aylett, who has been in the role since the start of the year and has been the project director for the convention centre since early 2022.
