There’s also hope that the international reputation and success of Melbourne as a meetings and incentive destination will rub off on its sibling 80km south.
When micenet visited Geelong a few months ago the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre (NBGCEC) on the waterfront was barely out of the ground, but the latest developments have seen a large crane erected on site and the venue is on schedule for a 2026 opening.
Business events and international manager for Business Events Geelong Tamie Ryan describes the future as very exciting. In September her bureau team will commence bidding for future events at NBGCEC.
In the meanwhile she says there’s a lot to love about Geelong and the Bellarine, including “its vibrant culture, breathtaking landscapes, and hospitable community – a blend of regional charm and urban amenities”.
The region currently has 1,500 accommodation rooms with a number of new hotel developments announced and a $280 million five-star hotel proposed near the convention precinct receiving ministerial approval. This will offer 168 luxury rooms plus a 650-seat auditorium, with an expected 2026 opening.
Not that Geelong has a lack of business events product: it has 40 venues capable of accommodating up to 2,000 delegates and apart from its one-hour proximity to Melbourne, it is 20 minutes to Avalon Airport with flights from Sydney, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
Local industry members micenet spoke to said the mere presence of the long-awaited convention centre would boost confidence in the local business community and as they say, “when that tide comes in all boats will rise”. The convention centre will offer a 1,000 seat plenary and exhibition space in a state-of-the-art facility while a 200-room 4.5-star Crowne Plaza hotel will be co-located with the venue.
Geelong’s largest meetings facility is Higher Mark at GMHBA Stadium, which recently completed a new grandstand for its football crowd.
Jacqui Lancaster, event sales coordinator for the stadium venue, said the new developments improved their capability to stage larger exhibitions on a single level instead of over two levels.
Home to the Geelong Cats AFL club, the President’s Room curves around the boundary and can host 2,400 cocktail, 1,000 in banquet and 500 to a maximum of 800 in theatre. That’s in addition to a second space, the Fred Flanagan Room for 400 in banquet alongside another 30 business event spaces around the ground. The stadium itself seats 40,000.
Lancaster says the current clientele is a mix of local businesses and associations with interests in the region, but they hope that the new convention centre will draw the attention of international markets.
Among the new hotels to open last year in the Geelong region was a 14-storey Holiday Inn and Suites offering 180 rooms, including 23 suites. General manager Daniel Payne says local businesses use the meeting facilities which include a room for 100 in theatre, divisible into three rooms of 30 seats each. Holiday Inn has a restaurant helmed by ex-Melbourne chef, Migo Razon who supervises an open kitchen popular for lunch and dinner but also available to groups.
Around the corner Quest Geelong Central has 87 apartments and a meeting space for 50, together with an excellent rooftop garden overlooking Corio Bay for a casual gathering or breakouts.
Meanwhile Novotel Geelong, which has 109 accommodation rooms and 12 meeting spaces for up to 250, has a dress circle position overlooking the foreshore at Eastern Beach.
Perhaps the greatest point of difference for meetings in this region is its proximity to some of Victoria’s best wine and food producers.
Terindah Estate in the Bellarine has a large venue for 200 in theatre or 170 in banquet that overlooks acres of vines. Downstairs is a smaller more casual space, the barrel room. Rustic onsite restaurant The Shed seats 55 inside and a further 40 outdoors, depending on weather.
The region is also popular for its links-style golf courses and is home to The Range and Curlewis Golf Club, which have been transformed by hospitality industry leader Lyndsay Sharp – through the Sharp Group – since she and husband David bought them in 2015.
While the original links are still there, innovations include modern club rooms and hospitality facilities that can cater for 150 cocktail, 100 in theatre or 90 in banquet.
Their award-winning restaurant Claribeaux also caters for meetings.
As part of the $20 million development the Sharp Group has added eco-friendly accommodation with 60 king rooms in an Indigenous garden setting. The accommodation won gold at the recent Victorian Tourism Awards and it’s proving popular for the stay and play market midweek.
The Range offers an 18-bay driving range with a Top Tracer system that shows distance and accuracy, as well as the XGolf virtual golf simulator that allows a team to stay on the driving range and effectively “play” a round at some of the world’s best golf courses, all without leaving the tee, except to go to and from the bar for refreshments – no carts, no magpie attacks and no sunburn.
Larelle Fitt, head of conferencing and events at the Sharp Group, said both Geelong and Melbourne corporates regularly arrive for two or three days of meetings and golf at Curlewis. She says there’s even an option for non-golfers to play “foot golf” with a soccer ball and specially enlarged holes allowing the putt to sink.
Sharp Group also includes Flying Brick Cider Co, Jack Rabbit Winery and Leura Park Estate.
At Business Events Geelong, Ryan cites other developments in Geelong city itself, including the $140 million Little Malop Street redevelopment that has dramatically expanded the capacity of Geelong Arts Centre, introducing 550 and 250-seat theatres alongside a range of contemporary event spaces.
Ryan says the region’s domestic tourism spend is up 72 per cent to $1.833 billion when compared to the year ending 2019, according to TRA’s latest National and International Visitor Surveys. For the first quarter of 2024, she said there were more than 10 event opportunities for the region with an estimated economic benefit of $1,305,640.
