Running since 2011, the grant offers up to $8,000 per recipient to attend international meetings. Past grant winners have attended conferences in Czech Republic, Italy, and Japan. The most recent round of grants saw academics from the Gold Coast travel to conferences in Europe, Asia and North America this year.
Once recipients have attended international conferences, they work with the convention centre on a bid to bring the event to the GCCEC.
“We recognise the importance of international conferences and having influential ambassadors to attract them to our region,” said general manager of GCCEC, Adrienne Readings.
“The value goes beyond economic to fostering innovation, investment and productivity. Linkage Grant has proven to be a productive tool to support our venue and destination.”
To date, the grant has yielded five conferences for the centre.
Business events are a major part of the Gold Coast’s visit economy. In February this year Destination Gold Coast reported $200 million worth of business events in the pipeline to 2030.
The GCCEC, which can host up to 6,000 people, hosts around 150 events a year, with one in 10 of them being international gatherings.
Applications for the Linkage Grant close on February 5, 2024. More information can be found on the GCCEC website.
