GCCEC celebrates 20 years in business
Yesterday, July 1, marked two decades since the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) opened its doors.
The $167-million centre was Australia’s largest regional convention centre when it opened and was expanded in 2009 to meet demand. Two halls, three meeting rooms and three kitchens were added and exhibition space reached 10,000m2.
In its first 20 years, the centre has hosted everything from international conferences to rodeos, major concerts, film productions and Commonwealth Games events.
“The centre has been a major economic driver to the region, supporting local business and employment, attracting leaders of industry, sport and entertainment to our city,” said GCCEC’s acting general manager, Nick Jeffrey.
“In fact, last month the International Communications Association Conference attracted more than $8 million in economic benefit.”
Hyatt Regency brand to leave Perth
The owners of the 366-room hotel that is currently Hyatt Regency Perth are ending their hotel management agreement with Hyatt on August 31, 2024.
Via one of its subsidiary companies, Tuan Sing Holdings will rebrand and reposition the property after it drops the Hyatt association.
Alongside its significant room stock, the hotel has eight event spaces with capacity for up to 1,000 standing.
The hotel will not close as it transitions to a new brand.
Opening date set for the Horizon Hotel in Auckland
The 303-room five-star hotel connected to the under-construction New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) will open on August 1.
Building works at the hotel were completed on June 27.
The opening of the hotel will bring the number of rooms in the SkyCity precinct to almost 1,000.
SkyCity owns both the Horizon Hotel and the NZICC. The new convention centre, set to be New Zealand’s largest, is expected to open next year.
DMC REALM wins international award
Based in Singapore with strong connections to Australia, REALM has been named as the best destination management company for 2024 by MICEbook, a community platform for the global business events industry.
According to MICEbook, “judges were impressed by REALM’s strong business growth, sustainability, client servicing and diversity”.
The company has grown from 10 to 42 staff in the last year and its client base has exploded from 30 to 218.
“The people are what make REALM stand out; with experts like Selina Sinclair at the helm as CEO and founder with her senior team of country leads in each region, it’s been a true success story within the Asia Pacific region,” said Marissa Fernandez from Sydney-based DMS Destination Marketing Services, which partners with REALM for incentives in Asia.
“We are proud to partner with and represent such a strong brand in our market.”
Well-known to the industry in Australia after being head of business events at Destination Gold Coast until mid-last year, Sinclair founded REALM in 2020.
REALM recently solidified its ties to Australia through the creation of a strategic joint venture with Australia’s Unicorn Group.
