Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

Features

The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre has conference facilities for up to 6,000 delegates and 10,000 sqm of exhibition space. The property features a main arena, four halls, 22 meeting rooms, four registration offices and 12 kitchens for catering. The Centre is located 18.3 kilometres (11.4 mi) from Coolangatta airport, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) from Surfers Paradise and walking distance from 3,000 accommodation rooms and the beach. Centre highlights include onsite Box Office and Ticketek, in-house audio visual services, award-winning catering, marketing and public relations support and professional event management. Wireless internet access throughout GCCEC allows delegates to send and receive emails, access the internet, research projects or connect directly to their office from anywhere within the venue.

Expansion

The Centre was expanded at a cost of $40 million in early 2009. The makeover was funded by the Queensland Government, adding two extra exhibition halls, a registration office, three meeting rooms and three new kitchens, an extra 3,000 square metres of floor space in total. The Queensland Government commenced construction proceedings as a result of the increasing demand on the Gold Coast for larger space and concurrent sessions during national and international conventions and incentives. The final product required over 124,000 man hours, 1550 m3 of concrete poured, 375 tonnes of structural steel erected and 7,000 litres of paint.

Events

The GCCEC is home to numerous conventions, from the association, corporate and franchise sectors to consumer shows and entertainment events. Synonymous with entertainment on the Gold Coast, the Centre continues to attract a diverse mix of entertainers and events, including big names such as Mariah Carey, Kings of Leon, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Powderfinger, Carl Barron, The Madden Brothers, Pink, Billy Connolly, ASP World Surfing Awards, the Australian Rodeo Finals, Total Carnage Fight Night and the Supanova Pop Culture Expo.

From the 2007-08 NBL season until the end of the 2011-12 season, the venue was home to the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League with the capacity to seat 5,269 spectators. During Blaze home games the Centre was referred to as "The Furnace" and gained a reputation for having close games with three Blaze games during the 2010-11 NBL season going into overtime. Along with the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Queensland Firebirds, a Brisbane-based netball team in the Suncorp Super Netball play regular home games at the venue.

In 2012, GCCEC played host to the Gold Coast judges' audition in the third series of Seven Network's The X Factor and the UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson bout - the first of its kind to be held in Queensland.

The Centre is set to host the Netball competition and finals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games which are being held on the Gold Coast.

Awards

The GCCEC has won more than 20 awards over the past decade, including winner of the 2012 Meetings and Events Industry Awards – National Meeting Venue 500 Delegates or More and 2010 Meetings and Business Tourism Category at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Green Initiative

Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable practices are part of the GCCEC’s core values and are reflective of a culture that displays an unwavering commitment to operating at the world’s highest environmental standards. The Centre's environmental practices have been recognised by the world’s largest and most recognised environmental management program, EarthCheck, making it a global leader among sustainable conferencing venues and a benchmark operator in the (meetings, incentives, conventions, events) MICE sector. In 2013, the GCCEC made history becoming the first convention centre in the world to achieve prestigious EarthCheck Gold Certification and in 2014, the Centre became the first EarthCheck Certified member to be verified against the EarthCheck Responsible Meetings and Events Standard. The Centre’s environmental policy is driven by a volunteer committee of dedicated employees, called the Project Green Committee. The Centre has successfully implemented an Environmental Management and Sustainability Plan containing key strategies for energy and water conservation and waste management and works with Australian company OzHarvest to redistribute leftover packaged foods to local charities.