Cramped conditions at Gold Coast Convention Centre spark expansion fast-track call

IF you’re going to the Gold Coast’s Supanova this weekend, get ready to squeeze in. Event attendance at it, and other festivals, has grown so much, civic leaders are demanding the fast-tracking of an expansion of the city’s convention centre.

GOLD Coast Tourism wants the State Government to fast-track plans to extend the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre to meet demand.

The centre, owned by the State Government and managed by The Star Entertainment Group, opened in 2004 and was last extended in 2008.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told the Bulletin in November 2017 the Government was investing $1 million in a business case for a third major upgrade to the convention centre.

“The Gold Coast is one of the country’s leading event destinations and this investment will secure that reputation,” she said.

However, the Coast is losing valuable business in the meantime as the venue struggles to meet demand.

Crowds at the 2014 Supanova Comic Con & Gaming event at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The centre will host its first event since the Commonwealth Games this weekend when an expected crowd of 30,000 people attend Supanova Comic Con & Gaming 2018.

Event founder and director Daniel Zachariou said the Coast leg of the fan celebration was on track to sell out again this year thanks to guests such as Dr Who star Peter Capaldi.

While he’d love to boost Supanova’s capacity, Mr Zachariou said the convention centre was not big enough to allow him to grow the event.

“The reality is we’re at maximum capacity at the convention centre and have been for the last four years,” he said.

“We’re nudging to find ways to grow our footprint.”

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre general manager Adrienne Readings. Picture: Supplied.

OCCUPATION STARS HEAD TO GOLD COAST FOR SUPANOVA

Convention centre general manager Adrienne Readings said the venue’s popularity was expected to increase following its success hosting netball and basketball events and the international media during the Commonwealth Games.

“To help meet this expected demand, GCCEC has submitted a business case to the State Government for an expansion,” she said.

“The expansion plans and projected costings are currently with the State Government and are still a work in progress. The expansion will not only cater for additional new business but for those conferences that have outgrown GCCEC in terms of available space. Not only are we trying to replace those who have left us with new business, we do want to welcome our regular conferences back to GCCEC in the future.”

The netball competition at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on day eight of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Picture: Jason O'Brien/Getty Images.

The plans would see an extra exhibition hall and mezzanine added to the existing building.

Mr Zachariou said he hopes to extend Supanova’s contract with the centre beyond its current 2020 expiry date when he arrives on the Coast this week.

“If they try and make it a bit bigger, that would be fantastic. We had to turn away (exhibitor) business from three months ago. I had to say ‘sorry, we’re full’,” he said.

First held in Sydney in 2002, Supanova brings stars of cult film, TV, comic books, gaming and collector toys to town to meet fans, sign autographs, pose for photos and lead seminars and workshops.

The success of the Coast event prompted Broadbeach Alliance to launch the annual Gold Coast Superhero Weekend, which includes Australia’s only Supanova Cosplay Parade in local streets on Sunday.

Mr Zachariou said the convention centre’s beachfront location combined with strong support from local traders and the alliance made him reluctant to leave Broadbeach to find a bigger venue.

Supanova’s success on the Gold Coast lead Broadbeach Alliance to create Gold Coast Superhero weekend, which includes the Supanova Cosplay Parade through local streets. Picture Glenn Hampson

Gold Coast Tourism director of corporate affairs and strategy Dean Gould said extending the convention centre was a top priority for the city.

“We are very much in favour of it expanding. It’s on Gold Coast Tourism’s Top 10 list of things that need to be done in the city.

“We know it’s a cost issue but we think the returns are there for the State Government. It’s a matter of making it a funding priority.”

A spokesman for the Public Works and Housing Department said a preliminary business case for the proposal to extend the Gold Coast Convention Centre “is currently in development and will be finalised in the coming months”.

The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is a quick walk from the beach in Broadbeach. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The renewed push to expand the centre comes as the State Government seeks to leverage the Coast as a tourism and events destination off the back of the Commonwealth Games.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said interest and enthusiasm to bring events to Queensland following the Games is immense.

“Our bold target is to double the current value of Queensland’s events calendar to be worth $1.5 billion to the Queensland economy by 2025,” she said.