Remember when: The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre opened to the public in 2004

PREMIER Peter Beattie opened the Gold Coast’s most important landmark in 20 years, the new $127 million convention and exhibition centre at Broadbeach.

Gold Coast History: Gold Coast Bulletin 2004, June 30. Front Page

Gold Coast Bulletin, June 30, 2004

PREMIER Peter Beattie opened the Gold Coast’s most important landmark in 20 years, the new $127 million convention and exhibition centre at Broadbeach.

After 66 months of design and construction, the centre was unveiled as an architectural triumph of tasteful, airy and sophisticated design, providing sweeping views of the mountains.

Australia’s top concert promoters inspected the 6000-seat arena and promised to bring some of the world’s hottest acts.

A massive fireworks display kicked off the opening soiree, where 1200 revellers dined in elegance at a black-tie function.

Civic, tourism and business leaders hailed the new centre as the most significant piece of community infrastructure in 20 years, with the capability of generating $200 million a year extra for the local economy.

Not since the 1985 opening of Jupiters Casino had there been such an air of anticipation, they said.

Mr Beattie, who commissioned the project in 1999 with a funding pledge of $111 million, said the convention centre would `take the Gold Coast to the world’.

“This convention centre should have been built years ago,’’ he said.

“The whole of the Gold Coast is now a magnet.”

He thought the centre was `architecturally brilliant’. “I love it. It goes to show that the public and private sectors can work together.”

He said the Government had invested $9 million into building another concrete slab, required for the extra 3000 sqm of exhibition space.

He said he could not say when the Government would announce the extra $24 million for the exhibition space.